2019

 BADASS OF THE WEEK

Charlotte Balme

24 year old type 1 diabetic, finding my happiness after 11 years of being a diabetic! My goal and aim in life is to inspire other young/old diabetics to ensure they get the best out of life whilst dealing with diabetes! It’s been a long journey for me and I still have so far to go but each day I learn something new! In my photo it show me on holiday with my libre out which is still such a battle for me, I hate people looking at it and asking questions but again I am learning so by posting it helps me to accept that this is me and people will ask questions, will look and it’s ok for that to happen :)

Jackson Fraser

Our 4 year old son Jackson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes almost a year ago (January 28th 2019). We were living in Europe as his dad plays professional hockey there. We knew something was off because he was drinking and peeing way more than usual. We booked a doctors appointment to check his blood sugar after googling his symptoms. Our fears were confirmed as soon as we walked into the doctors office.

Our friend who played for the Florida Panthers at the time, surprised us and got a hold of Max Domi as soon as we told him and got him to send us a video and he autographed one of his sticks for us. That video meant so much to not only us, but our son. He has become Max’s number 1 fan and I am sure his video will encourage him to follow his dreams as he gets older.

The t1d community is amazing and has gotten us through so much. When we see someone with a sensor or a pump, we instantly feel a connection with that person.

We will continue to advocate for all those living with type 1 and we keep praying that type 1 will be type none one day.

Cari Vassallo

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes a month and a half after I turned 12 years-old. It was January of 6th grade.
I wasn't a "trouble maker" but the teachers all knew my name. So, when I asked for the bathroom pass every 20 minutes or so, my requests were finally denied. As the overwhelming thirst that was choking me slowly became outweighed by the fear that I may wet my pants in front of half the 6th grade class I ran out of the classroom and was sent home with a suspension from school.
I have been a T1D survivor for 21 years since the morning after. In the years since my diagnosis I had years of good times and great numbers, textbooks A1C's. The good times ended with my first seizure. A lot, some, at least not all... T1D's do not have hypoglycemic seizure reactions like I do. I have full body grand maul seizures. I lose times, days worth of memories. I get serious injuries. I woke up to paramedics after a hypo seizure on the morning of my 18th birthday, resulting in fractures to my T6-T7 vertebrae.
This is just the most significant in a list of similar events. My sugars had ranged from reading low on my meter to in the 40's.
I developed a phobia of not just going low, but the possibility of potentially going low. So, I ran high. I always took my insulin, but never enough to chance it. In time I became familiar with frequent infections... The constant choking thirst and need to run to the bathroom was with me all the time. My first stay in the ICU with DKA... and then my second, and my third, and my 8th. And, all of a sudden it was 18 years later, and I wasn't afraid of hypoglycemia anymore. I was afraid of dying. All of the things we are warned about, the risks of our future. The things that could happen, the threats, the words that don't effect the now... they were all here. They were all real.
I had an infection again but this time I had an open wound the size of a golf ball, chronic kidney disease, and I am going blind. I am 30.
My vision loss was was sudden. The direct result of long-term uncontrolleddiabetes, I have diabetic retinopathy and ischemia. I have since had and will continue to have for the rest of my life, routine eye injections and laser treatments to both eyes. I have had two vitrectomy’s, the surgical procedure to remove vitreous fluids from the eye, to my left eye that have both unfortunately failed and left my vision further impaired. I have opted to not pursue surgery for my right eye and continue with the aforementioned treatments.
My long-term uncontrolled diabetes was a choice I made in fear, and a phobia of low blood sugar‘s caused me to make a choice that has now left me with low vision legal blindness. I let fear take control of my life and it crashed and burned.
I went back onto the insulin pump and have refocused my life on my T1D and managing my life and taking back the control I lost to the fear and the phobia. Since resuming pump therapy in November 2017 my A1C has dropped from 13.1 to 6.78. Last winter I launched my Instagram page as a resource and outreach tool in hopes that my story can help others as they struggle through the same challenges and possibly as a preventative glance into a future that can be avoided or at least prolonged. I am now also using my time to help spread awareness and education through the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB), and will hopefully continue to grow and reach more in need with time! This is my T1D success story still in progress.

Karl Learnihan

I’m Karl, 31. Diagnosed 08-06-2016. I am a currently still serving as a British Commando (14 years) upon the sudden shock of diagnosis I decided that this negative needs to be flipped round to a positive otherwise it will only drag you down. 2 hours after injecting my first insulin shot I booked a place on a local marathon just 8 weeks away and I ran it in 3:55 with a 20lb pack to prove that diabetes does not control me and I have the power to control it!
Since then I have constantly pushed forward mentally and physically. I have completed numerous races, a mountain marathon, personal trainer course, skill at arms weapons instructor, CrossFit Level 1, became and supervisor in canoeing , kayaking, hill walking, climbing and spent the last two summers training the Swiss Alps. All goes to show that if you remain positive anything is possible and if your pancreas was too weak to keep up, then it was better off tapping out.

Alannah

Hi, I’m Alannah! I’m 26 and I’ve been diabetic for 22 years. I grew up with diabetes being my norm for as long as I can remember. For me, being a #diabadass means unapologetically living my best life. There are a lot of negative assumptions about people with diabetes, and the older I’ve gotten, the more people seem to apply them to me. So I try to share as openly as I can about T1D to help people see what diabetes truly looks like. I am a type 1 diabetic, but I am also so many other things. I am an auntie to two awesome kids, I’m a loving wife to my amazing husband, I have a degree in psychology, and I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to Spain, British Columbia, Florida, and New York, among other places. In all areas of life, I carry diabetes with me. It’s often on my mind, and my bag is always filled with supplies, (not to mention, I regularly check my blood sugar using Alexa ) but it does not own me. It does not define me. It is part of me. It gives me deeper compassion for others, and reminds me that I can always find the strength to keep moving forward, and it will not stop me.

Bonnie, Alex and Aurora

When my son was dx at 3 I had already had T1 for 3 years. I was determined to teach him that this disease would never hold him back from being the person he was meant to be. That I would teach him to live life to its fullest, love, forgive quickly, have no regrets, try new things and focus on the future not the past. Then 2 years later my daughter was dx and my philosophy was and still is the same. Some days are great, some are tedious, some suck and some are unforgettable but we always try to focus on the positive and move forward because that’s the best thing to do! ️️

Jaisha Keiser

This year, on August 18th, I celebrated 8 years with diabetes. And that may not seem like a long time, but 8 years is about half my life and it's crazy to think. The different level of maturity I've had from being 9 to now, 17, it's all crazy to think. I can't believe it's been 8 years sometimes and other times it feels like "wow only 8 years." My journey with diabetes has been like a roller coaster ride. I've had my high points and my low. I went through the pre teen and middle school years with diabetes, and it was a struggle at points. I've gone through the bullying because the people who didn't understand this disease I have. Now I'm a senior, taking college classes, away from those people, who still don't understand it, but won't say anything negative about diabetes. I remember it was my freshman year and this girl told me that I needed to stop flaunting around my diabetes because it's not something to be proud of. Little did she know. I have no choice but to "flaunt" this disease. I wear it on my hip 24/7. I do have a pump and it does go off due to warning me I need to check my bg or give myself some insulin. I have moments where I'm low and have to eat, even if it is in class and I am a bit loud. I also have moments where I'm high and I need water, insulin and need to use the restroom more frequently. It's what I do to keep myself alive. I grew from what this girl said, it was hard to really comprehend what was said to me at the time, but she didn't know what it's like to live with diabetes, she doesn't understand the fight I constantly go through every day to keep myself at least decent. I hope to get my word out there, be an advocate for diabetes and teach those who just don't know yet. And even though diabetes is and will always be a huge part of my life, I control it, it does not control me.

Merve Akartuna

Let’s meet! I’m Merve,25 years old and a diabetic since first of November,2013. When I was diagnosed it was my first year in college and it was a devastating experience for me. After my diagnoses I dealt with severe depression, but I never gave up. Those times I couldn’t find the power in me to continue study for my dreams. I kept myself away from college and just focused on my mental and physical health. After a year, I decided to go back to college and just try...Now I am in my second year of master’s in philosophy and yes, I am doing it abroad! What a change...Back then I was so afraid of everything, I couldn’t manage my hypos/highs I was all the time dealing with this reality a rebellious pancreas and my constant anxiety. I couldn’t say that it was easy, but I really tried, put myself out there and just tried to my best. I always believe in myself, my true self, my essence of being which is a creative, inquisitive, daughter of Mother Nature. I found my power at ancient philosophical universe-still writing my master thesis 🏻- and travel! I love to see new places and meet locals. I am obsessed with history and while I am traveling, I am keen to find new things to learn. A couple of months ago, I decided to open this account because as a type one diabetic woman, I traveled around the world and experienced lows-high but mainly I am still live, I am still here happily enthusiastically bravely opening myself to others not just only for being an inspiration but at the same time for inspired by you guys, I never had any close diabetic friends (actually I am like the only twenty something with diabetes that I know) so that’s why I am here! Let’s be diabuddies!

Lauren Longley

I was diagnosed with type one diabetes my freshmen year of college at age 18. My whole life turned upside-down, or so it felt like. I have been a swimmer my whole life and I was in the middle of my freshmen year season and I wouldn't let anything stop me, not even diabetes. With the help of some amazing doctors and especially incredible nurses I was able to return to swimming a week later after diagnosis and finish my season (and all four years of college swimming). It wasn't easy, but it was worth it to know that diabetes would never get in the way of my goals. After graduating I decided to pursue an accelerated degree in nursing because I want to help people with type one diabetes as much as I was helped by my nurses. I firmly believe the a diagnosis does not and should not define you. I never imagined I would ever face having a chronic disease but it has shown me that type one diabetics are some of the absolute strongest people. I am inspired by every type one diabetic I meet online or in person. For a while I thought diabetes was the worst thing to happen to me but now I see that it has made me into the strongest version of myself and lead me to a career I am passionate about. I have a new perspective and I am thankful for everyday. Don't ever let diabetes hold you back

Morgan Russell

Faythe Warner

5 YEARS AGO: I was a Junior at Oregon State studying for my fall term finals, excited to be done with the classes and home for the holidays. I went to bed one night with thoughts about Organic Chemistry and woke up the next morning in pain. Pain like I had never experienced before in my life. Pain that made me feel like someone was twisting, tearing and ripping my insides apart. After a frantic rush to the ER, I was diagnosed with a severe case of pancreatitis. The doctor told me and my family after some tests that had I waited even an hour longer I would have likely been dead. I left the hospital a week later feeling blessed and filled with a new appreciation for life. Unfortunately, I found myself back in the hospital only a month later having lost 45lbs that month, unable to stay awake for more than a few hours and vomiting constantly. My lab work came back with a blood glucose of 850 and I was diagnosed then as a Type 1 Diabetic. So began my new life: a life filled with finger pricks, low and high blood sugars, hospital visits, needles and more. Diabetes has nearly taken my life countless times and will continue to do so. It has had me on the floor of the bathroom throwing up and crying from too high of blood sugars. It’s found me laying in an ICU bed staring out the window wondering how much this visit will cost and what I did wrong. It’s found me at the bottom of the stairs drenched in sweat because my body was too weak to make it down during a bad low and thinking “this is it, this is the end.” It’s made me want to give up, throw my hands in the air and scream for Jesus to take the wheel. But it’s also been the greatest thing to ever happen to me. It has humbled me in ways I never knew possible and has made me into one bad ass boss of a woman. I began a new insulin pump in May and it was not an easy choice to make. The thought of having devices attached to me at all times seemed daunting. I was also so nervous at what people would think when they looked at me. But this is me now, part bad ass, part robot. I do my best to show courage despite the fears that whisper in my ears. I am a proud (and pumping ) Type 1 Diabetic.

Dexter Shrubb

I am 5 years and was diagnosed at 18 months on 19th October 2015. I wear an X2 pump and use a Dexcom G6 which is great and helps a lot as I am a whirlwind of energy! My Mum & Dad are super proud of me as I don't let diabetes stop me doing anything and am always showing people my pump and CGM! I am nearly always happy and make everyone I meet smile. I sometimes get upset about having diabetes as it stops me playing when I have a hypo but my Mum or Dad are there to help me and I am soon ok again. I have help at school as I am still little but I am quickly learning how to read my numbers and work my pump so it won't be long before I can do it for myself. Even though I am only 5 I am already a BADASS DIABETIC!

Bianca Villalobos

Bianca Villalobos is a 9 year old inspiring model from San Diego, California. She is a Marc Defang Spokesmodel, JDRF Youth Ambassador, Abella Eyewear Ambassador, beyondBeanie Rep, Peppermint Patty Kids Clothing Rep, Miss Amazing Ambassador, and the current Little Miss San Diego Freedom USA. She enjoys art, cheerleading, and modeling. Bianca had the honor of walking in New York Fashion Week and is preparing to walk in Los Angeles Fashion Week. Bianca likes to make a positive impact in her community by donating to the local Blessing Box and spreading awareness about Type 1 Diabetes. She wants others to follow their dreams and not let their disabilities define who they are.

Zanel Bester

I have been diagnosed now for almost 3 weeks . I am very new to everything and IT IS TOUGH. I am 20 years old Living in South Africa in a very small town. (Diabetics are VERY rare here. I am, as far as I know, the only one in my town of my age with T1D ). I was (still am) very active my whole life never had any health problems and then BAM! Lost weight insanely , increase of thirst, was feeling tired everyday and night. Never thought thought even of sugar. I was one of the people out there that had no clue about diabetes, sure I have heard of it but that was that. I am currently going through information overload! There is so many things I do not know and seeing all other diabetics with small robotic stuff on their arms and legs i I am going crazy 🤦🏼‍♀️ I just want to know and learn everything from this new lifestyle and I found that social media really helps. Because I can connect with people that are going through the same thing and people with lots of experience. I am still trying to keep my sugar levels normal and I am on new insulin now🤦🏼‍♀️ so yes I have a lot to learn! But with support from my family , friends and of course social media I am excited to see what I will become.

Jeffrey Huet

Here is my story and how I found strength training to break diabetes…

I was diagnosed in 1991 at 12 years old. My family and I had no idea what any of this diagnosis meant and how it would shape me as a young man. At the time we were nervous and scared because everything was the unknown. The key was that my parents never showed how scared or nervous they truly were. We took the attitude of “this is what we must work with, so we work with it’. Giving up was never an option, Feeling sorry for ourselves was never an option either.

Athletics is what my life revolves around. In my youth, my favorite athletes were guys like Charles Barkley, Rick Mahorn, Derek Thomas and Seth Joyner. These guys had grit and were praised for how tough they were on the court or the field. I wasn’t the most gifted, but I knew I could out work others. Being the redhead with freckles with an overbite worked for me. My dad always told me to “act like I had done it before”. This helped me to not use my diagnosis as a crutch. If anything, my diagnosis further fueled a fire inside me to be the best I can be and be driven.

Let’s fast forward to high school. In high school is when I fell in love with training. At the time, it was about improving my play on the field and on the court. I was an undersized linebacker that was a step slow. I wasn’t afraid to stick my nose in things and played every play as though it was my last. On the basketball court, I was used to bother the other team’s scorer. I used my fouls. As much as I loved playing football, basketball and lacrosse, my passion and love was training for them. I enjoyed the process so very much. The weight room was where I was to be found after school. Any frustrations could be worked through.

Eventually, I had the opportunity to play college football and continued to love the training process. Diabetes only stopped me when I allowed it to. During my freshman year, I didn’t take the best care of myself. I lost some drive and everything suffered. Grades, performance, health and the social life took a dive. Luckily, one of my football coaches along with my family stepped in and helped me refocus on what I must do to be at my best. This was a hard lesson to learn, but a great one. Yet again the weights were there for me to help me get through this rough patch.

Training has been a love of mine since I was 14 years old. When training I am not diabetic. I am strong, confident and free. Strength training has allowed me to work through some tough times. Escaping to the weight room has provided me with something that I can’t quite put a value on. To quote Henry Rollins, “200 pounds is 200 pounds”. It is not about anything else but working hard and becoming stronger on the inside and outside.

Ashley Sparks

I was diagnosed as a Type One when I was 14. It was my first day of high school. I had everything I could ever need to be a good diabetic. Then I graduated and I couldn’t afford my medication or my insulin and I felt like I was going to die. I went through Facebook friends trying to find insulin, it was one of the hardest things. In three years I was in dka 15 times. Then Walmart came out with Thor insulin it felt like a life savor. I almost died on that because I wasn’t educated on how it works. Now I have a pump and dexcom and I’m living life to the fullest and I let nothing hold me back. I’ve trained my own dog to be a “special friend” and on hikes and at the house he lets me know when to eat. He saved my life when I had a low blood sugar that caused me to have a seizure. Now I try to educate others to help them from what I learned so they don’t have to learn the hard way.

Jasmine Barton

On December 4, 2018 I was told I was I was diabetic and I was in a state that went by the name “DKA”. I was shocked, I was terrified, I was extremely confused by what was happening. I didn’t even know there were two types of diabetes, and I definitely didn’t know that it could be autoimmune. My husband had been on keto for 3 years already, so counting carbs came second nature to me anyway. I took that and ran with it. I read as much literature as I could on T1D, I joined kickboxing, I started eating (mostly) organic. I became OBSESSED with my numbers and taking care of my health because I’m always thinking of the future and what I want for my future. I started a business, Type 1 Texan, to help with my medical bills. Once my medical bills are taken care of, I want to go on and help other T1Ds with theirs. I want to help others manage their diabetes, fight through their burnout, and succeed. We’re all in this together <3

Jess Glass

April will mark 30 years with T1D. I was diagnosed when I was 4, so I don’t remember life differently. I got to keep a snack drawer in my classrooms and my parents always made sure I felt like a ‘normal’ kid, for which I am SO thankful. A few years ago, I named my blood sugar: Barb. It’s a fun release for me to talk about her as a person...or maybe I’m crazy?!

I was always active growing up, but I started running in high school and never stopped. I’ve never been fast, but I can keep going for a long time. Running has been my escape, the best way to clear my mind, and I’ve also met some great friends because of running.

I’m working on doing a marathon in every state, and a little stuffed Bullwinkle joins me on my adventures (he was my Dad’s). Next weekend, I’ll be crossing state #32 (Iowa) off the list! It will be my 43rd marathon/ultra overall. My longest to date is 43.4 miles and my hardest was the Great Wall marathon in China.

Follow me @adventuresofbarbandwink to see what Barb, Wink, and I are up to!

Sophie Heydari

I was diagnosed on Christmas Day 2006. I was 19 years old and unknowingly very sick. I had spent my first year at my dream University on my dream course. My first year away from home and I was living it up! I started to lose weight and thought “yes…finally! My puppy fat is going”. I also had a thirst that nothing would quench; I was drinking litre and litres at a time of orange juice and apple juice what felt like gallons of water. I would buy a gallon of apple juice from the shop, walk outside and drink it all. The more I drank the more I seemed to loose weight. My boyfriend at the time would say well done on losing weight, my friends would say well done. I felt really proud of myself. I thought I’m finally loosing this weight and I’m not doing anything really to lose it. I was also sleeping a lot. But as this continued I began to struggle to wake up, I had to really have to push myself to go to a lecture. Then as soon as it was done I would rush home and sleep for the rest of the day only waking up to drink and pee. Then eat something then go back to sleep. I was peeing about 30 times a day. I didn’t feel well at all. This continued for a few months if not more. My friend at the time was away in London visiting family and she didn’t come back after half term before Christmas, right before a deadline was due in for one of our lecturers. I called her and she told me she was in hospital because they thought she had diabetes. At this point I had no idea what that was and believed the cock and bull story she told me that was she had a lump on her index finger and they were running tests. It sounds ridiculous to believe it now, but in a way it helped to hear this lie. I thought to myself that no one would make up a lie like that to get out of a deadline. She must be sick! A week later she came back and said she was fine and handed her work in. A few weeks later it was Christmas holidays and I traveled up to spend it with my mother and sister.

Funnily enough, my mum had got a lump on her index finger and I said straight away that mom friend had that and they thought it was diabetes and that you need to go see a Doctor right now! I went with her and she showed the Doctor and I said my friend just told me this. He laughed and said “No, if you have diabetes the symptoms are thirst, severe weightless, sleepy, tried, exhausted…” I said “I have all those symptoms” he said “no you are too young to have it”. I thought to myself how weird, shrugged it off and went and got some lunch. A few days later was Christmas Day and by this point I was very sick. I woke up excited (my mum had put our presents in a pillow at the end of the bed as she did every year) and as it was tradition to prep the veg for the lunch wearing our robes and slippers. Sit by the tree and open them up. Now, years later my sister had taken a video of me that morning dancing around and messing around. When I look at it I look very happy, I feel so sad watching the clip as I know now that that girl doesn’t know that in a few hours her life will change forever, along with her family’s.

We had lunch and were just sat in the snug watching Pirates of the Caribbean and I was so drowsy thinking it was just from eating too much. I needed to pee (again) so got up to go upstairs to my bathroom. As I was walking upstairs I felt awful. I looked down at my left arm that I raised and said out loud to myself “I can’t feel my arm….I can’t feel my left side”. It was like an utter body experience. It wasn’t me walking up these stairs. How was I moving? Then as I slowly made it to the top of the stairs, I lost vision in my left eye. I was so drowsy and sick I went back downstairs with all my might. I walked back into the snug went up to my mum and said that I have gone bling in my left eye and I can’t feel anything down my left side. I remember her saying to me “right…we are going to hospital now”. She turned off the TV and I said “can we go after we watch this?” Ha….I was so naive.

I don’t remember the car journey. I remember walking into ER and my mum giving the receptionist my symptoms and waiting about 2 minutes before a Dr came and got me. It was the quickest I had ever been seen and on Christmas Day! They sat me down and checked my blood sugars. She looked at the numbers that said 36 looked up and said “you’re Type 1 Diabetic”. I thought straight away that that doctor had been wrong! Ha! Then she started to tell me very quickly that I need injections now blah blah blah….I zoned out. I knew they were trying to get me a room and I was looking for the exit. The only thing in my mind then was to escape some how. I could say I need the bathroom and run into the car park and escape! I could say I need some time to process and I need some fresh air. I was going to escape! So…I tried to just get up. I couldn’t even lift myself anymore. Thats when I started crying and I just stopped talking. I didn’t talk for a few days. I just lay there distraught. Why me? What had I done? My mum and sister would just cry too. The education across the Christmas period along with very miserable nurses and doctors that clearly didn’t want to be there too were making it worse.

They told me all the things I could no longer eat and that if I have a low to eat a mars bar. That was it. Rules, rules and more rules. I was there for 5 days on a sliding scale. They told me I couldn’t leave until I had injected myself and I said no I’m not doing it, I was needle phobic. I discharged myself and left.

I since struggled with looking after myself for 9 years. I was given inhaled insulin at one point that was amazing! I was given pens that hide the needle, but nothing worked for me till I got the pump. I had diabuimia (not knowing there was a name for it back then), where I would just not take my insulin. I wanted to lose weight and pretend there was nothing wrong with me. I didn’t tell my friends and swore my family not to tell people without my permission. I was in denial. I was mourning my health and it took a long time to deal with it because I had no support.

It wasn’t till I started to understand and get taught properly by my diabetic nurse that I accepted it. There are so many bad nurses, doctors out there that disregard your efforts, struggles, and feelings. If they had got it right and I was properly taught and not constantly put down then things would have been very different for me now. I am thankful now to have a good relationship with my Type 1. There are days when the struggle is real and it just reminds you that you need to take it easier. The biggest part of being a Type 1 is acceptance I think and patience. You need to accept that this is you now. This is your life. But it is still your life and you can do whatever the hell you want to do, you just need to be more patient. Don’t over bolus because it hasn’t come down yet from your last correction, don’t feel bad if you cant do that activity you had planned because you are just too tired. Don’t be angry at yourself, these things are mostly beyond our control and we need to just roll with it.

I have only ever met 1 other Type 1 and it was a complete accident which I am very thankful for. On those days that I feel so low and no one around me gets it…I call her or message her and she just listens. Its important to have someone just listen to you that can relate. That’s why instagram is so wonderful I am seeing all these amazing Type 1’s accomplish and share so much. It feels like I’m not that alone anymore.

I welcome all Type 1’s in my life with open arms. I know the struggle is real and some days you just need a big hug from someone that understands you just as you are.

Laurel Chase

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 9 years old. This was a shock as there is no family history of it anywhere. It has had many “highs” and “lows” in both blood sugar and day to day life. I have worked through challenges much like everyone who has type 1. I have had a A1C of 12.9 and now am at a 6.5. I love to help others find the best ways of handling diabetes and knowing they are not alone! Despite my diabetes I love to have fun! I love white water rafting, sky diving, hunting... pretty much anything outdoors that most people ask how do you do that aren’t you diabetic?

Lilian Shae

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when I was 4 years old. In Kindergarten, other kids started making fun of me for being "different" and not including me in things. In 1st grade i got my insulin pump and the kids would laugh if my pump alarmed or when I had to dose. This drove me to have social anxiety, but i always wanted to try pageants. Finally at 14 years old, my mom let me try a pageant and I LOVED it! I have done pageants for 2 years now, with the platform of spreading awareness of Type 1 Diabetes and the need for a cure. I am a Youth Ambassador for JDRF as well. At 16 years old, I am finally comfortable in my skin and love to tell my story in hopes of helping others be comfortable with themselves too. I have my pump and my CGM on at all times and even when I have somebody make a comment about one of my sites, rather than hiding or ignoring it, I use it as an opportunity to educate them about the disease and what it means to me and my family everyday. I was just crowned the Miss South Central Ohio Teen USA and will be competing at Miss Ohio Teen USA in November in Sharonville, Ohio. You can follow my journey on instagram @lilianshae and @miss_sco_teenusa.

Carolina Plaza

Hi everybody my name is Carolina Plaza and I have had T1D since I was 16... 6 years now!! I am a lawyer and an economist from ICESI University, Cali, Colombia and now I am living in Houston 🇺🇸 working as an oil and gas analyst. To control my diabetes I have always used two different insulins (glulisine and glargine) and my glucometer. At the beginning it was a very difficult process to learn how to use them but with discipline and support I managed it. Also, I love to exercise !!!! when I was diagnosed I changed my lazy life and started my healthy life 🥰and it’s amazing how just doing this helped me control my sugar levels. Most of my friends, my family and even my doctors have told me to start my own "website" or instagram to show people how I control my diabetes and also to help other type 1 diabetics. I already created it: @living_diabetes ️I’m just starting but I have a lot of time and energy to share with you guys. ✔️️

Sebastian Schirrmacher

One of the biggest compliments for me, is a new friend telling me after about three or more weeks: "I have not recognized that you have diabetes. You don't follow any restrictions". I have type 1 diabetes since 1996, so I was a young boy when it was diagnosed. I had a strict plan for eating, insulin was given several times a day, the technology for blood sugar measurement lasted more than a minute. A very hard change for an active boy, who loves to play football. Exactly the love to my sport was a simple motivation. The doctor told me: "If you manage your diabetes well, you still can do whatever you want". Of course, the strict plans, times and amounts of eating’s with the injection and eating gap, required a huge amount of discipline. In the following years the therapy possibilities developed. Variation of meals became possible. New insulins made my life easier, because they last longer times and must be taken only twice a day. 

Sports, and especially football, is my passion. I always played in a club and made it up to the 5th league in Germany. That is not the professional league, but it was possible besides my study dual program in engineering. Two years ago, I even finished my doctoral thesis. When doing sports, I fortunately never had big problems with my blood sugar. It is more a problem, when the season is over, and I relax for a few weeks :-) 

I don't follow every new trend. The insulin pump feels for me like a heart pacemaker and I have some artificial thing on my body. I just don't like the feeling. The same applies to the CGM. I tried the freestyle libre 2 two times. There were no spectacular new results while using it. The extra thing on my arm made me use the old blood sugar measurement technology. Nowadays it lasts only five seconds to get the result. The long-term insulin has to be taken only once day. With flexible short- term insulin dose, a day with diabetes seems to be normal, when looking from the outside. In this case, I do it the "old-school" way, but it works pretty good for me. 

So, I can say, my doctor from the beginning was right: "You can do whatever you want" 

Evan Schneidt

This is our sweet little boy Evan @my_type1_warrior . He is 2.5 years old and was recently diagnosed with T1D just 3 months ago. I still find it bizarre every time I have have to type or say that out loud to someone.
My husband, my six year old son, Evan and myself all ended up getting the flu in the beginning of March. We were all so sick for about a week. Evan had a 103 fever for that entire week. When it finally broke and we were all getting back on our feet, we noticed Evan was excessively drinking his water and we were having to change his diapers very frequently. Now normally Evan is always drinking water so at first, we thought that since his body just went through so much, maybe he was just getting it back on track and needed to rehydrate. After about a week, he was still excessively drinking, my husband and I were googling what this could be and one of the suggestions was diabetes. Of course that was the furthest from our minds.
We took him to the pediatrician and they did a urine test on him. They came back and said there is sugar in his urine, you should see an Endocrinologist, let us get an appointment for you. So we left the Dr. and went home, waiting for their call. The phone rings and the Dr. tells my husband we need to take Evan to the ER at Jersey Shore to see the Endocrinologist immediately. Of course I was in full on panic mode because nothing was being said. While all this is going on, we are still not thinking about diabetes. I was totally assuming it was something else.
We get to the ER and of course Evan is getting agitated and upset because of the nurses around him checking his sugar again. All the one nurse says is there is no reading on my machine which means his sugar is high. So I ask what should it be and she said between 80 and 120. We are taken into another room and are told the Dr. will be in soon. A few minutes later a Dr. comes in and says “Your son’s sugar is 689, he is going to be diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic and need insulin for the rest of his life.” I will never forget that moment and I instantly looked over at our little boy and started to cry. How can this be? No one in our families have it! He is only 2!
It was torture watching Evan being hooked up to an IV and getting so upset when these strangers were poking him and touching him. He was hungry and was not allowed to eat. I felt so sick and could not breathe, I was afraid of how Evan would be in the hospital overnight. Luckily he did not go into DKA and we were only in the hospital for one night. I learned everything I could in a short amount of time to get him home where he felt safe. I hated seeing his swollen face from all the IV fluids he was given to get his numbers down.
Mind you before all this, Evan has had it rough since day 1, colic for 10 months, delayed developmental issues and was put in therapy everyday at 16 months old and still does therapy now. We have seen great improvements but he still does not have speech yet and are still working on other skills. Now, diabetes is thrown at him and that’s for life.
All these things ran through our heads as we were learning about this terrible and unfair disease. Will he be able to take care of himself when he gets older, will he have speech eventually so he can tell us how he is feeling?!
Despite all of this worry and fear, Evan just continues to amaze us everyday. By day five home from the hospital he was walking over to where all his Diabetes things are and grabbing his kit to bring to us because he knew if he wanted a snack he had to be checked first. He just sticks his little finger out and closes his eyes with a long blink until it’s over. No whining or crying, not even when he gets his insulin. Just stands there still so we can stick him. He is truly amazing. Not just because he is our son, but because he truly is handling this better than we think an adult would be. He has no real speech yet, so we can’t imagine what is going through his head. Having this disease itself is just awful, but having it with developmental delays and no speech... can you imagine?! It breaks our hearts because we can’t fix this for him. We can’t take the pain away from each finger stick or figure out why one day his sugars are great and the next going through the roof. My husband is in a line of work where people count on him to help them and he comes home and feels helpless because he can’t help his own son. Diabetes feels like failure as a parent but Evan has been and is such a trooper with this all. We recently got the Dexcom G6 a few weeks ago and it has been great. I was so scared he was going to be in pain from it and not be able to tell us or he was going to try and rip it off because he won’t even wear a bandaid. But here he is rocking this CGM and doesn’t even try to touch it. It’s like he knows it is helping him. He is showing us each day that he is going to be ok, even in the toughest days. It’s only been 3 months and we have forever to go and I know that he is going to crush this. He is not going to let this disease define him but only be a little part of his story in life. He is and always will be our little BADASS T1D Warrior!! All I can say is if it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel from this...there is. Evan has proven it will be ok, despite all the other things he has going on, on top of being T1D. Anyone dealing with this disease, just know, you got this!!!!

Carly Baumgartner

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes right at the start of my freshman year of college. I was kind of under the impression that my “fun life” was over. But the thing with diabetes is, it’s just simply NOT the end of the world.
Sure, there are days when it sucks. There are days I cry. There are days I grieve my old life. Diabetes can make life a lot more challenging, but truly, it makes nothing impossible.
Since my diagnosis, I’ve traveled to Europe, climbed mountains, jumped out of an airplane, and so much more! The gadgets attached to me no longer feel foreign, they’re just a part of who I am. Type 1 diabetes is just another hurdle in this crazy life.

Kate Wallace

“But you don’t look sick” It’s hard to explain to someone who has no idea what a day in a life of a diabetic is like. I was diagnosed at the age of 12. I lived a normal life for the first two years then at the age of 14 began to miss use my insulin, skip injections and make myself very unwell. At the time I denied everything, but in the real world I was fighting diabulmia and making myself very unwell day by day, I had my eating disorder till the age of 17 when I was diagnosed with nerve damage to both me legs and feet. I was put on extremely strong painkillers and had to drop out of college and give up work for a bit. Slowly though I got better and started to take control of my diabetes, I have now been managing it well for two years and it’s led to amazing opportunities like a summer in America and recently finding out I’ve got into the police force !! I am proud of how far I’ve come. There are still daily struggles, but I’m learning what’s best for me and that diabetes or an eating disorder won’t stop me from what I want to do! I’m still here to tell the tale and still fighting this horrible disease that is yet to have a cure to it.

Raquel Baron

Hi everyone! My name is Raquel Baron and I have had t1d since I was 5 years old- 17 years now! I am a dancer about to graduate from the University of Texas at Austin. I use and LOVE my Tandem Tslim pump and dexcom g6. Growing up with type one was difficult, but I truly believe that it is has made me so much more mature and responsible than I would have been otherwise. I became independent with managing this disease very quickly and never let it stop me from doing what I love. Even though I took decent care of myself overall, I just recently became extremely passionate about finding better ways to manage this disease and help others going through the same thing. I believe that there is a lack of information given to newly diagnosed families about how this disease truly effects your whole entire life. It is not as simple as counting carbs and giving insulin, and I wish that someone would have explained the realities of this disease earlier on in my life. Once I got to college, had a very intense dance schedule and began truly taking on everything independently, I started to take more of an interest in caring for myself better. When this happened, I started to find the diabetes online community, podcasts and the College Diabetes Network (CDN) chapter at my school. Emerging myself in all of these resources quickly helped me lower my a1c and feel a lot more like the person I believe I am supposed to be! I then started to lean more into the community- I worked at JDRF Austin for a semester, babysat lots of t1d kids in the area, became co-president of the CDN chapter, created my account @typeoneday, and made lots of friends within the community both in Texas and abroad. I now work for Better Living Technologies, a startup in Austin that is working towards lessening anxiety for families and adults with t1d. After I graduate in few weeks I plan to continue these things while also pursuing a career in dance. Dancing with type 1 can be frustrating and sometimes feels like I can never "figure it out". I am thankful for this however because it has taught me to expect the unexpected and be prepared for anything. I have to be flexible with this disease, just like how we all have to be flexible in life. It is completely possible, but just takes some extra preparation and steps sometimes! This disease is hard, but surrounding myself with others who get what I am going through has made all the difference.

Brad Johnson

Five days before my second daughter was born, I (IG: @bradley_g_johnson; strava: 9550658) looked down the street in front of my house and my vision went blurry. I went in to the doctor the next day and he asked what I thought I had and I told him that the internet said I had diabetes. He told me my blood sugar was over 500 mg/dl. I was 33 at the time and so my doctor misdiagnosed me with type 2 diabetes. Over the next 2.5 years I would get my numbers under really good control using type 2 meds only to have them drift over the next few months. Each time I went in, the doctor would give me something new and I would regain control for a few months. One night, I was reading up on type 2 stuff and I ran into a paragraph about LADA saying that a small percentage of type 1 people are diagnosed in their early 30s and that these people are nearly always misdiagnosed. I had a pretty strong feeling about it then which was confirmed later by an endochronologist (who didn't think that the test would come back positive because I wasn't skinny enough!). 

The weird thing about LADA is that the honeymoon is long and so you never really know why your numbers are what they are. Are my numbers high because I'm getting sick or because my pancreas is finally dead? At this point five year in, do I still have 2% pancreatic function smoothing out the bumps? I also don't really have a true diagnosis date like most people do. That said, once I had the correct diagnosis I figured I didn't have much time left with a partially functioning pancreas and so I better start doing stuff that would be much harder later. I started competing in triathlons and then bridged that fitness into my first marathon. I also carved times time off my half marathon, 10K, and 5K. I should mention here that I'm a big guy - I'm 6'3" and I weigh ~ 230 lbs - not exactly the ideal candidate for endurance activities! 

In the end though, I had the wrong idea about LADA. I didn't need to do things before full type 1 set in. I needed to find ways to continue doing the things I love because they are fun and because they make managing my numbers much easier. Like a lot of other type 1s, I see a multiday effect after workouts that help me use less insulin. These days I spend most of my free time on one of my bikes. I mountain bike, road bike, gravel bike - I love it all. Those long rides can be scary (do I have enough carbs? can I make it home? etc.) but I've come up with strategies for managing bg (Skratch!).

My family has been amazing in support. My wife knows I can be hard on myself about numbers and tends to remind me that good can be better than great. Burnout is the real enemy and hyper-focus on "great" numbers doesn't seem like a healthy place to me. Learning a completely new lifestyle with young kids wasn't easy but it is certainly worthwhile. While I would certain love to not be diabetic, it does remind me to appreciate life - and life seems to be rich and beautiful these days.

Addalie Burns

Addalie is an 8 year Type 1 Diabetic who was diagnosed at the age of 6. She has truly not let this disease slow her down or stop her from pursuing her dreams. Since she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes she has had two lemonade and art stands to raise money for the Children’s Wing of the hospital where she was diagnosed. On her diaversary last year she took two wagons full of toys, books and art supplies to the hospital. At her last stand a week ago she raised over $400. She won’t let Type 1 win! 
Addalie also loves tap dance and recently tapped at a famous jazz club in NYC. She is on a tap company and is attending a camp for young artists this summer! Can’t wait for her to change the world with Type 1.

Kaye Harris

I’m Kaye, i’m 15 years old from Scotland. I was diagnosed with type 1 on 17th September 2012. It was life changing. I had been experiencing all of the symptoms of DKA for a few weeks when my parents took me to see a doctor. At first me & my dad were so confused...how could i have diabetes? I wasn’t fat or unhealthy? But then we began to realise that type 1 had nothing to do with being overweight.
I had no clue what was happening, i had just been driven to hospital, poked with needles and had a drip attached to me along with a cannula in each hand. My hands began to get weak and i could hardly walk whilst i was in hospital. I stayed there for a week learning about carb counting, insulin ratios, how to inject and everything else i had to start doing to keep myself alive. I still wasn’t sure what was happening and my mum had to do my injections, poke my finger and count my carbs for the first few days. 
I arrived home and felt like a totally different person. After a few days i was well enough to go back to primary school and the teachers were so understanding and helpful! I got the perfect amount of support from everyone which made my first few years with diabetes pretty bearable. After about a year i was able to get an insulin pump funded by the NHS and it was amazing. I had so much freedom to eat when and what i wanted. 
I was about 12 years old when i moved to high school and i was still on the pump but i wasn’t getting nearly the amount of support i needed from my new school. I started to get really bad anxiety about school and i became pretty depressed. My blood sugar control was crazy so i decided the pump wasn’t the right thing for me at the time. This lead to diabetes burnout where i wasn’t doing injections, going outside or looking after myself properly. It was horrible. It continued for about 2 years and finally my parents decided to take me out of school so i could focus on my diabetes control. 
After a few unhelpful psychologists i started getting my life back on track when i started online schooling. It was perfect for me as i could do school within the comfort of my home, work around a loose timetable and manage my diabetes all at the same time. 
About 2 years on now, i’m on my 2nd last year of high school and my diabetes control is a lot better. I’m still on injections but i’m looking to get a pump again soon. I still get pretty anxious sometime especially when my blood sugars are high but i’m talking everything 1 step at a time! I may not have done anything “amazing” yet, but i’m only 15 and i think that the fact that i’m still alive is pretty amazing. I’ve also recently started a diabetes instagram account ( @glucose_queen_ ) where i talk about my experiences with diabetes, my goal is to inspire people and help other type 1’s. The diabetes community has helped me so much in seeing my diabetes as a good thing rather than hiding it!

lola frankowski

Hi. My name is Lola (@typeonelola on instagram). I am 14 years old, a freshman in high school in sunny Atlanta, GA where I started on varsity over seniors. 
It all started almost 3 years ago. At the age of 10, I was very active, almost to the point where I barely had enough time to do my homework. I would play in softball tournaments every weekend. It was normal for me. Sure, I would get dehydrated or have a small cramp, but the pain I was feeling was like nothing I had ever felt before. After crying for hours about awful cramps in my legs, a family friend who deals with these types of cramps all the time came over to look at my legs. She said it was like nothing she had ever seen before. At the time, I was a catcher and my mom thought I was just tired. She told me to drink a gatorade and get back out there. So I did. 
My family and I are very religious. Every weekend, we are at church. One day, I was altar serving. If you don’t know, altar servers just help out the priest and deacon during the mass to make things go smoothly. I felt as if I was about to pass out. I toughed it out for the rest of mass and came out crying. I ate a banana and perked right back up again. My mom, being in the medical field, could tell something was wrong. 
Everyone goes through that awkward faze right before puberty where you gain a little bit of weight. I had been running so much that it felt good and normal. I stepped on the scale. Seeing that my weight had dropped 4 pounds in 2 days was definitely not right. 
My grandma had come in for a special occasion and she has Type 2 Diabetes. My mom checked my sugar with my grandma’s meter and it read “600+ CANNOT READ.” At that point, the whole room went silent. Being 10 years old, I started crying, thinking I was going to die. My mom, in a hurry, packed a bag and drove me to the hospital. We checked in and they took me right to the back. When I was put into a room, it was so eye and ear opening to hear that my blood sugar had been over 300 for more than 3 months and that I was a day away from going into a coma. 
Now, I’m coming up on my three diabirthday on a day I could never forget: May 1, 2016. I am now one of the healthiest kids I know. I am still playing competitive softball and I have picked up discus and shotput! Every summer, I go to a sleep away camp just for kids with diabetes called Camp Kudzu (@thecampkudzu). 
I am living my best life and I haven’t looked back. Diabetes can be a blessing and a curse. Without it, I wouldn’t have found out how strong I am and I never would have met some of my best friends. As I am approaching 3 years with this disease, I know that nothing can stop me now. None of the looks or comments I receive can hold me back. I am determined to help make Type 1 Type None.

Kaleena Yoder

I was diagnosed April 21, 2011 and just celebrated my 8th year as a diabetic. I was diagnosed at the age of about 9 and a half and was extremely nervous about what was going to happen to me and how people will judge me. All my friends were so supportive of me, but when I got into middle school I was scared to play sports because I had to quit dance. But with help from my doctor and all my coaches they helped me learn how to do everything so I wouldn't get hurt. I played sports through my sophomore year of high school until I quit due to a serious injury. But I am a very musical person and have had music in my life so my Junior year of high school I had the opportunity to apply for the Drum Major position at my school. I was nervous to do this because I didn't know how all the marching, training, and directing would affect my blood sugar. But after getting on a pump in 2016 I have upgraded 3 times and am now on the Medtronic 670G and Guardian G6. This is the best pump and sensor I have been on because while I was training, directing, and marching I was able to stay in range even when I couldn't stop and check my blood sugar. Now as a graduating senior I am looking back at all the things I said I would never be able to do. I've played Volleyball, Golf, been in Band, was made drum major, and will be graduating college with my associates degree two weeks after my high school graduation. Diabetics can do anything they want and I always make sure my diabetic friends know that.

Grace Gammell

This is Gracie! She is 3 years old and has had diabetes for almost a year, this coming May! She had all the classic symptoms prior to diagnosis setting off red flags to her Mom, resulting in a urgent care trip and a blood sugar reading over 600. She was diagnosed and got a new baby brother within a few weeks of each other and has handled it all like a true warrior! 
She enjoys all life has to offer! At the top of the list she loves , swimming, gymnastics, running with her Dad, dancing, baking and all things animals! She never lets diabetes hold her back and gets to experience anything her heart desires with the help of her Dexcom and Omnipod! 
Gracie loves her devices and showing them off. Her Dexcom G6 is often referred to as her, “fast button” and she will give it a push before winning any race. Gracie proves to everyone around her how , brave, special, confident and happy you can be, despite type one!

Victoria Ruane

I’m newly diagnosed at the age of 44 and I am determined to still be as active and strong as I have always been. At 30 I went through IVF after losing 3 pregnancies. During the process I was diagnosed with Hasimotos Thyroiditis. This is why I could not carry. Once medicated, I had a successful IVF treatment and twin pregnancy. Having HT I knew I was at risk for other autoimmune diseases. Now that I have both HT and T1D I am determined to be in the best condition/shape of my life. I am also raising a t1d. My daughter was diagnosed at 5 and is now 13. We hike, climb, camp and travel. I lift and do HITT style workouts. In addition I am a runner. I am figuring out how to do all of this and how it affects my blood sugar but I am not letting it stop me. I have never let it hold my daughter back either.

Isobel Bishop

Hi! I’m Isobel (@type1diabella), I’m 23 years old, and I have been a type 1 diabetic for 16 years. I was diagnosed when I was 7 and that’s when my world completely changed. Fortunately, I had (and still have) a very supportive family. My mom, who is my #1 supporter, did everything in her power so that I could live a wonderful life. Everything was great! My A1C was 5.6% and I was happy and healthy. 
When I started high school, my mom loosened up the reigns. I became the person in charge of my diabetes for the first time ever and unfortunately, I did not take care of my diabetes…at all. I don’t remember graduating high school, but I do remember being rushed to the emergency room the day after. I was in DKA and my organs were shutting down. Several years later, my A1C was still high and I was not properly taking care of myself – definitely diabetic burnout! 
Fast forward to 2016 - I moved to Kentucky to pursue my dream of finishing college and becoming a dietitian. And after a long road of “recovery,” I am finally able to say that my A1C is almost back down to where I want it. 
I have a 6.5% A1C, I use the tandem Tslim pump and Dexcom g6. I am president of University of Kentucky’s College Diabetes Network chapter and I am an outreach support volunteer for JDRF. I am passionate about diabetes and helping those who need that extra push of motivation to achieve their goals. I graduate from college next semester and will continue on my path to becoming a registered dietitian and then, after 1000 hours of working with diabetic patients, I will take the exam to become a certified diabetes educator!
Throughout the ups and downs of my own personal diabetes management, I was able to figure out that this is what I want to do with my life. I want to help others. I want to prove to the world that it is possible to overcome what may seem like the impossible. Diabetes is a pain, but that won’t stop me from living my life to the fullest! 
“Wisdom from yesterday, strength for today, hope for tomorrow”

Michael Keene

I was diagnosed with Type 1 on Martin Luther King day 1991 at 5 years old. I had been brought to Joslin Clinic at my mother's behest after arguing with my pediatrician. Seeing the iconic Citgo sign will always serve as a reminder of where and how my life changed. 
My parents were always there for me, encouraging me. They never let my disease be what defined me, they let me define it. I was active in youth sports year round even into college. And when there wasn't a game or a practice I was still running a basketball court, biking or throwing a football around. 
They also did well to teach me independence with my disease. They wanted to make sure I understood the importance of self care. I was involved in several peer support groups growing up too. But my independence from my disease, my ability to not let it define my life also made me feel different from other diabetics and alienated me from these groups. It made it difficult for me to relate. And over time I grew away from them and the community as a whole. 
My adult years were rough. My independence streak led to years of poor care for my disease. I forgot all that had been instilled in me. I began to drink, a lot. 
But now two plus years sober I am beginning to find my diabetic identity again. I am embracing who I am and taking care of myself. I began hiking in 2015 and have since finished two prominent hiking lists in the Northeast US. The Appalachian Mountain Clubs NH 48 4000 Footer and NE 67 4000 Footer lists. 
I also have completed a half marathon and two of what we call Ultra hikes (20 plus miles, 10k of elevation gain in a single day). The two I completed are called the Pemi Loop and the Presidential Traverse, each in under 16 hours. That's a combined 50 plus miles and 20k of elevation gain! Active as I was at a young age I never saw myself doing these! 
I also met the love of my life while hiking in the White Mountains and we are getting married this June hiking up Cannon Mountain. She has dove in with both feet getting to better understand diabetes and is always looking for me on and off trail. We make quite the team.

Jennifer K

Hi! Im Jenn (@typeonebetic) and my goal is to share my story so people don’t have to go through what I did So let’s start at the very beginning. It started in June of 2017 and I was 23 years old. I was extremely sick, throwing up and lethargic. I went to the ER. They gave me an IV bag. Told me I was dehydrated And sent home. I felt better for about a week.  October 2017- I lost 15 lbs. I was always in the bathroom either peeing or trying to throw up. My boss told me I was being dramatic and kept sending me home early. I slept almost all the time. I finally went to the doc and they said it was a cold and told me to take DayQuil. November 2017- I’m still sick. I go back to the doctors and they told me I had mono. I was still loosing weight. December 2017- I’m using the bathroom CONSTANTLY. I assumed it was because I was pumping myself full of vitamin c and water to get rid of the mono. I took two weeks off of work to sleep and to take a vacation. On that vacation I was literally in the bathroom every 45 minutes day and night. March 2018- They had me in the doctors every 2 weeks “monitoring my mono.” I was now gaining weight. I had a ultrasound done, turns out I have a liver disease. They said it was life threatening and to change my diet. But I was only eating lettuce, water and oatmeal. Literally, I couldn’t keep anything else down. They said it was because I was over weight. April 2018- They did a finger poke at 8 am and my fasting blood sugar was 180. They told me I was a type 2 diabetic and to eat healthier. I stopped eating all together. During this time eating vertically nothing I gained 30 pounds. So I was back to my original weight. A month later they tested my BG and it was 101. Not too bad! But they decided to run further testing because I still felt like crap and I wanted answers. May 15th 2018. (Now 24 years old) I get a call while at work and they tell me to come In to the office ASAP! They gave me a basal shot of insulin (toujeo) to try to regulate my blood sugar. No one told me why I was getting the shot until after and they hooked me up to an EKG, and a blood pressure cuff. I was finally told that my doctors were wrong. Still with no idea of what my actual diagnosis was. I heard chatting in the hallway. I am a type 1. My A1C was an 11.6. They didn’t tell me what that meant, but they told me I have an autoimmune disease. After about 50 minutes in the doctors office they sent me home with my toujeo and instructions to take it at night until they could get me in. A week went by and I went back to the doctors where they gave me a brief explanation and a huge bag of supplies. They basically told me that me me not eating saved me from going into DKA.  There is no history of t1d in my family, so they didn’t suspect it. I could’ve been diagnosed in June of 2017, but the docs didn’t do anything. But the IV saved my life and eating only lettuce reduced my A1c. it was probably a lot higher.  I’m finally on a pump as of February 2018 and my A1C is creeping on down to a 8.7. My advice to all of you: Trust yourself. Listen to your body. Stand up for yourself! You are your best advocate and you know yourself the most!! Going through all of this made me realize I am a lot stronger than I thought I ever was!!! Keep on keeping on, diabetic badasses!!!

Before diagnosis I was a hiker and a runner. I spent hours on the trail or running at dawn. When I was sick before diagnosis running wasn’t something I felt motivated to do. But I keep trying to at least hit the gym once a week. Then when I got my diagnosis, I was obviously terrified. But once I was feeling better, and after the summer I started running again. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. My body had fluctuate for a full year and I was weak as hell, but I missed the thrill of running. I’ve gained a lot of weight back since diagnosis, and honestly it was a couple days ago when I ran and felt confident doing it. The diagnosis for sure held me back but it wasn’t the desease, it was the fear of it. I was afraid I wouldn’t be as good as I was before and I didn’t want to fail. But man, running with diabetes is even better than running without it because I can see the results on my meter! I’m planning on running my first 5K post diagnosis soon and it’s going to be a lovely race! 

Gretchen Guinther

Hi my name is Gretchen Guinther! I have had diabetes for 15 years, I was diagnosed when I was about 2 years old. I also have, anxiety, and depression so sometimes my blood sugar is a roller coaster! I went to a diabetes camp for about 6 years and it changed my life! Being a part of the diabetes community has been the best decision I ever made. It can be a lot of work but it’s always worth it. 
I decided that instead of hiding or being ashamed of my diabetes I would do my best to empower others through it! I have had diabuddies and take anyone I can under my wing. I get so much joy out of helping newly diagnosed kids love their diabetes even though it is an adjustment. I want to spread awareness about diabetes and let people know you should be proud of it. 
I love to take photos showcasing my pump, or pump sets ( they are even in my senior portraits). In the past I have modeled for pump photos, camp advertisements, and love show off my diabetes every chance I get. 
After 15 years I realize that diabetes made me strong, independent, and confidant in who I am. Don’t ever let your diabetes hold you back. I have been to 39 states, gotten a record time while rock climbing, I am a club president at my school, I get straight A’s, I go to the gym almost every day and continue to grow still. I will be starting college in the fall to peruse a degree in my passion, sign language! 
If there is one thing I can tell you it’s this, be proud of your diabetes, be strong in it, shout it from the rooftops because you will be glad you did, and if you ever need a helping hand with that let me know because I’d love to help!

Lisa Molin

Hi there, I’m Lisa (@autoimmune_training) a 34 year old girl from Sweden! I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was nine years old. I also have 4 other autoimmune diseases (celiac, hypothyroidism, addison’s disease and premature ovarian failure). It’s been tough with several diagnoses and lots of medicines, but my diabetes and other diseases never stop stop me from doing what I love to do! And never will.
I’m working a lot, traveling around the world and try to live a healthy life. Sport is is my biggest passions and makes me feel so much better and stronger. I’ve played football since a was a kid, I’m running a lot, doing workouts at the gym and I love to do outdoor training!
My blood sugar is pretty often a rollercoaster, but I’m very happy I have a Freestyle Libre, which helps me a lot. A few years ago I was convinced to try an insulin pump. I used it for a year and it was absolutely great (my A1c was better than ever during this period). After a year I decided to go back to pens though (thought that was easier when I was doing sports etc). I’ll maybe try again and next time without a tube, which I used to have. 
Sometimes it requires a bit extra planning and consideration, but It’s fully possible to live normal life with diabetes! You can do whatever you want to do and be whoever you want to be!

Ben Tzeel

I got told no a lot as a kid with diabetes.
“No, you wont be able to play baseball (or any sport) at a high level.”
“No, you wont be able to get a 6 pack or lift heavy weights.”
Even my first endo told me, “no, its going to be hard for you to have an active lifestyle since exercise will drop your blood sugar.”
I was only seven at the time, but as I continued hearing this same narrative through the years, it just added more and more fuel to my fire to be able to not only accomplish these things, but EXCEL.
What happened? I ended up playing baseball through part of college, got that 6 pack, squatted and deadlifted over 400 lbs, and haven’t slowed down a bit…in fact, with age, it just keeps getting better and better.
I used to feel like I had to work doubly as hard as someone without diabetes, but that’s just made me stronger. Any limitations you have come from your mind – you

Dan Bernard

Dan Bernard is an outdoor adventure athlete.  He enjoys pretty much anything physical outside.  A few of his favorite trips include white water rafting category 5 rapids in Maine, zip lining in Saint Lucia, swimming with sharks in the Caribbean, skydiving over Missouri, hiking the Napali Coast in Kauai, bungee jumping in New Zealand, repelling in Malibu, rock climbing in Yosemite, riding his motorcycle cross country, and hiking the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail from Georgia to Canada.

Dan was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as an adult in his late 20s.  He was already passionate about traveling and experiencing adventures all around the World before his diagnosis and continues his adventurous lifestyle post diagnosis.  Treating T1D as what it is - nothing more than a circumstance to figure out how to manage - is a big part of Dan’s message. Having T1D doesn’t motivate Dan to alter his life to try to “beat diabetes” nor does it discourage him away from doing what he loves.  Diabetes can only have as much power over you as you allow it to.

With over 20 years of Personal Training and Mindset Coaching experience, Dan Bernard has worked with thousands of clients all over the World.  Dan is a husband, father, T1D warrior, educator, motivator, and mentor. With his unique ability to be compassionate while truth telling, Dan is well known for connecting with his clients in such a way that they begin to create results in their life that were previously unattainable.  Dan has founded Badass Diabetic LLC and DiaVentures Inc. to help facilitate his personal mission:

1. CREATE A PLATFORM FOR AN EMPOWERED COMMUNITY OF TYPE 1S TO SHARE THEIR STORIES OF THE AMAZING THINGS THEY ARE ACCOMPLISHING AROUND THE WORLD.

2. HOST BADASS EVENTS FOR TYPES 1S TO GET TOGETHER AND HAVE FUN.

3. PROVIDE NUTRITION, EXERCISE AND MINDSET COACHING TO ENABLE TYPE 1 DIABETICS TO TAKE COMPLETE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THEIR HEALTH.

4. RE-BRAND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE TYPE 1 DIABETIC.

Tianna Brandt

I was diagnosed at age 15, a young girl just starting out high school. It was something I would have never thought I would have happen to me. I finally picked myself up and started giving my insulin in no time. For a girl with a needle phobia it was quite a rough start off. However, you have to get back up and keep on going. I have realized that this disease does not stop me from being who I am. It just builds character to personality.

Miranda Newell

"How long have you been a diabetic?" That's how I learned I had Type 1 Diabetes. At 28-years-old, laying in a bed in the Emergency Room, the nurse came through the curtain and asked me, "how long have you been diabetic?" I remember stuttering and trying to find an answer while I muttered "....I'm not?" That's when I learned my blood sugar was over 700 and I wouldn't walk out of that hospital the same person I was when I entered the doors of the Emergency Room that night. 
My older brother is a Type 1 Diabetic, so it wasn't a foreign diagnosis to me, thank goodness. He also was diagnosed as an adult - at the age of 22. I think my mom took it worse than I did. She drove the hour and a half the next morning to be with me while I met with my endocrinologist, filled prescriptions, and gave myself my first injection. We were at my kitchen counter as I made a wrap for the two of us to share, we did the calculation for how much insulin to inject and then I stood there with the needle hovering over my belly,for what felt like eternity, before I had the guts to actually stick it in! I remember thinking, "OK, that was nothing, I can do that." As if I had a choice, right? Six months later I got my first insulin pump and I love the security it provides. I love seeing my insulin on board and having the ability to adjust my basal rates based on my physical activity, cycle, illnesses, etc. A year after getting my pump, I received my first CGM and I feel like my life is SO MUCH EASIER. Being able to view blood sugar trends with foods, activities, etc. has truly made my life with Diabetes feel much more normal, and slightly less of a huge guessing game! Since being diagnosed, my A1c has not been over 6.1%, with the bulk of my A1c readings being at 5.5%. I attribute this to staying active and living a low-carb lifestyle - with the occasional bolus for a cupcake or a giant bowl of popcorn, because...duh! I recently began an Instagram page to connect with other Diabetics around the world and I have been loving every minute of learning from others. Living with a chronic disease comes with so many emotions and seeing others share your struggles is a comfort everyone deserves. Let's follow each other! @sugar.coated.t1d I'd love to learn from you!

Kristin OBrien

Hi, I’m Kristin. I was diagnosed the summer of 1996 at the age of 9 years old. I was diagnosed one year after my older brother Tony was also diagnosed type 1. As a teenager I spent a lot of time doing the wrong things, making mistakes and not taking care of myself- not realizing that it could cause long term problems. By the time I was 16 I had been in DKA 3 times in the span of 2 years and spent a great deal of time in the ICU at the local hospital. 
Once I was engaged to my, now, husband Matt, at 19 years old- I strived to take better care of myself to not only better my own life but to not place the burden of this disease on the ones I love.  2 days after our wedding in Las Vegas, Matt woke up to me having a seizure in bed, choking on vomit and eyes rolling back, due to a dangerously low blood sugar. I experienced a mild brain trauma and had lost the ability to speak for about 20 hours and struggled over the following weeks to gain full speech back. After the birth of both my son in 2011 and my daughter in 2015- I struggled with severe lows.  About 2 years ago I had my first experience with diabetic delirium from a fast dropping glucose. It has since happened a couple more times, each time worse than the last- experiencing full blown hallucinations, panic and anxiety, and being convinced that I was already dead. 
After going through all of that and the loss of one my closest friends who died having a low blood sugar behind the wheel, I spend a lot of my time researching all that I can about this disease. There is so much that isn’t discussed or taught to diabetics. I truly believe that as a community, we are each other’s best teachers and advice givers. While being type 1 has been devastating, exhausting, and annoying- I’m happy that the type 1 community is so strong.

Aside from my involvement in the type 1 community, my life is filled with all kinds of things that keep me busy and keep me going. I am the mother of two incredible, energetic kids who always keep me on my toes. I’m also the singer of a disco and funk band called On The One- my band mates are my second family.  I grew up dancing and have always stayed in love with ballet. In the next year, my goal is to open my own ballet school and bring the same joy that dance has always brought me to a new generation of kids.  My favorite thing to do in my spare time is plan and take trips to Disney World. I’m a kid at heart who believes that it really is the happiest place on earth. Plus... they have the best snacks ever! I have diabetes, but diabetes does not have me. I will continue to live my life doing the things I love with the ones who give me my reason to keep fighting.

Izabella Lewis

I’m Izabella Lewis, when I was three I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (1/4/08) on April Fools Day. My dad took me to the doctor’s to get blood tests done as I was sick for a while. He got a call back saying I needed to get to the hospital right away because I was a diabetic. He couldn’t drive because he was such a wreck. His sister drove him to my mum’s work and that’s when my dad told my mum. She didn’t believe it and laughed and said funny joke. It wasn’t a joke. I always get asked “did your first shot hurt?” , “how did you feel when you were diagnosed?” I don’t remember, I can’t remember a life with out diabetes so I feel like it wasn’t such a hard thing to adapt too & all the changes. I’m 14 now and I’ve had a tough few years, I was in hospital last November due to my lows I stayed in their for a week where my endos dropped my insulin dramatically. I was supposed to be having 60 units of insulin a day but I was having 88... I’m trying my best to stabilize my levels and get on a pump, but it is hard and there’s many days where i just want this disease to go away and for me to be “normal”. But I know that teenage years are probably the hardest for diabetics. Diabetes is really tough and there’s so many obstacles but I’m glad I have family & friends that support me and help me, anyone that’s having a tough time with your diabetes or mental health please know it gets better, it takes time... you’re doing an amazing job.

Sara mobäck

This was the starting point for me to show other diabetics that what prevents you from doing things you want to do - is yourself and how your thoughts can prevent you from doing things you want to do. I knew it would reflect to my followers and myself as well. I believe that everything is about what every individual put energy and power on. It’s clear that life as a Type 1 diabetic is not always a pleasure, but it is often the same for those who do not have diabetes (but other disease or problems). Right? Everyone has their ups and downs. 
I wanted to show to other diabetics that it is actually possible to live a fully normal life with diabetes. It is possible to travel, train, party, be spontaneous, etc. without permitting diabetes to be a problem. I wanted to show, and are showing, that it's about what kind of attitude you have. The setting of the disease as well as the acceptance of it.
I have today Swedens largest blogs about type 1 Diabetes and a growing Instagram account, @Diabeteskvinnan1, a name that means “Diabeteswoman” (like “Superwoman”). I am a Swedish diabetes advocate and I have overcome anorexia nervosa and orthorexia. In addition to type 1, I also has celiac disease and a nut allergy (peanuts), and I was presented at the 2018 DEEP conference in Amsterdam about her experiences with Type 1 diabetes and eating disorders and was talking for BD Diabetes Care in Amsterdam in October 2018. 
I talk a lot about the importance of eating vs insulin. Girls and women with type 1 diabetes are twice as likely to develop an eating disorder as those without diabetes.  It's not the blood sugar who should decide what you'll eat, it's what you want to eat that should determine how much insulin you will need. The balance is so important.

Hannah Brown

Michelle Soccodato

Hello, I am Michelle and I am a diabetic. That is what the nurse in the hospital said I would have to say for the rest of my life. It was a shock to me at 31 years old I could be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I was just pregnant less than a year and a half ago wouldn’t have they have seen it then? I took the glucose test while pregnant too and didn’t have gestational diabetes, so how could this be? Well I sat in the er November 30th 2018 and this was my diagnosis. I was sick for three days throwing up and the day I went to the er I could barely breath. The nurse said that was because of the ketones that’s built up in my body. 
Well less then a month and a half later my a1c is down from 10.8 to 8.2. I am on mdi currently but soon getting an omnipod and Dexcom just waiting on the shipment! I made a diabetes Instagram and joined the diabetic community. I research daily and listen to podcasts, read books and blogs, and educate myself as much as possible on my new diagnosis. I have a lot to live for. I have a little son I need to be strong for. So I have a long fight ahead of me, but I have diabetes, diabetes doesn’t have me.

Klara Borgström

I was diagnosed with diabetes type 1 at the age of 13. That is almost two years ago. I went to the hospital once every third month as a part of a big study to better understand when and why diabetes type 1 develops in children. It only took about half an hour to take tests. Me and my sisters nurse always complimented us about how good our blood sugar, HbA1c and so on were. The last time I went to this study I only remembered my nurse coming back with a frown on her face from the room with all the machines where she had put our vials with blood for testing. I didn't think about it a lot but she did't compliment about how extraordinary our tests were. 
Two, maybe three weeks passed and then my mother told me we were going to the hospital again. I asked why and she said it was something wrong with my test so I had to go check it with the doctor. I was sure it was nothing wrong, the doctors had surely just made a mistake. We did a glucose load and my blood sugar rose way to high. I felt like there was something wrong. Then the doctors started explaining that I had diabetes type 1. I still somehow felt they had made a mistake, what could i possibly have done to deserve this? Can I still play handball and dance as much as I wanted? Do I have to plan every single moment of the rest of my life? Questions like this were rushing trough my mind and I was pretty choked. 
The following weeks I only took 0,5 E insulin to breakfast to stop my blood sugar from rising. My blood sugar was really stable (some of my beta cells were still working and producing insulin) Then I started to take injections to every meal and I was starting to fear my needle. I got really bad anxiety every time I had to take insulin. I learned to count carbs, prick my fingers and bolus again when my blood sugar was too high. I started to realize that this lasted the rest of my life (unless there is a cure). I could never "pause" from my diabetes. The first year was a struggle, but then i got Omnipod, and everything since has become mush easier. I live my life just like I want to now, diabetes can't stop me.
After some months I started wearing my Omnipod and Dexcom with pride, I'm proud to say that I am stronger than my diabetes. I didn't do anything to deserve this, but I can survive it! Family, friends and the whole diabetes community has made me accept my illness and supported me. After I started my diabetes account on Instagram, @klaratype1 I've learned more about others with diabetes and how they manage their lows, highs and everything between. The thing I like the most about being diabetic is being a part of this diabetes community and having so much in common with people I've never met. The way diabetics I never even spoke to compliments me on my photos is really nice. We diabetics need to stand up and support each other.

Mandy Musgrove

Hi I’m Mandy and I’m from Florida. I was diagnosed in October 1985 at the tender age of 11 months. I was so sick that I was not expected to live but miraculously walked out the ICU 3 days later. I’ve been on a pump since I was 14. I just recently got the Libre and love it. I live by the rule that Diabetes does not run my life, I run it. I do not let it limit me at all. Which I guess explains why I have 12 tattoos and will continue to get more. I feel that I am somewhat old school when it comes to my Diabetes. I never use the latest and greatest that is out there. I can’t say that I’m one of those people that says they are glad that I have Diabetes, I’m just not. Has it made me into the person I am today? Absolutely. I believe God allows things to happen to people that He knows can handle it. I’m forever grateful to my friends and family who have loved me and supported me every day of my life.