Beyond Type 2: A New Community for People with Type 2 Diabetes

By Jimmy McDermott

A new online resource for people with type 2 diabetes offers a place to share stories, get connected, and learn tips for day-to-day management – BeyondType2.org

A new website, beyondtype2.org, recently launched as a resource and community for people living with type 2 diabetes. The site, which is available in both English and Spanish, contains information on diabetes management, exercise, food, mental health, understanding type 2 diabetes, and more. Beyond Type 2 also has a Twitter and a Facebook page. The initial homepage, pictured below, radiates positivity and a simple but powerful message: you are not alone.  

Indeed, a large component of Beyond Type 2 is personal stories from people with type 2 diabetes. The site allows anyone to submit his or her story to be shared with the Beyond Type 2 community, including through an Instagram campaign: #BeyondPowerful.

Beyond Type 2 is actually a program of the non-profit organization, Beyond Type 1. Founded in 2015, Beyond Type 1 has built a major online presence in diabetes, bolstered by the acquisition of TuDiabetes and EsTuDiabetes in 2017. Both TuDiabetes and EsTuDiabetes already had strong type 2 communities, and we’re thrilled to see them enhanced with this launch.

One of the first stories on the site is from T’ara Smith, the program manager of Beyond Type 2. She says in her post, “I want Beyond Type 2 to be the ultimate safe space for people living with or impacted by Type 2 diabetes…We’re not just going to tell you to eat healthy and exercise. We’re going to tell you to do what works for you, but make sure that you’re in contact with your diabetes care team. I want people to come to the website and read our content and think to themselves, ‘Wow. They get me.’ Understanding, inclusiveness, and community are the values of Beyond Type 2.”

We asked T’ara what the biggest surprise has been developing Beyond Type 2:

“The biggest surprise so far has been the amount of info we've been able to learn about the Type 2 community – specifically how diverse and unique it is. There is no one Type 2 diabetes experience, and that will be something we seek to share on Beyond Type 2. There are so many voices among T2Ds who want to be heard and we're happy to amplify them at Beyond Type 2. We're glad to have Beyond Type 2 as a home for anyone from any background with Type 2 diabetes to find the resources they need to live beyond it.”

We are glad to see this additional resource and community for people living with type 2 diabetes and encourage people to share their stories!