The One Million Minutes challenge! What is it? How do you join? An interview with the ambassador Dion Collins to learn all about it!

Diabetes in New Zealand isn’t always discussed in the national media. But this battle is only getting worse as Diabetes NZ stated in their most recent media release, saying that an estimated 348,500 people are living in New Zealand with diabetes. They estimate that around 67 people are being diagnosed with the condition every day nationally.

Diabetes NZ also state how it’s not just older people who are at risk, younger people are now starting to develop diabetes at a much younger age than usual, showing that it’s only getting worse and worse.

This is why this November, working alongside Diabetes Action Month, is a fundraising challenge to help raise awareness for the ongoing problem of diabetes and to give support to other major Diabetes NZ programmes. This is the one million minutes challenge!

But what is the one million minutes challenge? I had the opportunity to interview the ambassador for the challenge, Dion Collins, who told me all about it.

Dion is one of the top professional basketball players in the country, currently playing for the Manawatū Jets; however, it was only just one year ago that Dion got diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after his symptoms grew noticeably worse while on holiday in Bali.

Dion is now looking back that he was showing signs years before this. “I reckon I was undiagnosed for a few years, and the symptoms were just getting worse and worse.”

It’s been a journey for Dion now, stating that he now has to make up to 180 decisions a day compared to the normal person, due to always having to be thinking about their next meal, if you’re exercising, or even what the weather is doing. “It's a continuous thing every meal, like you're always thinking.”

But instead of slowing down, throughout this year, Dion made social media posts about diabetes to help raise some awareness about it. Diabetes New Zealand saw these and reached out to Dion to become their ambassador for the One Million Minutes challenge.

Dion wants to shine a light on diabetes, and so he jumped at the opportunity to become the ambassador. He thought this could never happen, a diagnosis would never happen, but it did, “I was your cliche, with no idea about diabetes. No way can I have diabetes. I'm an athlete.”

He wants to make sure that everyone is getting involved, including young men, due to our stoic nature and ignoring the symptoms or simply not being aware of the symptoms that diabetes has. Leading to men only going to get checked when it’s really affecting them. “I've had to go through this, so let's make it for the greater good or let's make it for the good of others”

The awesome thing is that as long as you can actively exercise, then you can participate in this challenge. “I also think the beauty of this challenge is that it's so accessible.” It doesn't need to be daunting. Obviously, everyone's at a different level, but just do something that you enjoy; it could be as simple as doing an extra workout a week.”

He just wants to encourage people to do what they enjoy and to help in the raising of awareness.

“Get amongst it. It's enjoyable. Do what you love. Have fun. The more that we can grow there and increase awareness outside of that community, the better for this Community.”

The one million minutes challenge and campaign is getting New Zealanders to track their exercise activity for November, and the goal is to have one million minutes logged in total. This could be ultra marathons or your walk from your bus stop to your flat. It could be anything! You simply log your movement and then you upload it to your individual or, if you are in a team, to your team's fundraising page.

The money raised will go towards Diabetes NZ’s national and local programmes that support Tamariki, Rangatahi and their whānau across the motu to live well with diabetes.

The link to sign up is right here, so get out there and start logging your minutes in preparation for November! One Million Minutes webpage.

Because it’s not just affecting one group of Kiwis, it’s affecting us all, and thanks to people like Dion, diabetes is now getting talked about more and this ongoing battle with diabetes will get the coverage it so desperately needs.