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Around the World with Diabetes

Maëlle Bocher from France is an extraordinary twelve-year-old with diabetes. Maëlle was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes aged five. In January 2006, Maëlle and her family embarked on an exciting sailing journey around the world. The family, who lives on their boat, have sailed the Atlantic and spent 18 months living in small villages on the African coast. They are now sailing around Brazil and the Amazon. The ongoing adventure is a dream come true for Maëlle and her parents who at first believed that their daughter’s diabetes would make such travels impossible.

Here’s what Maëlle says about school:
“No one should think I'm not getting a school education just because I travel around on a boat. At the beginning of the school year I receive all the documents, books, and CDs I need to do my schoolwork. My schedule includes tests every three weeks in French and Maths as well as every six weeks in other subjects. I study five days a week, around five hours a day, depending on what subjects are involved and how I'm feeling at the time. We regularly go to a cyber café to do some research, and I take the chance to email my friends back home. “

On such an epic journey it is impossible to avoid rough seas. Maëlle’s parents, who are no strangers to sailing, explained...
“Sailing under extreme conditions is tiring and not much fun for children. The pitching of the boat caused by wind and rough seas makes it more difficult to provide medical care for Maëlle. She normally injects herself, but asks us to take over when conditions get difficult. Despite these occasional events she is always in high spirits, ready to set out on new adventures and to make new discoveries.”

Here Maëlle dreams about food:
“The best time of day to try to catch fish is at sunrise. Perhaps the fish are still sleepy then just like we are. I thought a big tuna would be good, pulled up nice and fresh and transformed into various dishes. We all had cravings for food we hadn't eaten in a while. Mum dreamed of camembert with salad, dad dreamed of a steak, and I dreamed of having chicory salad with Roquefort cheese. The nearest supermarket was around 2,000 km away. We couldn't wait that long to do something about our cravings. A few days later we managed to catch a swordfish. We ate part of it right away and canned the rest.

To encourage other people with diabetes to realise their dreams, the family are keeping a journal of their adventures. Early in her journey, Maëlle said: “I may have diabetes, but I’m going to enjoy myself anyway”.

To learn more about this story, click on the following link to read one of Maelle's journals:

Click here to read letter 28 of Maelle's journal