72: Beyond the Diagnosis: The Invisible Reality of Type 1 Diabetes with Rebecca Hodges

What does it really mean to live beyond the diagnosis?

In this episode of Autoimmune Adventures, we sit down with award-winning filmmaker Rebecca Hodges, director of the powerful documentary Beyond the Diagnosis, to explore the real story of Type 1 diabetes — an autoimmune disease that is often misunderstood.

Type 1 diabetes is not a lifestyle condition. It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas, leaving the body unable to produce insulin — a hormone essential for survival. Managing it requires constant monitoring, daily insulin administration, and an enormous mental and emotional load that most people never see.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• What Type 1 diabetes actually is • The stigma and misconceptions surrounding invisible illness • The constant mental weight carried by those living with chronic disease • Why listening to patient stories changes everything • How identity is bigger than any diagnosis • The power of community, resilience, and representation

Rebecca shares what inspired Beyond the Diagnosis, how her decade-long collaboration with Elizabeth Forrest and Touched by Type 1 shaped the film, and why storytelling is essential in shifting perception and increasing compassion.

Whether you live with Type 1 diabetes, love someone who does, or want to better understand autoimmune and invisible illnesses — this episode is for you.

🎬 Learn more about the documentary: https://www.beyondthediagnosisfilm.com/ Support the Film

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You are worthy of joy. Disease does not define your life. You do.

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