#DEDOC SYMPOSIUM at ATTD2026

This article is part of the #ATTD2026 series prepared for the Loop and Learn Newsletter and the Open Source diabetes community. Here you’ll find the full version description of the presentation. Some parts of the text or images may overlap with the version published in Loop and Learn News. You can find the original graphic version of the newsletter here. Loop and Learn News is also available in a text-only version, which — thanks to automatic translations — allows reading in multiple languages and helps make the content accessible to a broader global community. It is also a great option for people with visual impairments. You can find the text only version of the newsletter here. Subscribe to Loop and Learn here.

dedoc° is a global community of people living with diabetes that brings lived experience directly into scientific conferences—something that was almost unheard of a decade ago. As founder Bastian Hauck highlighted, dedoc symposia are unique because they are fully led by people with diabetes, shifting the perspective from clinical to real-life. Through its dedoc Voices program, the organisation has already supported nearly 500 advocates worldwide to attend major conferences, creating a powerful bridge between patients, clinicians, and industry. Different members of Loop and Learn team and the community are proud dedoc voices today, as well. 

At ATTD, this global perspective was clear:

• From Gaza, a powerful account of managing diabetes in a conflict setting—where access to insulin is a daily uncertainty.
• From Mauritius, a community-driven approach to reducing the burden of carb counting.
• From Slovenia, innovation focused on practical tools shaped by user needs.
• From the UK, a reflection on how media narratives influence understanding and stigma around diabetes.

The message: innovation in diabetes is not only technological—it is lived, shared, and shaped by community.

Watch the full dedoc symposium on YouTube here. 

Personal note:

Since becoming a proud dedoc° voice in 2022, my world has changed in ways I could never have imagined. Many of the things I do today within the diabetes community — the projects, advocacy, writing, conversations, collaborations, and the way I see people living with diabetes themselves — were shaped through this journey.

What dedoc° gave me is far more than access to conferences or professional spaces. It gave me perspective. Human perspective. Over the years, I have had the privilege of listening to hundreds of people living with type 1 diabetes and family members from every corner of the world. Different healthcare systems. Different realities. Different struggles. Different privileges. Yet somehow, so many shared emotions. Fear. Burnout. Hope. Strength. Exhaustion. Resilience.

Those stories became part of me. And many of them continue to live through the posts I write, the talks I give, the communities I support, and the conversations I try to amplify across networks every single day. One of the most powerful things dedoc° taught me is that real change starts the moment people stop competing and start sharing knowledge openly. That lived experience is not “less than” scientific expertise — it is expertise. And that community can move systems in ways individuals alone often cannot.

At the center of this vision stands Bastian Hauck — someone who helped transform the role of people living with diabetes from passive attendees into visible, respected contributors shaping global conversations. As the dedoc° team recently shared, Bastian Hauck is currently spending precious time with his loved ones after years of living with terminal cancer. I’m sharing the original statement because it deserves to be read fully, in their own words. Read it here.

But today, I simply want to say this:
thank you.

For the spaces created.
For the people connected.
For the voices lifted.
For reminding so many of us what #PayItForward truly means far beyond #WeAreNotWaiting.

“Once a dedoc° voice, always a dedoc° voice” 💙