The GNL Podcast

Episode 22 — From Diabetes Burnout to the CGM Access Blueprint

How one South African advocate rebuilt her relationship with diabetes and then set out to redesign CGM equity for a nation.

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In this episode

Kirsten de Klerk, South African diabetes advocate, featured on The Glucose Never Lies Podcast Episode 22

When a sixteen-year-old Kirsten de Klerk heard the words “you’ll have to do this every day for the rest of your life”, it felt like a life sentence. Years later, that moment became her motivation to fight for fair, safe, and affordable access to continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) across South Africa.

This episode follows her journey from diabetes burnout to national advocacy — combining community, clinical evidence, and courageous persistence to build what is now known as the CGM Access Blueprint.

Episode sections

  • 00:10 – 01:00 The Glucose Never Lies® mission — translating science into real-world action
  • 02:47 – 04:00 Diagnosis at 16 and the moment reality hits
  • 08:25 – 09:19 Burnout and self-blame — keeping diabetes in the boot
  • 09:19 – 12:00 #LetterToMyDiabetes — the spark that rebuilt connection
  • 14:19 – 17:49 Two-week CGM trial that changed everything
  • 17:49 – 22:00 From privilege to purpose — recognising access inequality
  • 22:00 – 31:29 Building South Africa’s advocacy network and petition (14,000 signatures)
  • 31:29 – 37:23 Negotiating with funders — turning frustration into progress
  • 37:23 – 49:24 CGM accuracy and global standardisation — why 70% doesn’t always mean 70%
  • 52:46 – 54:00 Redirection, not rejection — hope as a strategy

Episode summary

In this episode, John Pemberton is joined by Kirsten de Klerk — a Cape Town–based type 1 diabetes advocate whose story captures both the personal and political dimensions of living with diabetes in an unequal healthcare system.

Diagnosed at sixteen, Kirsten’s journey begins with the innocent question every teenager might ask: “How long do I have to do this for?” Her doctor’s reply — “Every day for the rest of your life” — marked the start of a lifelong negotiation between reality and resilience.

University life brought late nights, skipped meals and denial. Diabetes ended up in the boot of the car — always there, never a priority. Eventually she stopped testing altogether. This was the beginning of burnout — not laziness, but emotional overload, guilt, and silence.

Recovery came unexpectedly. Sitting on a Cape Town beach, Kirsten wrote a #LetterToMyDiabetes and experienced what she calls a moment of truth. That letter became the start of her advocacy work.

From burnout to blueprint

  • From control to collapse: burnout is a predictable outcome of long-term self-management without emotional support — not a personal failing
  • From avoidance to acceptance: writing and community as tools for healing and accountability
  • From isolation to advocacy: turning private struggle into public purpose

Her discovery of CGM marked a pivotal chapter. A two-week trial changed everything — “One device. Two weeks. No going back.” But it also exposed injustice. While the technology gave her back control, she saw how few people in South Africa could access it. Eighty-five per cent of the population rely on public healthcare, where most patients with type 1 diabetes receive just three blood glucose test strips per day.

Building the CGM access blueprint

Alongside Bridget McNulty, Kirsten co-founded SA Diabetes Advocacy, creating an online petition, mentorship programme, and free four-week Advocacy Course to teach others how to campaign effectively in their communities.

  • Over 14,000 signatures gathered for the national CGM access petition
  • Support letters secured from endocrinology units across South Africa
  • Direct negotiations with major medical aid funders
  • Early success: funding secured for children under 18 to receive CGM sensors on a tiered plan

The accuracy debate

Kirsten’s advocacy intersected with CGM accuracy and comparator bias. As cheaper sensors entered the market, she noticed that many devices lacked proper testing or transparency. Together, John and Kirsten outline three things every policymaker, clinician, and person with diabetes should understand:

  1. Not all CGMs are created equally. Some systems are clinically validated for insulin dosing; others are not. Price competition must not compromise safety.
  2. Inaccuracy harms you now. When CGMs fail to detect highs or lows, people are put at immediate risk.
  3. Inaccuracy harms you later. Systems that systematically under- or over-report glucose create false reassurance — 70% time-in-range on one device might be 60% on another.

“Access without accuracy is false progress.”

Redirection, not rejection

Despite resistance, delays, and limited resources, Kirsten’s next goal is to bring the petition model into public healthcare, with letters of support from all provincial endocrinology units to the South African Department of Health. For Kirsten, South Africa is more than a local challenge — it is a test case for the world.

Key takeaways

  • Burnout is not weakness — it is a predictable outcome of chronic self-management without emotional support
  • Advocacy starts with acceptance: connection before correction
  • CGM access without accuracy creates a false sense of safety
  • Global standardisation of CGM testing is essential — 70% must always mean 70%
  • Hope and persistence are strategic tools: there is no such thing as rejection, only redirection
  • The CGM Access Blueprint begins with South Africa — but its lessons apply everywhere

Call to action

  1. Sign the CGM Access Petition — it takes less than a minute
  2. Share the DSN Forum CGM comparison chart with your diabetes team
  3. Read the FIND Diagnostics CGM accuracy factsheet

Step to the line

During the episode, John and Kirsten reference the short film Step to the Line (Soul Pancake). It visualises privilege and opportunity — demonstrating why equity means meeting people where they start, not where we stand.

Evidence and resources

Connect with Kirsten de Klerk

Related GNL episodes

This content is for educational exploration only. It describes average responses and general principles. It is not medical advice and cannot replace individual clinical guidance from your diabetes care team.