'Beyond Type 1' Ambassador Reveals How Diabetes Stigma Nearly Caused a Medical Emergency

A global health nonprofit used a personal story of fear, shame and a dangerously low blood sugar reading to argue that mental health care must be treated as inseparable from diabetes treatment — not an afterthought. The presentation at a United Nations-affiliated forum spotlighted how stigma drives health crises and workplace discrimination, particularly among young women and girls in India.

• Beyond Type 1 ambassador shares harrowing Diwali story of choosing to inject insulin in her car rather than in public — triggering a hypoglycemic emergency

• New study links diabetes stigma to mental health struggles and workplace discrimination among young women and girls in India

• Nonprofit operates 200+ trained ambassador leaders across India, bringing lived experience into classrooms, clinics and campaigns

• Personal testimony reframes diabetes stigma as a public health barrier, arguing that openly managing the disease gives others permission to do the same

The basics: Beyond Type 1 is a global health nonprofit founded by Nick Jonas in 2015 with a mission to ensure everyone can live fully beyond a diabetes diagnosis. The organization focuses on early detection, removing barriers to care and integrating mental health into diabetes management. At this presentation, two representatives — Kristen Hurley, Executive Vice President of Social Impact and Global Advocacy, and Riddhi Modi, National Ambassador Coordinator in India — made the case that stigma is not merely a social inconvenience but a direct threat to health outcomes.