Introduced in 2021, the movement encourages people with diabetes to help drive awareness and understanding of the chronic condition. The company instructs people to take a video or photo while bouncing a blue balloon in the air with the hashtag #BlueBalloonChallenge. Each hashtag leads to a donation from Medtronic.
This year, the company’s initiative focuses on raising awareness around type 1 diabetes. The medtech giant plans to donate to Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) to support the organization’s work to achieve affordable access to current therapies, drive the adoption of innovative technologies and fund research for future type 1 diabetes breakthroughs.
Medtronic said in a LinkedIn post that it wants to help “bring visibility to what living with diabetes is really like” while driving progress through awareness. The company says its initiative can help “make the invisible, visible.”
Notable advocates for the initiative previously included actress Jennifer Stone and former NFL player Kyle Rudolph. Last year, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz — now a candidate for Vice President of the U.S. — took part as well.
Que Dallara, EVP and president of Medtronic Diabetes, wrote on LinkedIn:
“November is here, marking the start of Diabetes Awareness Month and our annual Blue Balloon Challenge. This challenge is a powerful symbol of the constant balancing act that people living with T1D go through every day. I’m honored to support this important initiative and shine a light on the realities of what it’s really like to live with diabetes. Let’s come together this month to show our support for hashtag PWD around the world, and help make the invisible, visible.”
