Hello and welcome to a slightly different HappyPod from the BBC World Service.
I'm Harry Bly.
And I'm Alex Ridson.
In this edition, we're marking Diabetes Awareness Month, highlighting stories about innovation,
advocacy and education, like Leia,
whose children's book has helped children come to terms with diagnosis.
The woman who inspired a type 1 diabetic Barbie doll.
Our one drag queen here in the UK is using her platform to raise awareness of diabetes.
Plus Italy,
which has become the first country to implement a nationwide type 1 diabetes screening programme.
But before we get started, let's talk about what diabetes actually is.
It's a range of conditions where there's essentially too much sugar in your bloodstream.
It's estimated more than 9 million people around the world have type 1 diabetes,
including me and Alex.
But there are others, type 2, and the differences are essentially type 1 is an autoimmune condition.
We don't yet know, doctors don't yet know what causes type 1 diabetes.
And then there's type 2, which is more lifestyle related.
There are other factors such as age, family history and ethnicity.
And then a couple of rare assorts, gestational,
people have it during pregnancy, and other forms that develop during adulthood.