She’s touched countless lives and helped transform the landscape of diabetes care – Sara Bosch de Noya feels “privileged” that she was able to find a career she was passionate about at a young age.

The registered dietitian and diabetes educator fell in love with healthcare when given the opportunity to shadow a dietitian at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Then a 15-year-old student at Warwick Academy, she didn’t imagine that it would lead her down a path to diabetes care or “the depth of fulfilment and joy it would bring”.

She now realises that having such a gratifying career is “a privilege few people get”.

After high school, she left for the United Kingdom to study nutrition and dietetics at University of Edinburgh.

On graduating she returned home to work at KEMH and decided to expand her career focus after meeting a six-year-old ill with type 1 diabetes.

The condition occurs when the pancreas does not make insulin, a hormone needed to regulate the amount of sugar in blood.

"It was a turning point for me,” Ms Bosch de Noya said. “Often there’s no family history, there’s nothing that they have done to bring it on, but it requires a lifeline – somebody showing them how they can get through each and every day.”

Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, happens when blood sugar is too high.

Twenty years ago many people viewed it as a death sentence. Ms Bosch de Noya is thrilled to say that’s no longer the case.

"Back then, diabetes was often misunderstood, with fear and uncertainty overshadowing the lives of those diagnosed," she said. "But over the years, we've witnessed a remarkable transformation in diabetes care, driven by advancements in technology and a deeper understanding of the condition.

“Twenty years ago a relative might have lost their vision or had an amputation. People really had a lot of fear around a diabetes diagnosis.

“In 2024, it does not have to be a situation that people have to be afraid of and this is where I take great ownership and responsibility in reassuring people, giving them the information that that is not the case; that diabetes doesn't cause these devastating complications, it’s uncontrolled diabetes and lack of the education and support around keeping your glucose levels maintained and in normal range.”

It’s a job that is not for everyone, she concedes, but for her personality it is a great match.

“I enjoy helping people, I enjoy seeing people succeed. I think so much of what we do as diabetes educators – and with my background as a registered dietitian – is a lot more than just helping people physically with meeting their needs from a clinical aspect of managing health and wellness.

“It's also support, it's meeting people where they're at at that particular time in their life.”

Innovations such as automated insulin delivery systems and continuous glucose monitoring have notably improved the quality of life for young children with type 1 diabetes.

Seeing that impact is what keeps her “driven, passionate and interested”.

"I've seen first-hand how technology has revolutionised diabetes management, offering hope and relief to children and families,” Ms Bosch de Noya said.

“What I'm doing now in 2024 in providing diabetes care is really different from what it was 15,30 years ago. I've just met a 14-year-old boy with type 1 diabetes and he's wearing a device that sticks on his arm and measures his glucose levels continuously.

“You think of the children I met back then who had to finger prick ten times a day; 20, 30 years later their fingers are calloused.”

In Bermuda, “a small island struggling with a disproportionate percentage of people living with diabetes”, education and support are especially important.

Since she joined the Bermuda Diabetes Association 15 years ago, Ms Bosch de Noya has played a pivotal role in promoting better awareness and understanding of the complex challenges presented by type 2 diabetes.

“Our knowledge has changed. In the last ten years we've learnt that type 2 diabetes is reversible; we can put it into remission,” she said.

“I've been a facilitator at diabetes reversal programmes, which is fantastic, it’s exciting, because ten years ago, we couldn't give people that same hope.

“You learnt that you had diabetes, and you thought it was a trajectory; that you'd end up eventually on insulin, but we know that the course of that has changed.”

She is especially proud of the role that the BDA has in ensuring that people from all walks of life have access to education and support irrespective – whether or not they have insurance, no matter what their financial means.

“Everyone deserves access to quality diabetes care," Ms Bosch de Noya said. “Whether you have the best insurance or none at all, our doors are always open, and we are committed to providing support and guidance to anyone in need."