Thrivable Sits Down with "Rosie Becomes a Warrior" Author & Illustrator, Julia Flaherty

Thrivable: "What is your name, and how long have you lived with type 1 diabetes?"

Julia Flaherty: "My name is Julia Flaherty, and I've been living with type 1 diabetes for nearly 20 years."

Thrivable: "What is your type 1 diabetes diagnosis story?"

Julia Flaherty: "Months before I was officially diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I began experiencing symptoms like frequent urination, excessive thirst, irritability, mood swings—I wasn't acting like myself, and things weren't getting better.

It was definitely not a cold—it was not the flu. So, what was it?

A childhood friend decided to speak to my school guidance counselor and told my guidance counselor, 'Something is off with Julia.'

And at the time, I thought she was tattling on me because I didn't understand what was happening with my body. But then my guidance counselor spoke to my parents, who concurred that something was off. They noticed something was off at home, too.

This escalated to me going to the doctor, where I got my first fingerprick, and my blood sugar was way higher than it should've been—I believe in the 500s (mg/dL). And I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, then brought to the hospital where I began treatment for it and learned all about what it is and how my life would change."

Thrivable: "How did your condition inspire you to write a book?"

Julia Flaherty: "I always wanted to write a book. I wasn't sure what that meant or what that would look like—I might have a few more books in me—who knows? But the first book is 'Rosie Becomes a Warrior,' and that's what we're talking about today.

'Rosie Becomes a Warrior' is now a children's book series designed to empower children impacted by type 1 diabetes and their families to live their healthiest and happiest lives. 

I wanted this book to be a resource for children to feel empowered but also have a realistic sense of what type 1 diabetes is—so to be able to face the reality of the disease but still feel empowered and still feel optimistic about living their lives and not feeling stopped by type 1 diabetes.

"Rosie the Type 1 Diabetes Warrior Goes to Diabetes Summer Camp"

Being able to face the condition and work through their feelings and communicate about their feelings in productive ways. Those are my biggest goals with 'Rosie.' 

I feel if I had been given a book like 'Rosie Becomes a Warrior' or 'Rosie the Type 1 Diabetes Warrior Goes to Diabetes Summer Camp' when I was young, I might've understood how to communicate with my parents about how I was feeling and what I needed.

So, I'm hoping having these resources available at the beginning of a child's type 1 diabetes journey not only empowers them to understand themselves more easily but empowers them to understand what they need from others and what they want their relationship with T1D to be."

Thrivable: "Why is sharing your story important?"

Julia Flaherty: "What's crazy to me is that there are millions of us out there living with type 1 diabetes, yet so often when I meet someone with type 1 diabetes for the first time, they explain to me that they have felt alone, they have felt disconnected, they have felt isolated because of living with type 1 diabetes.

And I get it, I understand—I've been there. I still have days where I feel that way because progress isn't linear, right? Some days, we're more connected to others; other days, we're more alone—we're more to ourselves. Some days that's intentional; some days, it's unintentional.

But why sharing my story and voice, especially through a book like 'Rosie Becomes a Warrior' is so important is because connection and community need to be integrated into someone's diabetes management plan.

Having people that truly understand you, that want to support you, and that are there for you no matter what is foundational to living a great life with T1D. It's truly a breath of fresh air when someone just gets it."

Thrivable: "Why did you join Thrivable, and would you recommend it to a friend?"

Julia Flaherty: "I believe I first discovered Thrivable on social media. It was promoted as a diabetes survey platform, and being able to earn money from participating in those surveys, so I thought—'might as well give it a try!'

When I found out that it was a legitimate resource and started participating in the surveys, it felt like I was directly contributing to the advancement of diabetes care and technology, which I believe Thrivable is all about. And to see a resource like Thrivable directly contributing to that evolution and being able to be a part of that, it's such a special experience and a rewarding one.

I would encourage anyone who wants to see diabetes care and technology evolve more quickly to participate in resources like this. I hope you check it out!"

About Thrivable: In their own words

We believe that when you bring people together, everyone thrives.

CEO David Edelman and COO Ryan Fuchs knew there had to be a better way to connect patients and companies for the creation of superior healthcare products and services. They recognized that high research project costs, lengthy timelines, and challenges in identifying and engaging with the right respondents shouldn't be the norm.

So they built Thrivable, the healthcare industry's leading on-demand market research platform for teams that want to ensure the voice of the patient drives everyday business decisions.

Learn more.

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Thank you to Thrivable for making this collaboration possible!