Lurina Fourie continues to advocate for type-1 diabetes in South Africa, creating a new game to help children learn the warning signs for low blood sugar.
Stellenbosch, South Africa (23 May 2024) – Lurina Fourie has been living with type 1 diabetes since she was 16 years old, and through her journey, she has been sharing her experience to make it easier for others. From sharing poems about the disease, to creating a useful dictionary to help families understand type-1 disease – the latest a game!
Over the years, she has developed a knack for sharing and has become an ambassador for the disease. Her latest project has been to create a game to help children understand the warning signs of low blood sugar.
“Last year I created a game about diabetes, focusing on the warning signs of low blood sugar. I do educational talks at schools where there are kids living with Type 1 diabetes, then I go to that child’s classroom and teach the classmates about the warning signs of low blood sugar, as low blood sugar can be an immediate threat in the classroom, on the playground or during sports.
The game is an age-old concept of a folded paper, which is called a quacker, and I turned it into an educational game. As the kids play with it, they learn the info in a fun and memorable way.”
The quacker game is given to each of the children for free so they can continue to learn while playing. They also take the game home where their families get to learn the signs too.
“It is a toy, but its also a valuable tool and even though it is only a game, it is in fact a game changing resource.
There is a tremendous need for diabetes awareness and education in schools where there are kids living with Type 1 diabetes. My goal is to create more comfortable environments for people living with diabetes. I shared info about the school talks and the game on social media and, in one day, received 58 requests from parents to visit their children’s schools, from all over the country.”
Lurina has also developed a secondary game which is aimed at working with healthcare providers.
“I use it during academic talks with Health Care Providers like Doctors, Nurses, Dieticians, Specialists, etc and it is the perfect ice breaker during these sessions. Each person in the room also receives a game and they love taking it back to their practices and using it to teach their patients.”
“It is making a powerful difference in and for the diabetes community, especially for children.”
Lurina runs a support group, so if you would like to join, you can do so here.
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