Type 1 on 1 | Diabetes Stories Jen Grieves

Ami’s Back for Diabetes Week!

It’s an important week in diabetes land, and a important week needs an important guest, so of course it could only be my dear friend Ami Bennett. Fellow type 1 diabetic, fellow media professional, fellow journalist who doesn’t do journalism, fellow dancer who no longer dances, fellow master of escapades great and small.

If you haven’t met Ami before, there are 30 episodes of Type 1 on 1: The Diaries for you to catch up on whereby we have an absolute riot sharing a weekly update on all things pancreatically challenged.

This week is no different, and we have a lovely little catch up about where we’ve been (quite a few places as it turns out) what we’ve been up to (broken insulin pumps, rogue hypos diaversaries and life as a 30-something pretending it’s all fine) and the general joys of trying to impersonate a functioning pancreas.

Ahead of Diabetes Week 2023 in the UK (12-16th June) we take a second to celebrate all that we are outside of our type 1 diabetes, and we encourage you to do the same!

Come and say hi to me on Instagram.
Say hi to Ami on Instagram.

SPONSOR MESSAGE:

Thanks so much to my episode sponsors Dexcom.

Pioneer and leader in Real-Time continuous glucose monitors, Dexcom's goal is to simplify and improve diabetes management for every possible person with diabetes.

They have a choice of systems, so you can find the right one for your lifestyle at https://www.dexcom.com/

Today’s guest Ben Tzeel is a registered dietitian, certified strength coach and diabetes educator, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 7.

Ben’s baseball dreams were snatched from him at a young age because of a lack of understanding about his condition from those around him. Isolated from his team, he set out to prove his coach and others wrong by becoming the best player on the field.

His dedication and a love of health and fitness ultimately led Ben down a professional path, turning those early negative experiences into fuel. Bursting with knowledge, he ditched the end of his PhD to launch his practice Your Diabetes Insider to get that knowledge out to more people.

In just a few years Ben and his team (who all also live with diabetes) have helped thousands of people with type 1 and type 2 achieve better blood sugar control, become stronger and feel better.

In this episode we discuss everything from his pharmacist wife Amelia dosing his insulin pump on their first date (!) to his feelings about the rise of health (mis)information on social media.
You’ll be pleased to know that as a dietician, Ben is more than happy to tell you to enjoy all the foods you love - and yes that does include pizza! Check out his Instagram @manoftzeel for fun videos on how to tackle everything from pasta to cake.

‘Life is too short to not enjoy the foods that you love. You just have to be smart about it.’

FIND BEN:
Take a look at the Your Diabetes Insider website.
Find Ben on Instagram.

SPONSOR MESSAGE:
Thanks to my episode sponsors Insulet, the founders of Pod Therapy - only found with Omnipod.

Pod Therapy uses a tubeless, wearable and waterproof Pod that continuously delivers insulin for up to three days.

Controlled wirelessly by its handheld companion, the personal diabetes manager, it allows you to personalise your insulin doses according to your own daily needs - no multiple daily injections and no tubes.

Head to https://www.omnipod.com/ to find out more.

Heather Jackson is a business owner and incredibly powerful writer who I first came across when she shared a letter she’d written on the anniversary of her son’s first diaversary.

In 2019, Heather was adapting to life as a family of four when her oldest son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just after his third birthday. It understandably turned her world upside down.

Heather, along with her husband James struggled to stay upright as the terror and shock of caring for a child with type 1 who couldn’t yet articulate his needs set in. She describes the grief she felt for both the loss of her son’s health, and the trajectory they were on as a family.

Four years on and Heather generously shares with me how her feelings towards the illness and what it means for her son’s life have shifted, getting to a place of more acceptance and less fear without dismissing the tougher days, and the boundaries they’ve put in place to ensure they remain a strong family unit.

Heather offers so much wisdom, perspective and plenty of advice for any parents of young children with type 1 diabetes. Parts of this conversation are indeed emotional, but it’s Heather’s pride in what they’ve overcome as a family that really shone through for me.

FIND HEATHER:
Say hello on Instagram.

SPONSOR MESSAGE:
Thanks to my episode sponsors Insulet, the founders of Pod Therapy - only found with Omnipod.

Pod Therapy uses a tubeless, wearable and waterproof Pod that continuously delivers insulin for up to three days.

Controlled wirelessly by its handheld companion, the personal diabetes manager, it allows you to personalise your insulin doses according to your own daily needs - no multiple daily injections and no tubes.

Head to https://www.omnipod.com/ to find out more.

Conversations that leave you feeling energised are my jam and sports presenter Jordan Robinson DELIVERS.

LA-based WNBA sports journalist, host and podcaster Jordan started playing basketball as a young child, reaching division 2 in college.

Her type 1 diabetes diagnosis at the age of 23 came at a time of huge change, as she was recovering from injury while building a new career as a journalist. Over time though, her condition has brought her closer to her family and strengthened the beautiful bond between her and her husband Fred.

Off the court Jordan happily now gets to talk about her favourite sport as part of her job, but it’s her desire to become a mum that’s her true motivation for continually showing up to manage her type 1 diabetes.

We talk about why she thinks she was living with type 1 for months before she was diagnosed, her conceptions around pregnancy with type 1, the new love of her life - her automated insulin pump - and why it’s ok to ask for help, no matter how self-sufficient or independent you are.

Jordan is a gorgeous dose of LA sunshine and I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did!

FIND JORDAN:
Say hi to Jordan on Instagram.
Follow her on Twitter.
Check out Jordan’s WNBA podcast, Queens Of The Court.

SPONSOR MESSAGE: Thanks to my episode sponsors Insulet, the founders of Pod Therapy - only found with Omnipod.

Pod Therapy uses a tubeless, wearable and waterproof Pod that continuously delivers insulin for up to three days. Controlled wirelessly by its handheld companion, the personal diabetes manager, it allows you to personalise your insulin doses according to your own daily needs - no multiple daily injections and no tubes.

Head to https://www.omnipod.com/ to find out more.

Dawn Adams jovially describes herself as ‘chaos’, but in my opinion she is a multi-tasking, time-defying, change-making superhero - with an undeniably soothing voice to boot.

Dawn is a former teacher turned midwife with a specialist interest in diabetes and pregnancy from Northern Ireland. She's is also completing a PhD in type 1 diabetes, pregnancy and wearable technology, and uses any remaining spare minute to advocate for awareness around type 1 diabetes and menopause, after she found a lack of information and peer support to help guide her through her own experience. All of this, plus she’s been handling the not-so-small task of living with type 1 diabetes for 30 years.

Diagnosed at the age of 22, Dawn was one of the first in her hospital to receive a modern insulin injection pen, but in the same week she was told it was unlikely she would be able to have children because of her diagnosis.

That thankfully turned out not to be the case, and she has four healthy boys with the man who proposed to her just weeks after her type 1 diagnosis - a commitment to figuring it all out together.

Dawn’s full time job as a midwife is dedicated to helping women bring life into the world, and her advocacy work gives a mouthpiece to the silenced women who are coping with the life-altering affects of menopause with type 1 diabetes. What an inspiration. I admire Dawn’s spirit, her quiet courage, her belief in working together to make progress and most of all, her attitude to life.

Prepare to fall in love with Dawn!

FIND DAWN:
Follow Dawn on Instagram
Find Dawn on Twitter
The Balance Menopause App

SPONSOR MESSAGE: Thanks to my episode sponsors Insulet, the founders of Pod Therapy - only found with Omnipod.

Pod Therapy uses a tubeless, wearable and waterproof Pod that continuously delivers insulin for up to three days.

Controlled wirelessly by its handheld companion, the personal diabetes manager, it allows you to personalise your insulin doses according to your own daily needs - no multiple daily injections and no tubes.

Head to https://www.omnipod.com/ to find out more.

‘If not you, then who? If not now, then when?’

Jazz Sethi is the founder and director of The Diabesties Foundation - an Indian non-profit turned global movement making those with Type 1 Diabetes feel heard, understood, supported and celebrated.

Jazz was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2009 at 13 years old. 10 years on she'd never met anyone else with the condition, so she tentatively arranged a local meet up. 35 people showed up, and Diabesties was born.

Jazz is a beacon of hope, humility and positivity - but she is not to be underestimated. The Diabesties Foundation is a force for change for children with type 1 in India not only on the ground, but at government policy level - addressing lack of access, devastating stigma and so much more, all to improve the lives of others.

As well as being a prominent voice for advocacy, education and empowerment for the type 1 community, she’s is also a professional dancer, choreographer, theatre artist and a published author who lives by the mantra Live Happily and Bolus Regularly.

What. A. Woman.

FIND JAZZ:
Find out more about The Diabesties Foundation.
Follow Jazz on Instagram.
Say hi to Jazz on Twitter.

SPONSOR MESSAGE:
Thanks to my episode sponsors Insulet, the founders of Pod Therapy - only found with Omnipod.

Pod therapy uses a tubeless, wearable and waterproof Pod that continuously delivers insulin for up to three days. Controlled wirelessly by its handheld companion, the personal diabetes manager, it allows you to personalise your insulin doses according to your own daily needs - no multiple daily injections and no tubes.

Head to https://www.omnipod.com/ to find out more.