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Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
More Than Babysitting: The Power of Type One Together with Raquel Baron
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- [00:05]
A
Today on Diabetes Connections, a bonus episode all about finding support and community online and in real life seems to be a theme lately, and I could not be happier about that. Type 1 together started with one college student, a few babysitting jobs, and the realization that there was a need. They've become something much bigger now. Type 1 together will still help you find a sitter, but they're also a hub for type 1 info, support and gatherings. I'm talking to the founder, Raquel Barron about how they got there, what kind of help they provide, and what's next. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your healthcare provider. Welcome to a bonus episode of Diabetes Connections. I'm your host, Stacey Sims. We aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes more than 19 years ago, just before he turned 2. I spent my entire career in broadcasting and local television and radio, and that's how you get the podcast. Putting out this bonus episode for a couple of reasons. One is because this interview is kind of date specific. I'm gonna talk about that in just a minute. But also because I changed the format of Diabetes Connections this year from six episodes a month to four episodes a month because of scheduling and timing and all the travel we're doing now with our in person events. But one of the problems that I did not foresee with doing that is I've actually kept to the interview schedule I used to have. So I'm getting a backlog of episodes. And I know a lot of podcasters don't mind that. They'll bank episodes for weeks, even months. I used to work in local news, as I mentioned, and sitting on stories just makes me a little tetchy. I don't like that. I don't like having a backlog. I've never done that. God bless my editor, John Buchenis, because I'll get him stuff at the last minute. We're making changes, especially to those in the news episodes. Podcasting isn't really about breaking news, but I can't help but try to get these things out in a timely manner. So we may have a few more bonus episodes in the works. You know, we'll just do what feels right and let me know what you think. As always, in person, diabetes events are back. You know, we do them, but I'm so excited to see a lot of other groups getting back in the game. And Type one Together is an online community offering support and classes, a babysitter connection for families and a lot more. And they have two events coming up very soon. That is the other reason why I'm releasing this as a bonus episode. Because Dallas is next Saturday, April 18, and they will be in Chicago in May. It is so hard to get the word out about these events. So if you know of anybody in those areas, again, Dallas next Saturday, April 18, and Chicago in May. And they have more events coming up. If you know anybody in those areas, send them the information. I'm going to put it right in the show notes. And we even have a promo code. You can use the word connection and save 25% off your ticket. I am not a part of these events. I'd love to go to one at some point and I know I'm going to get questions from people who say, like, why would you promote somebody else's event? Mom's Night out is coming up as well. Listen, I don't get that at all. The diabetes community is not a big community. We need each other. We need all the help we can get. Collaboration is the name of the game. I've always loved working with other groups. Type 1 together is not paying me to say anything about them. I don't get an affiliate fee from that promo code. Listen, everybody does it differently. Different podcasters do it differently. There's influencers out there who won't say a peep about you unless you pay them. To each their own. But that is not my style. If you've got something coming up you want to get the word out about, please let me know. We can do an interview about it. If I think that's the right way, we can do a community commercial about it. We can do a post. The important thing is to let the diabetes community know that there are opportunities for them to meet in real life. Okay, off my soapbox. While Type one Together does a lot more than connect families with babysitters, that is actually how I first found them. You will hear during the interview that we didn't get much help there. I mean, Type one Together was not around when my son was needing a babysitter. You know, Slate and I both worked full time. We needed a lot of childcare help. I found what we needed. It all worked out. But man, it would have been amazing to have been connected with other families of young children and with caregivers. So I'm thrilled to be talking to Raquel Barron. She is the founder of Type 1 together. She has lived with Type 1 since she was five. Our paths have crossed many times at other diabetes Events. Talking to her was fabulous, but it was also a reminder that I have been at this quite a while. The organization that gave her the biggest connection into the Type one community was not even around when my son was diagnosed. I got a kick out of that. Here's my conversation with Type 1 Together's Raquel Barron. Raquel, welcome to Diabetes Connections. It's great to have you.
- [04:49]
B
Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. This is a long time coming. Let's do it.
- [04:52]
A
Yeah. Okay. You just treated your low. You're doing okay. Let me know if you need anything.
- [04:55]
B
We can mom this 79 study, so we'll. We'll see if it stays. Okay?
- [05:00]
A
Sorry. Just let me know. You know, I'll throw a virtual juice box at you. So funny. Listen, we have a lot to talk about, but would you mind starting out by just telling us, how'd you get the idea for Type one Together? How did that come about?
- [05:12]
B
Oh, it was so unexpected. I was actually a dance major in college, so kind of completely switched directions when I was first diagnosed at five. Didn't really want anything to do with the Type one community, to be honest. And it wasn't until I was in college. Joined what was then the College Diabetes Network, now the Diabetes Link. And I just kind of realized in that moment, oh, my gosh, I've been missing this my whole life. I need Community. And I dove all the way in, so I got really involved. That was kind of the beginning of the online diabetes space. Started my own account, and then I started interning at what's now Breakthrough 2 and Austin, and they started connecting me to 2 and D families who needed babysitters. So that was really the start of it all. I began babysitting myself, which was honestly just such a great college gig. I felt so fulfilled by it, but I also got to make a little extra money. Then my name started getting passed around, and I'd get these random text messages from moms being like, hey, I heard you have Type one and you babysit. Can you please watch my child? And it got to the point where I just had way too many inquiries. And I had this group of type 1 friends through the Diabetes Link, and I sort of started my own little diabetes babysitting list, where I was like, oh, I can't do it, but here's five other people who maybe can. And so eventually I was like, there needs to be something for this. I launched Type 1 together originally just as a babysitter connection service. And then while working with all of these families, it became very clear to me that not only were they missing babysitters, but they were also missing a lot of other resources and community. And during those college years is also really when I started coming into my own diabetes management and realizing, oh, I actually need to pay attention to this. It wasn't until I was a sophomore in college that I got a Dexcom. And I feel like when I did, it was very clear that there was a lot of improvements that needed to be. Needed to be made. I also again saw through the families, they could use a lot of support in the same areas that I could. They're just at a different stage. And so eventually we expanded into all the crazy things we do now.
- [07:13]
A
I love it. Yeah, shout out to your chapter in Austin. Because when my son was diagnosed, I called my then JDRF chapter and they said we don't do that. They have come a long way. Shout out to the Charlotte Breakthrough T1D folks. Although I guess that's now it's North Carolina. Cause they got no offices anywhere. But they're doing a great job. They're working on outreach. But it was wild to me how difficult it was to find childcare and my son was in daycare full time. I've told that story many times. We were very, very lucky. But yeah, my. Our best, most wonderful T1D babysitter that we found now has four kids of her own. I know. So yeah, life comes at you fast.
- [07:48]
B
Yeah, I know. I had a babysitter growing up too with diabetes. And I think it really change my whole perspective. Like, yes, the parents need a night off, but it's also about that mentorship and being able to see someone, you know, like a cool young adult who is wearing their Dexcom in a different spot than you. That's really impactful.
- [08:05]
A
Yeah. And it goes both ways. I think a lot of times if you have a teenager who doesn't want to do anything, at least this is from our experience. You know, Benny's like, was really checked out of the diabetes community, but he would always go to events with little kids because he wanted to be like, I'm the big guy with diabetes and like flex and be silly and like, you know, show a three year old how to put on their cgm. So it's, it's really a special relationship. Let me just give you the floor though. I know you do more than babysitting, but how do people find out if they're interested? Do you have state by state, city by city, how does it work?
- [08:34]
B
Yeah, so all we're Doing is making the connections for a lot of different reasons. There's a lot of liability, of course, as well. But we have a list of over 3,200 sitters across the country, some international as well. And it's basically on one big document with different tabs at the bottom, so you're able to get the list. And we update that list every single week. As soon as we update it, you see the updates as well on your end, and then you reach out to the sitter. The sitter and the family needs to interview each other, make sure you're comfortable with that pair, and then you take it from there. So, yeah, that's kind of just our way to just connect families. I mean, there's so many also camp counselors and just type one young adults, nursing students even, who really want to give back in that way. And so we've only had success stories, thankfully. Like, as always, I always say, like, just make sure you're comfortable with that person. But so many beautiful stories have come out of it. So, yeah, that's how it works.
- [09:28]
A
Again, knowing that you're not a babysitting service. Right. You're a connection service. So being clear with that. But I'd love to ask a few questions about what you think some best practices are for parents. Because I gotta be honest with you, I always feel like a weirdo because we were like, all right, you've got this. See ya. And it wasn't that I wasn't worried, but, like, I knew he'd be safe. I mean, I have a bajillion stories of infusion sets coming out and, you know, food. We have no idea what he ate. And bedtime being a mess, and we don't. I mean, you know, typical stuff. But I. I never remembered being, like, a panic over diabetes because he was going to be high or low because I knew someone was there that he'd be safe with. So I talk to parents now, and a lot of them never want to leave the house. Any advice like, how do you talk to parents?
- [10:13]
B
Yes. So much to say on this, I think. Number one disclaimer, I am not a parent, so I'm not gonna pretend to have any idea to know what that's like. And I'm sure when I have my own kids, I'm gonna be like, how the heck can you leave your kids? But I've also had a lot of experiences where, you know, I've had type one way longer than a lot of these families kids have. And so they're like, honestly, I trust you more than I trust myself if they're only a few months in. And there's a lot of ways to kind of inch your way into fully letting go, whether that's okay. First, let's just have you come over as a sitter. I'm gonna go watch a show in my room for two hours and just let you be here. So I kind of get comfortable with that. And we even have some sitters on our list that are a bit on the younger side, but people just want, like, a mom's helper kind of situation. And then the next step, I would say just going a little bit further away from home, but you're still in a very safe distance. The truth is, if I'm being a little bit harsh about it, like, you guys have so many tools now. You didn't have a Dexcom for your son? My mom didn't have one. There was no follow apple. And I still went to dance classes and did my thing. And now I know she was sometimes just waiting in the parking lot when I didn't know she was, but, you know, it was okay. And to be honest, me getting that independence also forced me to grow up a little, which I know can be a sad thing, but I think in hindsight, I'm really thankful for having that independence, being able to go places myself. I did have to prove myself a little bit as I got even to younger ages than people would believe now. But, you know, even 10, I was giving my own boluses and things like that. So that's number one, like, slowly getting comfortable and then remembering all the tools you have, all the communication, all the CGMs, pumps. There's so many safeguards in place. And then the other thing I would say, which I'm so glad you brought up, is, how are you prepping your babysitter? I babysat for so many families, and parents are all so different with this. You might have been super comfortable just leaving your kid and being like, you're fine. Other parents want you to tell them when you're dosing, how much you're dosing, if their child's dropping, contact them, make sure you're telling them if you got a treatment or not. But then other parents, when I would text them about that, they're like, why are you texting me like, I'm at dinner, I'm fine? And so that's something I don't think parents realize is the difference, the variety in what parents want. And so being really clear with your sitter, I think, gives your sitter a lot of Confidence to know that they're doing okay and they're giving you what you want and there's not a right or wrong, but it's just so different.
- [12:39]
A
I think that's great because there isn't right or wrong. It's what's working for you in the moment and what works for you now. Maybe it's the first six months may be very different two years down the line, but I wouldn't have thought of that. That's great for whoever's, you know, grandma, babysitter, whoever's watching. Be like, communication is always the key for whatever it is.
- [12:55]
B
So a hundred percent.
- [12:56]
A
That's really interesting. Yeah. With all the tools, it is so different. Benny was. I'm trying to think of how old he was when he got his first cgm. He just turned nine.
- [13:04]
B
Oh, wow.
- [13:05]
A
So he was seven years in with no cgm, and then it was two more years for no follow. And I remember distinctly, and I have a. I have social media posts on this. We got follow. And I said, this is way too much information. I'm never gonna use this.
- [13:16]
B
I definitely think there's some downside.
- [13:18]
A
Change my mind. Change my mind. We figured out how to do it. We really did. So you have branched out into doing more than babysitting. Tell me what else Type one Together is all about.
- [13:27]
B
So basically we're just bridging the gap for Type one families and trying to keep it as real as possible. Right. The idea is your child can still eat the birthday cake and go have pizza with their friends every now and then, and you can still have great blood sugars, but when it doesn't go right, it's also okay. And that's really what I want our message to be like. We have to give ourselves so much grace. I remind parents so often that I also mess up on my own diabetes so often. And you wouldn't want your child to be so hard on themselves in the future. And so that's how I try to share with parents. It's okay when things don't go right. And it's okay to experiment and try things, of course, with safety over perfection. Always. And so we have a variety of resources. We have a diabetes educator that works with us, a dietitian. And through that we're able to provide masterclasses. We never give medical advice. We are not doctors. But I also think that's our superpower because doctors can only say so much. And we're just sharing how it is for us. We're sharing our own personal experience. So our newest Resource that kind of combines everything we've been doing for years into one is our Better Together community. It's one place where parents can join. We have all of our masterclasses in there with new ones coming out every few months. And we have a 24.7chat going on where people can vent and share and ask questions to each other, because we learn so much from each other, probably more than we do from the doctors. And then we have our weekly office hour calls, which is the newest, I think, most exciting thing, where parents can just jump in, talk to my team, but also with each other again. I mean, there's always tears, happy tears, sad tears. Whatever it is, we welcome it all. And it's really just about giving parents that space to connect in a very safe way. We also offer a grandparents course. We have our podcasts as well. But I'd say the main things really are babysitter list and Better Together.
- [15:10]
A
I'm going to ask you the question that I ask everybody that does community coaching, you know, peer to peer, mom to mom help, and that is, you know, how do you balance the wealth of knowledge, the value that we all bring on a community level with knowing? And maybe you disagree with this, but with the thought that doctors and endocrinologists know this individual child very well.
- [15:34]
B
Yeah.
- [15:35]
A
Um, I. I really push back. Not on you, but I. I push back on the idea that I see a lot of people say, which is, you know, you don't even need your endocrinologist. Like, they don't do anything. They just want you to come in so they can tell you to. They can check a box on their forms. And I really push back on that because I think that you may have some great advice for me. But my pediatric endocrinologist knows my child's height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, like, all the stuff. How do you balance that?
- [16:01]
B
Definitely. Well, first I want to say no. Hate to coaches, but that's not us. Right. Like, we're not bringing you in. We're not pulling up your graphs and saying, like, let's do this.
- [16:10]
A
I did.
- [16:12]
B
We're not your doctors. Yeah. So we don't offer. We do offer support sessions. One on one is what we call them, where it's like, hey, do you want to talk to me about. I mean, a lot of parents want to ask me, what was it really like being a kid with diabetes? Like, more of those emotional personalities.
- [16:25]
A
Yeah, I get. How do you. How did you make him independent? And that has nothing to do with labs.
- [16:30]
B
Right, Right. And so we don't do setting changes. Absolutely not. But in our classes that are more technical, like our tandem deep dive or our Omnipod masterclass, we're actually just doing a deep dive into the algorithm. And those are things that a lot of times the doctors don't have the time to do. And it's not their fault. Right. But these things are also always changing. And so being able to update parents on that and then we do share our own tips and tricks. I mean, I'm not leading the Omnipod class. I don't know a lot about the algorithm. Right. But I have things that I love to do with Control IQ plus that work really well for me. But it's never me being like, change this to this number. Right? It's like, hey, it actually really works well for me when I start sleep mode a little bit later in the evening because then if I had a high fat meal for dinner, it's going to continue to give me those auto doses for a few more hours instead of putting you into sleep mode where it's not auto dosing you. So it's like those little tips and tricks where not necessarily telling you to do it, but like, this is something that's really helped me that no one ever said. So that's kind of our approach with masterclasses. And then our grandparent course is really like, okay, you know nothing about diabetes. You're fighting with your own kids about managing diabetes. So how about we're the middlemen and we can kind of come in and be like, hey, this is blood sugar, this is how a CGM works, like all of those basics. I think there's a lot of value in sharing our personal experience because that's the one thing with Endos. If they don't have type one, which happy for you, that's great, you just don't get it in the same way, I do believe. But that doesn't mean they don't have so much more knowledge than we do in other ways. So that's kind of the balance of it all, I think.
- [17:57]
A
I think that's great. I mean, I have to admit there have been many times when we're so fortunate to know so many people at these companies. And they'll say, hey, have you tried xyz? And then I can say, we're gonna try that with Benny. And then we'll bring it to his endo or a diabetes educator, just so I make sure I don't hurt him. Cause I don't know what the hell I'm doing. And they're very helpful. So I think it's a great balance that way. I do have to say, for grandparents, at one of our mom's night out events, this came up and I thought I had never looked at it this way. The people with diabetes that grandparent age people generally meet have type 2. So their whole focus and their whole conversation in general not always is about type two. And it's so hard for them to understand in a way that, like, that's, you know, every single day they play canasta with Gladys and she's talking about it one way. And listen, I'm not that far from playing canasta with Gladys, so. But truly. And then, you know, my mother had this situation when Benny was diagnosed. She was like, should we be eating this? Should we be doing that? I love that you're doing grandparents stuff. I think it's so valuable and so important. Has that been rewarding?
- [19:00]
B
Yes. It's probably my favorite thing we do, even though I don't do it all year long. It's like the way these grandparents are so thankful to be able to just talk to someone honestly. They're so sad and they feel so powerless. They're like, I want to help, but I don't want to overstep. And. And we don't have a perfect answer because every family dynamic is so different. And that's a big piece of the battle we've learned. But like you said with the food thing, I mean, we always have them submit questions before we even start. And 99% of them are like, I just want to bake with my grandchild, but I don't know what artificial sweeteners to use. And it's like, hold on. Like, you can do that if you want, but like, hey, they can have cake. Like, let's figure it out together. They can still bake with you. Like, some of my best memories with my grandmother was getting to bake banana muffins with them. Right. So I think it's just so fulfilling to work with the grandparents. They're sweet. Sometimes they just don't get it at first, like you said, because they're not used to it.
- [19:51]
A
Yeah, there were certain things and you, you know, you set parameters. I don't mean to make this all about my family. It just reminds me, no, I love it when my mother would come and, you know, stay. My mom and dad would both come and stay. My dad was like, I'm never giving him a shot. Like, I'll do anything, but I can't. And I'm like, dad, you absolutely would if you needed to. And he was like, never. But I know he would have. And my mother, something would always go wrong, like, little things. She would leave the. Like, one time when we were still doing finger sticks, she left the top off. I don't. She just gave him a finger stick with no gauge adjustment, you know, and she was like, I mean, he was fine after a second, but she, like, still talks about that, and she's so upset by it.
- [20:27]
B
They feel guilty.
- [20:28]
A
Oh, it's the worst. So I love that you're doing that for them. How has this affected your. Your management? Do you think that type one together has changed how you look at things?
- [20:37]
B
Definitely. I think. I think I heal through the work. I do. I really do. I mean, people ask me, like, how do you do diabetes for your job? And you do it all day long. But I think it's made my life so much easier because the community is so powerful. And I was on an office hour call with some parents recently, and they were opening up about the struggle of managing diabetes with a partner. I mean, that's a whole other subject. But, like, I can't even imagine how hard that is for parents. You know, that adds a whole nother dimension of it all. And, you know, one of them was kind of crying and the other one was saying, like, honestly, seeing that you guys are also struggling so many years in is so validating and is actually what they need to see. They don't need to see people coming on and being like, I'm perfect. I have this down. Look at my child's 100 blood sugar all day long. Like, that isn't always helpful. And I think that's why people resonate with us so much, is our. Like, we're not pretending to be perfect. No one's perfect with diabetes. And that is also really helpful for me to see. And so I am really hard on myself because sometimes I don't know if you feel this way when you're so involved in the diabetes space and maybe you're not managing your son still, but you feel like, oh, well, I should know how to do this. Like, I'm leading a tandem deep dive masterclass. I should know how to do this. But just because we have all the tools doesn't mean we always have the mental capacity and the energy to always do it perfectly. And everything impacts our blood sugar. So even if we did, it still wouldn't work sometimes. So, yeah, I think it's just, like, comforting to know that we're in that altogether.
- [22:04]
A
Yeah, I love that I mean, to answer your question, yes, it's still very difficult. And I also, I mean, I push back a lot because I have been criticized for not, you know, for sharing bad stuff. Nonsense. There are a lot of parent influencers and people out there who not only claim to be doing it either perfectly or super, super well, they're also pulling their kids into the show. And so it's a lot, It's a lot to be careful about. And I, I said before we started taping, I was bitching about something. I'm like, that's what's nice about getting older. You don't have to. And I'm done. I mean, I really am. I think, you know, I think that there's a lot to be said about the wonder and fabulousness of the diabetes online community, but the perfection nonsense has always been garbage. Please don't fall for any of that. Well, you were diagnosed at five.
- [22:56]
B
Yeah.
- [22:57]
A
Do you remember any of it?
- [22:59]
B
I remember being in the hospital. I really, to this day, still hate shots. Like, I don't like getting a flu shot even now.
- [23:07]
A
We're all the people who love shots, right? Yeah. I'm sorry to say that, but I know there are different levels. Cause I don't care about getting a flu shot. There are different levels. Yeah.
- [23:14]
B
I mean, I give my other injections or whatever and it's fine, but I would run away from the doctors. Like I was that kid. And so it was, I think, traumatic in that way, just having to get shots all the time. And when I was diagnosed, it was very different. It was like, you have to get this much insulin at this time every single day for this many carbs. Like, it was just so set in stone. There was not a lot of flexibility. And so I remember that I actually was late to my own 5 year old birthday party. I came straight from the hospital. My parents begged them to let me go. And then I remember being at that party. It was at one of those, like, arcade kind of places. Lots of stuff to do and I had to go into a room and get a shot there. And so that I remember. But then I don't remember a lot for a while because my family, they were so great about just prioritizing my childhood over. I mean, they took care of my blood sugars. But yeah, I mean, I lived my life, I was a kid. And so I think parents do get really worried about, like, is my child gonna remember diabetes over their life? And I really don't think it's true, especially if you're asking that question that Means you're being very intentional about it. But yeah, I mean, I think not having a CGM for so many years made it easy to kind of be out of sight, out of mind for a while. So as I took on a lot of my diabetes management, yes, I was giving my own doses and I was doing the baseline, but I can't say my management was great for a lot of those, like, middle school years. And then, yeah, it just took getting that CGM to kind of be a wake up call. Like, okay, it's time to, to figure this out.
- [24:44]
A
I don't know. I think middle school is a tough time for everybody, with or without cgm. I mean, not to fast forward, but I was struck when you said you really found your community in college at a College Diabetes Network event. Because I think of College Diabetes Network, which is now the Diabetes Link, as such a new thing, you know, and looking, I was just looking it up. It was founded pretty much in 2010, but really kind of started in 2012, more, you know, spreading out. And to me, that's such a new resource. It's amazing to think of the impact it had on you and the impact on founding Type one together. Do you mind if I ask where you went to college? What chapter that was?
- [25:23]
B
That was the University of Texas at Austin. Go Longhorns. So, yeah, you know, my mom had told me about it and I apparently she says, she told me about it and I was like, no, I'm not going to that. And so then I was at college, I had like a dance friend who was friends with the guy who had started the Austin chapter. And she was like, oh, you're Type one. Like, my friend has this thing. And I was like, diabetes? I'm not doing that right.
- [25:47]
A
Yeah.
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B
And I'm pretty sure I went because of her and the connection. But also free food. Yeah, all the first meetings they have like whatever, it was pizza or cookies or something. And so I went and I met my friend Ashley that day. She's my best friend in the whole world. She has Type one. She's also an entrepreneur, not in the diabetes space, but she was there and we clicked and it was kind of like, okay, this is gonna sound really mean and stupid, but like, I just thought it was so lame to have diabetes friends before. And when I met her and I was like, she's so normal and cool. And we became so close and we ended up being co presidents. By the time we graduated, everything changed. And then I obviously got closer to a lot of people in that chapter, but it Just takes meeting one person that you actually connect with, which not everyone you meet with. Diabetes is going to be your best friend, even though you have it and also doing it on your own. I think that's what's really hard for parents is you can push as much as you want. And my mom really tried. I did go to like a one week ADA diabetes camp per year that my mom was like, no, we're doing this one thing just so I could be around other kids. But I wouldn't go to Camp Sweeney. She had asked me about that. I wouldn't, like, do any of the sleep away stuff or anything that seemed more intense. I had to find it on my own. So, yeah, that organization, it did change my life for sure.
- [26:59]
A
That's wonderful. And I think as parents, you know, it's much easier to think about this as your children get older and you realize, oh, when I was a kid, if my mother had suggested I go to this place to make friends, diabetes or no, I would have been like, are you what?
- [27:14]
B
That's true.
- [27:15]
A
I just did that with my daughter. My daughter is 24, she lives in a different city, and when she first moved there, I was suggesting ways to make friends, and she was so good humored. I just. But I realized one day she was going, mm, yep, yep, yep, mom, sure. And then she, she did it her own way and she's doing great. It wasn't anything that I suggested, so it's just how it goes. It, it's.
- [27:35]
B
It is probably if you tell them not to be involved, they'll be more involved.
- [27:37]
A
Right? Don't you dare go to that diabetes meeting. Yes, I love it. What is your big, outrageous goal for type one together? What would you love to see happen?
- [27:48]
B
Oh, one of my biggest goals for the longest time was for doctors to tell their patients about us. And it is happening. Um, I only know, I mean, I ask when people join the babysitter list, how did you find us? And it's crazy. Now people are finding us from their doctors. They're going on Google, on Reddit. That's a really random one from the Facebook groups. There's just a lot of word of mouth spreading, which I think has always been the dream, but I think I want that to go further. I think for a long time I was scared that doctors would push away because I'm not a doctor. Right. And I, again, not trying to give medical advice, but there's a lot of those people out there who are. And I think that can be kind of a challenge just forming that Partnership like, hey, you guys are doing awesome things. We're doing awesome things. Let's like help people together because you just don't have the time, which many of them do admit to. And just when a child is diagnosed with diabetes, I just want the parents to know there's a community for them. That's really all this is for. At the end of the day, before
- [28:43]
A
I let you go, something I'm new, I'm doing this year is asking folks to share a diabetes group that made a difference for them. We may have already touched it, touched
- [28:51]
B
on it with you.
- [28:52]
A
It could be your organization, it could be another organization. What is that for you?
- [28:57]
B
Well, when you sent this to me before, I was automatically thinking diabetes link. But since we already touched on them, which by the way, they do have college chapters still, I think they're. They've been having to rebuild them since the pandemic. That was tricky. But if you have a college age child, like, please get involved. It's so great. I would say another one is Connected in Motion. They're really awesome. They do little retreat weekends, slipstreams they're called in different cities. And I mean, you know, in person events. I guess that's another goal for me is just. I actually, side note also wanted to be an event planner. When I was a dance major in college, I was a wedding planner on the side. So I was interning wedding planners, eventually did my own. And I've always thought like, okay, let me, let me bring this community together in person. I don't actually love Instagram. Like, it kind of sucks, right?
- [29:42]
A
And we'll get back to connecting emotion, but you guys had an event this
- [29:44]
B
year or last year, first in person event, which was so exciting. Again, just like hugging the parents that we've talked to so long in person is the best. So with that for young adults, I think being able to go to those slipstream weekends and just meet other people and hang out and like go kayaking and play games and just be a regular person. But you happen to live with diabetes. There's just such an instant connection there. There's so many groups. I mean, you're just. My type also is putting on so many great events. So I think just finding people in person is life changing, which you're doing such a great job at creating that as well.
- [30:16]
A
Oh, thank you. Well, on that note, thanks for being on the show. Thanks for sharing some wisdom and all the best to you. I love what you're doing. Thanks for being here.
- [30:24]
B
Thank you. You too. Stacey. Thank you for having me on. We'll have you on the 108 podcast soon too, so everyone come listen to your episode as well.
- [30:35]
A
More information in the show notes, including the link to their events coming up again, Chicago is next week. You may have been able to tell. We taped that interview quite a while ago. I believe it was in December. So when she was referring to their podcast, I've already been on their podcast and it's already aired. I will link up that as well so you can listen to it. That was a lot of fun. And if you are going to the Friends for Life conference this summer, that's the big Children with Diabetes conference that happens in July in Orlando. Look for us because I have a table right next to Type one together. I'm really excited about that. We're going to be hanging out for the week there, so please check us out together if you are going to Friends for Life. All right, we're back with our regular interview episode this coming Tuesday that is going to be all about the Eversense cgm. They have made some big moves recently. They are now standalone again. They spun off from Asencia, which was the company that was handling their distribution, and they also are partnered with a pump for the first time. So we're talking not only to the chief commercial officer of the company, but we are talking to a woman who is using the Eversense CGM with the twist pump and asking a bunch of questions about what that is like and what's next for Eversense. All right, thank you to my editor John Buchenis from Audio Editing Solutions for jumping in with this bonus episode. I always appreciate your time, John. Thank you so much and thank you for listening. I'm Stacey Sims. I'll see you back here soon. Until then, be kind to yourself. Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacy Sims Media. All rights reserved.
- [32:10]
B
All wrongs avenged.