Jessica Wheeler

Pharmacist/Credentialled Diabetes Educator - Managing Partner

Jess Wheeler is a Credentialled Diabetes Educator, Pharmacist and Natural Health Practitioner who knows diabetes inside out after living with Type 1 diabetes since 1998. Jess is especially passionate about empowering her patients to achieve the best management possible of their own condition. She uses her own unique experience living with diabetes to provide appropriate, yet practical, advice and education. She has a special interest in nutrition and loves to share her ways on making exercise fun and safe while living with diabetes. Jess proudly founded and helps run the Townsville Type 1 Diabetes Peer Support Network.

Jess is proudly recognised by the Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA) as a Credentialled Diabetes Educator.

"The ADEA grants status as a Credentialled Diabetes Educator (CDE) in recognition of demonstrated experience and expertise in diabetes education and commitment to professional development and ongoing learning that meet the ADEA’s expected standards. Recognition as a CDE is ADEA’s assurance to people with or at risk of diabetes, their families, carers and health care providers that they can expect to receive quality diabetes education and advice when consulting a CDE."

Dianne Graham

Pharmacist/Credentialled Diabetes Educator - Managing Partner

Dianne Graham is the other half of Thrive Diabetes and is also a Pharmacist, Credentialled Diabetes Educator and Natural Health Practitioner. Dianne considers herself a Type 3 diabetic (Type 3 is a condition where you change your life to support/care for someone with diabetes- to the point you might as well have diabetes). Dianne truly believes that diabetes should not control your life, with the right education and support network you can take control of your diabetes. Knowledge is power- whatever type of diabetes you have. As a volunteer of the Townsville Diabetes Support Group (for over 6 years) she has developed unique insights into how you can best thrive while living with diabetes. Listening to each patient, and working with them and their doctor to set individual goals are steps in the right direction to good health.

Dianne is also proudly recognised by the Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA) as a Credentialled Diabetes Educator.

Together we volunteer annually at the Townsville Diabetes Kids Camp, and deliver Diabetes Australia Queensland public speaking programs such as Know the Score and Eat It, to educate and increase awareness in the general community regarding Diabetes. We are avid fundraisers for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and have a 2015 goal of raising over $10,000 to help JDRF continue their work. We do not believe in sitting around and letting someone else do the work, so part of our fund raising efforts this year have lead each of us to the challenge of competing in the 2015 Cairns Half Ironman.

As a team we are known for our Thrive Diabetes Conferences that educate and empower patients to take control and optimise their own Diabetes management, as well as increasing knowledge within the general community. Watch out for, “THRIVE DIABETES - ONE LIFE, LIVE IT!“ conference, Townsville; 29th August 2015.

Together we offer a different style of education- rather than telling our patients what to do; we work with each patient to focus on how we can help them achieve their goals through providing personal, tailored solutions. One of our favourite quotes is as follows:

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin