Ellen Watson
1/2 of the Diabetic Duo
Diagnosed:
February 2007
Star Sign:
Bio:
22 year old PR professional from Co Down. Ellen is extremely creative - she has a passion for fashion and all things beauty. Ellen also loves presenting both in the board room and at events/award shows!
Beth McDaniel
1/2 of the Diabetic Duo
Diagnosed:
September 2019
Star Sign:
Bio:
22 year old Marketing+Advertising graduate from Co Down. Beth loves anything artsy and could be a professional party planner! Beth also enjoys presenting... They make great Co-Hosts!!
Our Mission
Our mission is to normalise having type 1 diabetes in todays society. We want to empower fellow type 1's in our community to feel confident and proud of who they are, regardless of their condition.
Nobody should feel like their voice is not being heard or that their voice isn't worth being heard, which is why it is so important to us to build each-other up and support each others dreams here in the diabetic community.
​
It is our mission to support inclusivity by working with brands so that type 1 diabetics can see people who look like them in campaigns. We wear our Dexcom CGM devices loud and proud and we only work with brands who support us and encourage us to do just that.
​
If we can brighten one diabetic's day, we have done our job right.
​
Our Journey
September 2003
Ellen and Beth meet for the first time in NURSERY! Yes, you heard that right, nursery! While Beth barely remembers this, Ellen remembers quite well, Beth stealing the Barbie jigsaw book from her so that she could win all the toddlers over...
February 2007
Just before Ellen's 7th Birthday, she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (Not the birthday present she envisioned!). Her symptoms were extreme thirst and irritability. Ellen's mum Sharne remembers her gulping down jugs of diluted juice by the LITRE. After suspecting something was off, Ellen's parents took her to get her blood glucose levels tested, and it was then she was diagnosed with Type 1. Since Ellen's mum is a Nurse, she was able to spot the signs before her condition deteriorated.
Summer 2017
Beth and Ellen meet again! This time in their local shoe shop, Donaghy's Banbridge. This was their first ever summer job where they fitted school shoes for what felt like the whole of Ireland! Beth was shocked to learn that Ellen had type 1 diabetes, as she was not educated on the different types and her only experience with diabetes was the image that media and film portrayed. From what Beth learned about diabetes in school, she assumed diabetes would only cause doom and gloom. This is why she was so shocked that Ellen appeared to be thriving! Driving, shopping, clubbing and even applying for University! Ellen was then able to educate Beth and teach her everything there was to know about Type 1.
September 2019
October 2019
September 2019
Fast-forward 2 years and Beth is also diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes! This was extremely hard for Beth and her Family, as Beth's younger sister Grace was diagnosed with type 1 just 9 days before! Ellen and her family very very supportive in helping both Beth and Grace adjust to this new way of life.
October 2019
The birth of the DIABETIC DUO! Beth and Ellen were buzzing to now be living in their student accommodation in the heart of Belfast. They decided to make a 'before and after' style TikTok while getting ready for their first big night out on the town... They woke up the next day to 0ver 500k views and could not understand why! It turned out they accidentally got their blood glucose monitoring devices in the video, which sparked questions and comments from both fellow type 1's and non-diabetics!
Today and the future
Since we began creating our TikTok videos, we have developed a network of online type 1's, we like to call them our 'Diabesties'!!! We have enjoyed working with brands that we are passionate about while also collaborating with fantastic diabetic charities. Our dreams for the future are to continue engaging with our community online and see where it takes us! (We would also LOVE to be co-hosts... like a female/diabetic version of Ant and Dec...).
Let's Get
Social
