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. Notable advocates including actress Jennifer Stone and former NFL player Kyle Rudolph took part.
For every #BlueBalloonChallenge post on social media, Medtronic will donate $5 to Life for a Child organization. Life for a Child partners with diabetes centers across 44 countries, including Tanzania, Mexico, and India to help young people with diabetes who have no other care available.
In a LinkedIn post, Medtronic had Minnesota Governor Tim Walz take on the challenge to raise awareness and celebrate the diabetes community.
“Living with diabetes is a continuous balancing act, much like keeping a balloon in the air,” the post says. “At Medtronic, we’re taking on the #BlueBalloonChallenge to spotlight the resilience of those managing diabetes.”
Que Dallara, EVP and president, Medtronic Diabetes, took to LinkedIn to acknowledge World Diabetes Day. She noted that it marks the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who discovered the insulin hormone along with Charles Herbert Best in 1922.
Dallara wrote that about one in 10 Americans have diabetes and approximately one in five people with diabetes don’t know they have it. She said over 70% of the team at Medtronic Diabetes has a personal connection to the condition.
“Today, we reaffirm our commitment to working hand-in-hand with the diabetes community, healthcare professionals, and organizations worldwide to help ease the burden of diabetes,” Dallara wrote. “Together, we can transform the future of diabetes care, one innovation at a time.
