Imagine a future where diabetes is the last thing on the mind of people living with it – that is progress! In part #1 we got an inside look at how the insulin industry is spurring each other on to make advancements in diabetes management. In part #2 we continue the conversation with the leaders in the insulin pump industry, alongside my well-versed cohost, Mark Carter. As a little refresher, we had the pleasure of hearing from Michael Hill, VP of Global Portfolio Marketing at Medtronic, Dr. Trang Ly, Senior Vice President and Medical Director at Insulet, and Dr. Steph Habif, a behavioral scientist at Tandem.
Let’s jump back into this topic and learn more about how you can define progress in daily diabetes management and what’s on the horizon for insulin pump therapy.
I’ve joked, and/or compared my diabetes management to OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), but hadn’t met anyone living with both conditions until interviewing Brett Ryan Stewart. Brett is a Nashville based producer who shared – “ultimately what OCD kind of comes down to is this inability to accept what you can’t control and then obsessing about a way to control the uncontrollable.” I’m sure many of you living with T1D can relate to this mentality and Brett’s ability to give us a look into his daily life was eye opening to say the least.
The world of diabetes management is growing at an expeditious rate, so how do we define progress in this space? Great question, and one I couldn’t resolve myself so I brought in past podcast guest and fellow T1D, Mark Carter, who has worked within the industry. We had the pleasure of sitting with three insulin pump therapy leaders: Michael Hill, VP of Global Portfolio Marketing at Medtronic; Dr. Trang Ly, Senior Vice President and Medical Director at Insulet; and Dr. Steph Habif, a behavioral scientist at Tandem.
Our conversation is packed with insights on how to define progress in daily diabetes management while addressing some of the community’s most burning questions. Stay tuned for part #2.
It’s time to get rid of the word ‘weak’ when talking about people navigating chronic illnesses. In reality, we are some of the strong, unique and resilient people in the world, and Madison Thorn is spreading that very message. She was fueled by a nasty protest sign and turned that energy into a thought provoking project highlighting other high risk humans like ourselves, a story that needs to be told.
Ginger Vieira learned quickly that it turns out there is a whole lot you can still do even while dealing with diabetes when you approach yourself kindly rather than getting stuck in self pity. She is a passionate writer and editor with a mission to turn complex health information into easy-to-read content. Ginger herself navigates not only through T1D, but other autoimmune diseases as well, but not for a moment does she let herself get caught up in self pity. Instead she works tirelessly to bring out content that impacts others going through similar struggles.
When Charles Mattocks was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, he was given little to no education on how to manage this disease so he took matters into his own hands. After getting his own health back on track, Charles is sharing his journey into advocacy, and how he is effectively trying to reverse the forward progress of unmanaged diabetes.
People living with diabetes don’t just need the latest and greatest tech, they need real solutions to unique problems! Kayla Mattingly always knew she wanted 3-4 kids from thestart, but never imagined two of her four sons would be diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She rolled with the autoimmune punches, but an insulin allergy has her family and medical team scrambling for solutions. Type IV Hypersensitivity to insulin is rare, but she has found a handful of other parents who are looking for answers.
To all those who need to hear this – yes you can! This is the lifelong motto of Kristina Loskarjova, a woman who sets her mind to something and makes it happen while living her best life with T1D. She shares how taking a step back from the pressures of management could be exactly what you need to get back out and start living a fulfilled life. Kristina is an accomplished designer, entrepreneur and author who is sharing her story and those of other people living extraordinary lives with this disease.
While getting the diabetes diagnosis tends to put us on the back foot, we can choose to deal with it and refuse to let it define us. Tim White is a diabetes veteran who has been managing his diabetes for longer than I have. He is a well spring of wisdom and shares his story along with his experience on living his best life with diabetes for decades. Tim is a prime example that diabetes is not a death sentence, and its management is getting better every day. (more…)
What does someone who was thrust into the world of diabetes with no preparation do? They make animations of course! Jermaine Hargrove is the co-founder of Small Town Animation Studios, where he and his wife are impacting the diabetes space with the arts, specifically in the 3D animated films arena. His creative expertise and entrepreneurial spirit will help inspire people to better manage their diabetes. Let’s dive into Jermaine’s story and learn more about not all Superheroes wear capes, but some do wear CGMs. (more…)
