Tampa native helping children with Type 1 diabetes through scholarships and mentorship

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa woman living with Type 1 diabetes used her life experience to launch an organization that uplifts and helps minority youth dealing with the disease as well.

Antoinette Watkins, 24, is the Founder and CEO of the Diabaddie Organization. This nonprofit organization works to provide mentorship and internships for minorities with Type 1 diabetes. It also gives away scholarships to minority families to send children to Florida diabetes camp. It’s a venture Watkins set out on after her journey with the disease.

“At the time, I thought I did something wrong,” Watkins said as she thought about her initial reaction to finding out she had diabetes. “My parents took me to the doctor’s office because they thought I had a urinary tract infection, but it turned out my blood sugar was over 900.”

At 6-years-old, Watkins found out she had Type 1 diabetes. It’s a disease where your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin and managing the disease can often be tough for a kid.

“Leaving class to have to go take insulin with a nurse before I eat lunch, I had to separate myself to take care of myself,” she said.

That feeling of isolation eventually faded especially after attending her first Florida Diabetes Camp at Camp Winona. It’s an experience where children with diabetes learn how to live with the disease, gain confidence and can be in the same space as others people dealing with the same things. Watkins received an annual scholarship to go to the camp. It was that experience that inspired her non-profit organization, Diabaddie.

“I wanted to be able to find other Type 1 diabetics, especially Type 1 diabetics who look like me,” Watkins said. “That’s why we provide scholarships for children of minority to go to camp because I didn’t see a lot of children who looked like me to go to diabetes camp.”

Diabetes camps can range from $600 to $3,000, which can be a lot for some families. Watkins would like to fill that gap and help families. In four years, Watkins has sent four children to camp. That includes sending 8-year-old, Miah to camp, sending 13-year-old Brandon to Chris Dudley’s Basketball camp and even sending a couple of college students to camp in West Palm Beach.

Watkins also mentors dozens of young adults like Amaris Molina.

“Seeing Antoinette do all of these great things for kids, seeing her be so proud with her diabetes is good for me seeing that I can do that when I get older,” Molina said.

Molina, 13, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 10 years old. She received a surprising diagnosis, similar to Watkins.

“My mom thought I had some kind of bladder infection, but at the hospital, we found out it wasn’t,” Molina said. “none of us thought it would be diabetes, none of us thought that was going to happen.”

Molina’s new reality also had an impact on her life at school and her life with friends.

“Knowing I would have to walk around with people hearing me beep and people seeing me give myself shots and finger pokes, I thought it was going to be the end of the world for me,” Molina said.

However, after attending Florida Diabetes camp, having that constant and consistent family support and mentors like Antoinette, Molina has now helped raise money for Diabaddie scholarships.

“Diabetes camp made me feel really confident with my diabetes so knowing I can help send other kids to camp is a really big thing for me,” Molina said.

Molina raised just over $1,700 for the Diabaddie organization. That will send nearly three kids to Diabetes Camp this summer. Watkins is currently looking for three minority children in the Tampa Bay area to grant the scholarships to. Please send an email to diabaddieorganization@gmail.com if you or someone you know is interested.

Currently, Watkins works in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins Medicine as a Diabetes Navigator in a program working to mitigate disparities across diabetic outcomes. Her research will help improve diabetes technology use in underserved communities.

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