Anika Moa has opened up about living with type 1 diabetes after originally being diagnosed with type 2.
The Kiwi musician penned a moving message on Instagram alongside a photo of her stomach with a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) fitted to help her measure her blood sugar.
"My new life. Last year I told you I had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. A strange time for me... well, turns out I actually have type 1 diabetes," Moa wrote.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are chronic diseases, but type 1 is a lifelong auto immune condition where people must replace insulin to survive, while remission from type 2 can sometimes be achieved by lifestyle changes and weight loss.
"I ended up in hospital late last year and I was really unwell. I was burnt out and felt lethargic and in pain," the Songs For Bubbas singer wrote.
"I had been running and running and trying my best to do my mahi and look after my kids as a newly solo parent but I didn't know how sick I was until my body finally had enough.
"So this is my new life. Living with Type 1 diabetes is scary, hard and stressful but I also think it's a superpower too," she continued.
"It means I have to monitor the sugar in my blood 24/7 which means I have a continuous glucose monitor attached to me and it sends info to my phone to tell me if I'm too low or too high or just right."
Moa explained she was on a "fairly strict regime" when it came to what she ate, and she had learned "so much" about her body and "how much damn sugar is in everything".
"I have bruises all over me from the pricks and needles. I use insulin from dawn till dusk," she added.
Moa said living with the illness had changed her in "so many wonderful ways" but she would love to see CGMs funded. There is currently no government funding for the life-saving devices, and costs start from $50 per week, making them unaffordable to many.
"They ain't cheap and there are so many of our tamariki out there who need this to survive. Literally," she wrote.
"So whānau, this is the new me. My new superpower. Let's have brave discussions about our health, especially type 1 and 2 diabetes.
"Let's also try and get this CGM and others funded to look after our future generations. I hope everyone is having a choice as 2022. Sending you all the Aroha."
