Alyssa was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2013, and has been campaigning for better healthcare and services since. In 2023 she graduated with an MSc in Social Justice and Community Action, and has used her degree to help with her advocacy. Throughout the past 10 years, Alyssa has been involved in many different campaigns for change in Type 1 Diabetes in Scotland, whether it be for better inpatient healthcare for people living with diabetes, or for better access to diabetes technology.

Alyssa helped create and deliver training to healthcare professionals on how to effectively work with young people to manage their diabetes, and has shared her story several times in the Scottish Parliament in an attempt to make change. In 2018/2019 she created an event for young adults living with type 1 diabetes named ‘Young, Fun and Type One’, which was a free event with educational and fun sessions, all organised and run by people living with type 1 diabetes.

She has taken up two scholarships through the Dedoc Scholarship programme, which provides funding for people with diabetes to attend scientific conferences. Alyssa attended the ‘ISPAD’ conference in Oct 23, as well as ‘ATTD’ conference in Mar 24. These allowed her to make scientific information accessible. Through this, she tries to embody the term ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’.

Alyssa is involved in activities with the International Diabetes Federation Europe, and in 2017 attended the Youth Leadership Camp in Romania, for which she was invited back this year to the camp in Serbia to be a mentor. She has a blog about diabetes named ‘Pumptastic Scot’. In this she write about topics including the environment, insulin shortages in Palestine, advocacy in Bulgaria etc, and has guest bloggers. Her aim for ‘Pumptastic Scot’ is the term ‘conscientisation’ by Paulo Friere, which means “developing, strengthening and changing consciousness”.