The diabetes care program at Headwaters Health Care Centre is hosting an information session with guest speaker Chloe Steepe, founder of Connected in Motion, at the hospital next Thursday.

A unique support group that connects, inspires and helps young people 18 years and older living with Type 1 diabetes, Connected in Motion uses outdoor adventure-based activities to connect young people living with diabetes who enjoy being active, with other people living with the same challenges of diabetes who are leading physically active lives.

The free event will be held at Headwaters Health Care Centre at 7 p.m. next Thursday, October 14.

“The Connected in Motion weekend I attended was a blast,” says participant Tammy Marcinko. “You don’t have to be good at any of the activities the group does, it is 100% non-competitive.”

“Who better to learn from than those who have walked the same path and understand exactly what it’s like?’ posed Bev Staveley, registered nurse and certified diabetes educator at Headwaters.

The Headwaters Diabetes Care Program offers a range of services for people living with diabetes. “We all benefit when we share our experiences, challenges, techniques, strategies and successes with each other,” said Ms. Staveley. “Sometimes it’s introducing a person with diabetes to someone with an incredible story that will motivate them to achieve the things they want to do...and sometimes it’s just having someone to cheer them along the way.”

For more information on the Diabetes Care Program and available support and information sessions visit www.headwatershealth. ca , select “Patient Care Services” and click on “Diabetes”. To RSVP for Chloe Steepe’s presentation call 519-941-2702, ext. 2525.

Founder and Executive Director of Connected in Motion, Chloe Steepe was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 18, Chloe

decided to pursue a degree in Physical and Health

against former Education with a specialization in Outdoor Experiential Education at Queen’s University, along with a degree in Geography.

Fully certified as an Advanced Wilderness First Responder (an 80- hour course), Swift Water Rescue Technician, Nahanni River Guide, Flat Water Canoe Instructor and more, Chloe has spent the past five years guiding extended canoe and raft trips in Ontario, Quebec, the Yukon and Northwest Territories. She has travelled extensively within Canada, as well as to Europe, South and Central America, and most recently Australia and New Zealand, where she circumnavigated the South Island of New Zealand by bicycle.

Travelling and working for a variety of different camps, companies and organizations has allowed Chloe to see the impact that wilderness tripping and experiential education has on the average person. Inspired by the possibility of using the outdoors as a forum to engage people living with Type 1 diabetes, she created Connected in Motion, believing diabetes education and support systems in Canada needed a breath of fresh air and now was the time to do something about it.