Sam Letnik has been living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) for 16 years. For him the biggest challenge initially was the mental burden from all the responsibilities and decisions that come from living with a chronic illness. Having the support of Dexcom CGM has helped to ease these burdens. “I see myself as privileged to be able to use Dexcom G6 because it is a tool that can relieve some of the stressors that contribute to the mental toll of living with diabetes,” Sam says. “Not only does it allow me to get a better picture of what’s going on throughout the day, but it also allows me to be able to use other tools like basal IQ with my t:slim X2 insulin pump.”

Sam first connected with I Challenge Diabetes as a kid, participating in our sports programs. When asked about how many programs he has now attended, Sam replies, “more than I can count!”

In 2022, Sam joined I Challenge Diabetes as a Program Coordinator and has been running programs for three years now. One of Sam’s favourite programs is the Leadership Retreats. “The best part of attending a Leadership Retreat is connecting with others who really get the ups and downs of living with T1D,” Sam says.“Something that I see happen time and time again is folks arriving with almost no T1D connection,
and leaving with one or multiple lifelong T1D besties.”

Sam has big goals for the future as he is planning to cycle across Canada with his fellow T1D bestie.

To learn more about our upcoming retreats visit: https://ichallengediabetes.org/programs/retreats/

_{We are deeply grateful to Dexcom Canada for their support of our Leadership Retreats.}