#1618 T1Daredevil

Summary

Juicebox Podcast #1618: T1Daredevil

Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Crew (13-year-old living with T1D)
Date: September 3, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and candid conversation, Scott Benner interviews 13-year-old Crew from Lawrence, Kansas, about his experiences living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) since age 7. The episode explores Crew's approach to diabetes management, his positive mindset, challenges faced, and the ways he integrates T1D into a fun and adventurous life. Crew’s mother Marcia also joins at the end to offer a parent’s perspective on late-in-life parenting and their family’s diabetes journey.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Crew’s Diagnosis Story and Initial Experiences

• Rapid onset and DKA: Crew was diagnosed at age 7 after a dramatic onset—he felt numb, lost weight, and was rushed to urgent care where he was quickly diagnosed and sent to a children's hospital.
  • “The lady came in, smelled my breath, took a look at me and said, yeah, he has diabetes, type 1.” (03:32 - Crew)
  • Blood sugar at diagnosis: 485 mg/dL.
  • Spent ~48 hours in DKA and 3 days total in hospital.
  • No family history of T1D or autoimmunity; Crew has ADHD, managed with medication.

Adjusting to Diabetes and Building Independence

• Transition to pump and CGM: Started with injections/fingersticks for a few weeks, then rapidly moved to an insulin pump and Dexcom CGM.
  • “It was with pen and needles... and then I went... to my pump and my Dexcom.” (07:09 - Crew)
• Learning curve: Crew describes diabetes as “fun, hard, and kind of confusing”—hard at first, but they found ways to manage and enjoy life.
  • “The fun part is we figured out how to do all of our stuff so far, I think, and it’s been fun. I can do the stuff I want to do.” (02:24 - Crew)

Crew’s Approach & Mindset: Making Diabetes Fun

• Curiosity and problem-solving: Crew approaches diabetes like other challenges, applying a love of tinkering, math, and technology.
  • “Are you telling me that you were presented with a challenge like diabetes, and you find it interesting or engaging to try to figure it out?”
    “Yes.” (08:06-08:07)
• Building speakers as a hobby: Crew details wiring speakers, creating custom audio setups—even on his RC car—illustrating a creative, tech-minded approach to both hobbies and T1D management.
  • “I build speakers... I wired it all together. I have a double decker speaker right now... I just figured out how to do it.” (08:18-09:01)

School, Interests, and Social Life

• Improvement with ADHD medication: Crew notes a major academic improvement since starting meds, making Principal’s Honor Roll.
  • “Ever since I’ve started taking medication for it... I’ve had all A's the whole year.” (06:20-06:30)
• Music tastes: Enjoys country (Morgan Wallen, George Strait, Jelly Roll) and rap/pop (Tyler, The Creator).
  • “Would you say Morgan Wallen? Morgan Wallen and Tyler, the creator?...” (11:51)
• Sports and biking: Active in baseball, interested in track/football, and passionate about mountain biking—his “thing.”
• Friendships: Crew’s close friend Emmett knows about his diabetes and helps monitor him during activities.
  • “We were out biking one time... he heard my beeper go off... he said, your beeper is going off. Are you okay? I have snacks in my bag.” (33:02-33:30)

Managing Lows, Highs, and Activity

• Challenges with hypoglycemia:
  • Experiences lows—sometimes once or twice a week, more often with activity and heat.
  • Admits to sometimes overdosing or activity-induced drops.
  • “Especially riding my bike, it goes low a lot. Especially in the heat in the summer.” (31:37)
• Response plan for lows:
  • Stops activity, notifies friends, takes sugar.
  • Carries nasal glucagon (Baqsimi), but hasn’t needed it.
  • “If I get too low, I will just immediately stop biking... and I will get some sugar....” (35:23)

Confidence and Advice for Others

• Positive reframing: Encourages others not to be scared.
  • “You don’t have to be scared... Once it’s over with... it’s okay. It’s good.” (28:25-28:41)
  • “As long as you take care of yourself and take care of your blood sugar and your insulin... make sure you dose for your food because if you don’t, you’ll go high and that’s not good.” (28:41)
• Describing highs/lows: Highs feel like a “sandblaster on the inside of your body.” (29:11)

Technology: Pumps and Phones

• Tandem Mobi Pump: Likes the new pump’s features but dislikes the battery life.
  • “It’s really fast at charging, but it only holds its charge for three days. And that’s actually worse than the old pump I had.” (27:06-27:26)
• Dexcom G7 CGM: Integral part of management.
• Phone as a tool: Relies heavily on phone for diabetes tech; campaign for a new iPhone (jokingly encouraged by Scott) for health reasons.
  • “Mom, I really would like the iPhone 16.” (16:30)
  • “It's important that that phone doesn't die.” (16:56)

Family Dynamics & Parenting Later in Life

• Crew’s parents: Both older—mom Marcia is 60, dad is 70. Crew is their only child (he has a much older half-brother).
• Parenting approach: Older age brings unique energy and perspective. Crew feels supported but is learning to take more responsibility for his care.
  • “Sometimes whenever I’m playing my video game, [my mom will] just ask me to give her my phone and my pump, just take it off real quick... She’ll just do it, and then I can go back to play my video game.” (47:58-48:17)
• Perspective from Marcia: Describes meeting her husband later in life, Crew’s diagnosis, their T1D learning curve, and the community support found via the podcast.
  • “I am, because I listen to the Juicebox... He’s maintained low 6A1Cs his whole diagnosis.” (60:10-60:26)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Diagnosis Impact
  “I remember I could not feel, like any part of my body. I just kind of felt I was there. That’s it.” (03:08 - Crew)

• On Learning by Doing “I just kind of figured it out... I didn’t use a YouTube video or go online.” (09:19-09:34 - Crew)

• On Attitude “You don’t have to be scared. Only part you might have to be scared about is... going into the hospital. But other than that... it’s good.” (28:25-28:41 - Crew)

• On Low Blood Sugars and Sports “One time... I hit a curb... and jumped my bike. My dad was like, oh, my God... He was scared. He thought I was going to crash my bike. But I didn’t.” (19:08-19:27 - Crew)

• Positive Self-Image “I love math. Math is my favorite subject in school.” (09:37 - Crew)

• Balancing Independence and Parental Help “It is nice... Sometimes whenever I’m playing my video game, she’ll just ask me to give her my phone and my pump... She’ll just do it... and I can go back to play my video game. So it’s nice.” (47:58-48:17 - Crew)

• Advice to Other Kids “If you do go really, really low, I would say be calm, be relaxed. Because if you... get really, really scared... adrenaline, I did not know what to think about at all... If something does happen that’s really, really bad... just try to [get] sugar.” (50:21-51:21 - Crew)

• From Marcia on Resilience “We’ve just kind of taken the attitude like, you have this and you’ll have it the rest of your life... and we’ve never made it so it’s something to be embarrassed about.” (61:30-61:44)

---

Segment Highlights & Timestamps

• [02:04-04:46] Crew’s diagnosis, DKA, and family background
• [06:17-06:54] School struggles turn to success post-ADHD diagnosis/medication
• [08:18-09:10] Speaker-building hobby insight into Crew’s creative problem-solving
• [13:14-14:00] Applying problem-solving skills to managing diabetes
• [16:23-17:55] Humor about needing a new phone for diabetes management
• [18:45-19:33] Biking: gaining confidence and loving mountain biking
• [28:25-29:12] On not being afraid and staying diligent with care
• [31:21-32:07] Reasons for lows, impact of activity/heat, and managing unpredictability
• [33:02-34:08] Friendship with Emmett and social support system
• [47:17-48:17] Learning all aspects of self-management before college
• [54:00-62:43] Mom’s perspective: Late-in-life parenting, diagnosis stories, T1D community, strategies for active kids

---

Tone & Style

The conversation is light-hearted, encouraging, and full of humor—Crew is witty, self-aware, and positive, while Scott’s hosting is warm, playful, and empathetic. Marcia offers a reflective and practical parent’s perspective with warmth and humility.

---

Summary Takeaways

• Living with T1D as a young teen is challenging but manageable with support, curiosity, and a positive mindset.
• An active, adventurous life is possible: sports, hobbies, and friendships can thrive alongside T1D.
• Learning, support, and a little humor—plus the right technology—make a big difference.
• Empowering kids to own their care, bit by bit, while keeping things age-appropriate, leads to growing independence and self-confidence.

---

Advice from Crew for listeners:
“You don’t have to be scared... as long as you take care of yourself and your blood sugar and insulin... it’s okay. It’s good.” (28:25-28:41)

---

For more inspiring stories and practical advice, visit JuiceboxPodcast.com.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome back, friends. You are listening to the Juice Box Podcast.

[B]

Hi, my name IS crew. I'm 13 years old. I got diagnosed for diabetes at 7 years old.

[A]

I created the Diabetes Variable series because. Because I know that in type 1 diabetes management, the little things aren't that little and they really add up. In this series, we'll break down everyday factors like stress, sleep, exercise, and those other variables that impact your day more than you might think. Jenny Smith and I are going to get straight to the point with practical advice that you can trust. So check out the Diabetes Variable series in your podcast player [e-mail] Please don't forget that nothing you hear on the Juice Box Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your healthcare plan or becoming bold with insulin. This episode is sponsored by the Tandem MOBI system, which is powered by Tandem's newest algorithm, Control IQ Technology. Tandemoby has a predictive algorithm that helps prevent highs and lows and is now available for ages 2 and up. Learn more and get started today at tandomdiabetes.com Juicebox this episode of the Juice Box Podcast is sponsored by usmed usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. Get your supplies the same way we do from us Med. The episode you're about to enjoy was brought to you by Dexcom, the Dexcom G7, the same CGM that my daughter wears. You can learn more and get started today at my link dexcom.com juicebox hi.

[B]

My name is Crew. I'm 13 years old. I live in Lawrence, Kansas. I got diagnosed for diabetes at seven years old.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And it's just. It's been fun, hard and kind of confusing.

[A]

But yeah, why don't we figure out what fun, hard and kind of confusing means?

[B]

So the fun part is we figured out how to do all of our stuff so far, I think, and it's been fun. I can do the stuff I want to do. I play baseball. I'm thinking about doing track or football. So that's fun. And the confusing part was sometimes it's kind of like, I don't really want to do this. It's kind of annoying. I don't really know how, so. But other than that, it's been. It's been fun.

[A]

Let's figure out what that means. So how old were you again when you were diagnosed?

[B]

I was seven years old.

[A]

Do you remember anything about it?

[B]

I remember I could not feel, like any part of my body I Just kind of felt I was there. That's it. And so I couldn't really walk, or we had to. We rushed me to, I think, the urgent care, And I think five, three minutes, they said, yep, he has type 1 diabetes.

[A]

That quick?

[B]

So, yeah, it was fast. It was extremely fast. Three minutes. I'm pretty sure it was. The lady came in, smelled my breath, took a look at me and said, yeah, he has diabetes, type 1. You guys are gonna have to take him to Children's Mercy right now.

[A]

Wow. So I want to go back and ask a question.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You said you couldn't feel your body. Can you be more descriptive about what that means?

[B]

So what happened was I was like, really? I lost so much weight, I couldn't. Like, my legs are kind of numb. My arms are kind of numb. I could barely walk, so my dad was asking to carry me, but I said no. I mean, I didn't really want him to. So I just. I barely walked to the car, got in the back, just laid down.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Sat down in the back and just.

[A]

Do you know what your blood sugar was when they diagnosed you?

[B]

I think it was. What was my blood sugar? 485.

[A]

485. Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Did they say that you were in DKA, or did you never hear them say that?

[B]

I was in DKA. We went to Children's Mercy Hospital. I was in DK for, I think, 48 hours.

[A]

Wow. So that's how long it took them to kind of bring you back from that.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And how long were you in the hospital? Do you recall?

[B]

Yes, I was in the hospital for, I think, three days, two days in dka, and last day I gotta actually eat food, and I threw up because I ate too many oranges and drink orange Gatorade. So that wasn't. Yeah, I mean.

[A]

And then you're on your way home, and all of a sudden you had diabetes. Now, do you have any brothers or sisters?

[B]

Nope. Only child.

[A]

Only child. How about your parents? They have diabetes?

[B]

Nope. Nothing. None of us. No one in my family.

[A]

Do you know about other autoimmune issues? Like, do you have anything you take medicine for?

[B]

I have adhd, so I do take medicine for that.

[A]

Nothing with your thyroid, for example, you're able to eat gluten, stuff like that?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Okay, so tell me, how long have you had adhd?

[B]

I've had it for a long time, except we just didn't really notice, but I could tell that I've had it for a long time. But we started giving me medicine for medica yeah. Medication for it, I think. What, two is years ago? Three years ago, yeah.

[A]

What did you mean? You. You could tell you had it for.

[B]

A long time, like, not focused and stuff. In school, when I was in, like, second to third grade, first grade, I mean, I don't remember anything about first grade. I remember second, third, and I mean, all the way to fourth grade, I was like, could have focused in school. I didn't. I messed around a lot and I mean. Yeah.

[A]

Does that not happen anymore?

[B]

No. Ever since I've started taking medication for it, it's been really good. I have. I've on the principal's honor roll last year for the whole entire year.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

I've had all A's the whole year. It's been a lot better. A lot. A lot better.

[A]

Good for you. And does that make you happy?

[B]

Yeah, it makes me really happy because just knowing the fact that it's been working ever since the medication and stuff, it's been working so well, and I'm just happy that I can kind of live my life without having to worry about me just going haywire.

[A]

Yeah, I get that. So when you get home from that hospital after your diagnosis, there's a way you're taking care of yourself. I imagine your parents were helping you with it, right? A lot.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Do you remember how they were doing it? Was it with a pump or needles or a pen?

[B]

It was with pen and needles. And then to take my blood sugar, it was with the poker. We just poked myself, got the blood out, and that was really it until I think I was on insulin in the poker for, I think, couple weeks. I think not. Not a full month, I don't think, but a couple weeks. And then I went under my. To my pump.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And my Dexcom.

[A]

Insulin in the poker. Sounds like a country music album.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So you got a Dexcom pretty soon afterwards?

[B]

Yeah, it was. It was pretty soon.

[A]

Okay, so you've been using it for a long time?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Okay, so let's figure out what you mean by it's fun. So are you telling me that you were presented with a challenge like diabetes, and you find it interesting or engaging to try to figure it out?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. Are you like that with other things?

[B]

Yes, a lot. Yeah.

[A]

Give me an example of something that has nothing to do with diabetes that you find fun just on the idea of you, like, trying to figure it out.

[B]

So one thing I. I like to do a lot is I build speakers. I listen to music and stuff. And so I found this speaker set it was on Amazon, $13. And so I got one of them. I liked it a lot. And I wired it all together. So I put four speakers and one Bluetooth board.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And so there was only two spaces to put two speakers in. So I had to cut the wires off, rewire them to the speakers. So I had two speakers on one cord and I put four speakers and a speaker. So I have a double decker speaker right now. And then I got another one because I like doing that a lot.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so I just, I figured out how to do it and so I did it again and put it in my car. So now I have a speaker system in my RC car.

[A]

In your remote control car?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So when it drives around it plays Bluetooth music.

[B]

I can control it all from my phone.

[A]

Wow. How did you learn to do that?

[B]

So it was really cool. It didn't come with instructions or anything, Right. I don't quite understand. I guess I just figured it out.

[A]

You didn't use a YouTube video or go online?

[B]

Nope.

[A]

No. You just looked at it and made sense of it?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Huh. Are you good at math?

[B]

Yes, I love math. Math is my favorite subject in school.

[A]

Mm, that's nice. That's really awesome. What level of math are you in at this point?

[B]

I was just in regular math and just. I got it done in like a minute.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Me and my friend, we were done before anyone in the class. We just got it done. And when we get our math done in school, we get to go on our iPads and like listen to music. We get to play like educational games. So not just video games, but educational games. Like math games and stuff? Yeah, or typing games. And so I thought that was really easy. It was just so easy, the math. I want to do harder math so I want to do pre algebra this year. So I think I'm going to go into pre algebra.

[A]

Awesome.

[B]

I hope.

[A]

What kind of music do you enjoy?

[B]

I listen to country music. I listen to some rap music, but other than that, I mean there's kind of those two things.

[A]

Country and rap.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Tell me a country group that you like.

[B]

Morgan Wallen. I like Morgan Wallen a lot. George Strait. See here? Straight. Morgan Wallen.

[A]

See, George, Straight. That's got to be your parents music, right?

[B]

Jelly Roll.

[A]

Jelly Roll. I like Jelly Roll too.

[B]

Let's see here. There's a really, really old country singer that I like a lot.

[A]

Do you like rock or guitars or anything like that?

[B]

Yeah, I do. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Have you ever heard Gary Clark Jr.

[B]

I think so actually, yes.

[A]

And what kind of rap do you like?

[B]

Some rap I listen to. I. Tyler. Tyler, the creator. He's kind. He does some rap, but also. I think he's also kind of into pop, too. So I listened to Tyler, the creator. The last song of him I listened to was See youe Again. I like. I like that song a lot.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

In his playlist, Igor. Awesome.

[A]

Awesome.

[B]

Also the last, I guess not really song, but that's what I listen to. See you again on the playlist. I Gore.

[A]

I'll try that out.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah, I'm going to give it a shot.

[B]

It's fun. It's cool. He's. He's awesome.

[A]

All right.

[B]

His music is fun.

[A]

I'll try. Would you say Morgan Wallen? Morgan Wallen and Tyler, the creator?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'll give it a shot. Thank you. I need something to listen to in the car today. Yeah, I've been listening to the same stuff over and over again. A little too much, so I got to branch out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You ever do that where you start listening to the same thing just way too much? Yes.

[B]

I just. I need to find something different.

[A]

Yeah. I feel like I'm gonna ruin the song sometimes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's just, like, too much. No. Give me something else, please.

[A]

I hear you. So you liked music and thought to yourself, I'd like to string together some speakers. Do you go to your parents for that information, or do you just head to Amazon and figure it out?

[B]

So I went to Amazon and searched up speakers or I searched up speaker systems, and so what popped up was a speaker kit for $13, which is a really good deal because it is loud. It is so easy to. It was easy to make. All you have to do is just plug it in and then turn it on and it connects to your phone and it's loud. I mean, it was a good deal for $13.

[A]

It was awesome. I'm looking at some speakers here on my setup, and I paid more than $13 for them, so it would have been a good deal for me.

[B]

Yeah. I don't know.

[A]

You take that level of interest and do you apply it to your diabetes? Like, why is diabetes fun? Like, I talked to you about the SPE because I wanted to see how your mind works and what you enjoyed about doing that. Are you applying some of that to the diabetes?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

How you can manage diabetes confidently with the powerfully simple Dexcom G7. Dexcom.com juicebox the Dexcom G7 is the CGM that my daughter is wearing. The G7 is a simple CGM system that delivers real time glucose numbers to your smartphone or smartwatch. The G7 is made for all types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2, but also people experiencing gestational diabetes. The Dexcom G7 can help you spend more time in range, which is proven to lower a 1C. The more time you spend in range, the better and healthier you feel. And with the Dexcom Clarity app, you can track your glucose trends. And the app will also provide you with a projected A1C in as little as two weeks. If you're looking for clarity around your diabetes, you're Looking for Dexcom Dexcom.com Juicebox when you use my link, you're supporting the podcast Dexcom.com Juicebox Head over there now. I used to hate ordering my daughter's diabetes supplies. I never had a good experience and it was frustrating. But it hasn't been that way for a while. Actually for about three years now because that's how long we've been using usmed usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. US Med is the number one distributor for Freestyle Libre systems nationwide. They are the number one specialty distributor for Omnipod Dash, the number one fastest growing tandem distributor nationwide. The number one rated distributor in Dexcom customer satisfaction surveys, they have served over 1 million people with diabetes since 1996, and they always provide 90 days worth of supplies and fast and free shipping. USMED carries everything from insulin pumps and diabetes testing supplies to the latest CGMs like the Libre 3 and Dexcom G7. They accept Medicare nationwide and over 800 private insurers. Find out why USMED has an A rating with a Better business [e-mail] juicebox or just call them at 888-721-1514. Get started right now and you'll be getting your supplies the same way we do.

[B]

So some of the things like when I'm dosing, I have to do a little bit of the math to just figure out what I have to do. So. And also figuring out what my blood sugar is. I mean, sometimes, like my phone dies a lot and so sometimes I have to poke myself with the original finger.

[A]

Poker that I had insulin in the poker, remember? Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Sometimes I do have to use those.

[A]

Why does your phone die a lot?

[B]

Well, I charge it. It's. I mean, it's an old phone. I have an old phone.

[A]

So is your mom. Can she hear you saying that?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. Act sad. Be like, oh, I just, I wish my phone was a Little.

[B]

Yeah, I wish, Mom. I wish my phone just a little nicer phone.

[A]

Yes, I'd like that iPhone 16. Is it up? Are we up to 16 now?

[B]

I think so. I really. Mom, I really would like the iPhone 16.

[A]

I mean, is your birthday coming up?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Wait, no, I, I just had my birthday a little while ago. I think it was.

[A]

What'd you get? What'd you get for your birthday? I'll tell you what. Let me tell you something, crew. If you got a new iPhone, you'd remember.

[B]

Oh, yeah, that's. That's true.

[A]

Mm, mm, mm. And it is about your health, right?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. It's important that that phone doesn't die.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah.

[A]

That's your argument. That's what you want to do the next time you're talking about it. Okay. Okay, Mama, I, I, I'm worried about my blood sugar, and I, I really, you know, my phone dies a lot. It's not me. I don't want the phone. I just, I need it. It's a. And just look cute. And you're an only child, right?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Yeah. You must get everything you want, don't you think?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I guess.

[A]

Yeah. Do you wish you had a brother or sister?

[B]

Yes. I get bored sometimes, and it's kind of like. It's a little bit annoying, but.

[A]

So tell your mom. Listen, you can either make a baby or get me an iPhone.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I mean, you see my mind, like, say, mom, listen, you see what I did with the speakers, right? Like, I'm. I'm an intelligent young man. I've got a lot of thoughts. I'm all by myself here. I'm bored. If I can't get a little brother or a little sister, I at least need a nice new iPhone that's not going to die all the time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's how you.

[B]

I'm going to tell her that.

[A]

Good job. And don't do it right after this because she'll know. It was like, wait a couple of weeks, then drop it in. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

You understand what to do? Okay. So you get bored.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Tell me about that. How so?

[B]

I like to bike a lot. And so, like, sometimes, whenever my friends are able to bike around and stuff, I just, I sometimes watch tv, if they can, but like I said, sometimes watching the same old videos, same old music, kind of gets a little bit annoying and boring.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So it's just. Yeah.

[A]

You know, after you and I record this, it'll go off to a man named Rob, and he Bikes all the time. Ooh, Will jump on his butt. He'll like put his laptop.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Like, with him and he'll ride somewhere and then edit the podcast when he gets to the place where he's gone. That cool?

[B]

Yeah, that's very cool.

[A]

That's the kind of job you need.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I like biking a lot. It's like, it's my thing.

[A]

How come? What is it about riding that makes you enjoy it so much?

[B]

So I got into biking a couple years ago. I was kind of scared to start get on the bike and everything. So what happened was my dad literally just pushed me on the bike. He was running right behind me, holding me on the bike and then just let go. I didn't even realize it for a little while.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I just. I started pedaling around and then I hit a curb. Like there was a little. The curbs have those. Have that little like jump angle.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

In your driveway. I hit one of those and jumped my jump to my bike. And my dad was like, oh, my God. Oh my God. He was scared. He thought I was going to crash my bike.

[A]

But you didn't.

[B]

Nope.

[A]

No.

[B]

Ever since that, I started liking mountain biking.

[A]

Oh. Oh, because you like the riding over things and on the uneven ground. Yeah, no kidding. Hey, listen, do you want to hear something embarrassing?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Don't worry, Rob, the guy I was just telling you about, like, he loves riding a bike, but he still doesn't know how to get started, so his wife has to run next to him and get him going. Oh, isn't that terrible? He's like 50.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

Yeah, it's embarrassing. You're way ahead of him. Really?

[B]

I guess.

[A]

But I mean, do you think he's laughing right now when he's editing this or do you think he's like, hey, don't say that about me?

[B]

I think he'll laugh.

[A]

Yeah. Do you think I'm being honest or do you think I'm lying about that?

[B]

Don't know.

[A]

I. Oh, interesting. For where?

[B]

I'd like to say you're lying because I.

[A]

Because it would be insane for a 50 year old man not to be able to ride a bicycle. Right?

[B]

I guess.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know though. He's a musician.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Yeah. He plays guitar and all kinds of stuff. He's in a band. He's famous.

[B]

What band is he in?

[A]

I don't want to say.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Oh my God. I'm sorry. I did that just to mess with him. Maybe we'll say the name of his band.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But sorry, now I'm laughing crew. Because I'm literally just laughing. I'm just laughing because I'm imagining Rob listening to this and that's making me laugh. But he's in a metal band called Witch Mountain.

[B]

Oh, that's cool.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. No kidding, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What do you want to do when you grow up?

[B]

I thought about it a little bit, but I don't know if I thought about it enough. I like to be a professional mountain biker for Red Bull because, I mean, I like it a lot.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Maybe an entrepreneur, make my own business.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

That'd be really cool.

[A]

Wait, let's go back for a second. When you talk about that, you know those videos where those guys are, like, riding those bikes on, like, the ledges of mountains and then jumping? That's what you want to do. Let's talk about the Tandem Moby insulin pump from today's sponsor, Tandem Diabetes Care. Their newest algorithm, Control IQ Technology, and the new Tandem Moby pump offer you unique opportunities to have better control. It's the only system with auto bolus that helps with missed meals and preventing hyperglycemia, the only system with a dedicated sleep setting, and the only system with off or on body wear options. Tandem Moby gives you more discretion, freedom, and options for how to manage your diabetes. This is their best algorithm ever, and they'd like you to check it [e-mail] juicebox when you get to my link, you're going to see integrations with Dexcom sensors and a ton of other information that's going to help you learn about Tandem's tiny pump that's big on control. Tandem diabetes.com juicebox the Tandem Mobi system is available for people ages 2 and up who want an automated delivery system to help them sleep better, wake up in range, and address high blood sugars with auto bolus.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Do you think you could do that?

[B]

My parents kind of say I'm a little daredevil. Like a daredevil. So I like jumping off of big things. One time I had. I have this table in my basement. It's one of those tables that you pull out the legs and stuff. I put it on the curb, so it was a really big ramp and I jumped it and I think I went like four feet in the air and my mom told me to stop right there. Just, nope, don't do that again.

[A]

I want to tell you that I've watched those videos and I think those people are patently insane. There's no way that that doesn't end with you dying at some point. You understand what I'm saying?

[B]

Yeah. Some people, I mean, if you don't do it correctly, it's really challenging because you have to get the right angle.

[A]

Well, yeah.

[B]

You had to get everything right or else.

[A]

Have you heard of gravity?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. Because, you know, they're on a mountain. You know what I'm saying?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And there's no snow or anything soft. And they don't appear to have a parachute or anything like that.

[B]

The only thing they have that will. That helps with the landing is their suspension. They have the best suspension.

[A]

Yeah, I don't know about that. That's going to help you grow when you're falling, like 30, 40ft. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's all. What kind of an entrepreneur would you like to be? Like, what kind of a business do you think you'd like?

[B]

I'd like to build speakers, like I said. I think I might make my own speaker. Not speaker, but, like, my own speaker brand and my own, like, something with music business. Like, my own speaker business.

[A]

Yeah, I hear what you're saying. Like, sell speakers to, like, people who love them too, but don't know how to build them. Yeah, that'd be cool. You know, when I was a young man. True. This is a long time ago. The speakers in my bedroom were. I don't want to lie to you. Like, I'm. I'm being. I'm being honest. Like, they were probably 4, 4ft tall. They were probably, like, I'm gonna guess, 18 inches wide. 18 inches deep. They were these big boxes that had all these speakers in them.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't think they sounded as good as the headphones I have right now, which is amazing because the technology's gotten, like, so much better as time's gone.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Really cool. Your speakers used to take up a big part of your bedroom.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Not anymore.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

It's crazy.

[A]

Yeah. Google old people speakers. When. When you get down. Hold on. I'll do it with you real quick. Let's make sure nothing weird is going to come up. Google. I know. Google. T o old people speakers. They don't even go back far enough.

[B]

Dang.

[A]

Yeah, there's some type in vintage speakers, and you'll see what I'm talking about. Vintage is going to get you there. That's what. That's what speakers used to look like in our house. And now what do you do? You. All. Your music comes through your phone, right?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Do you even have, like, a record player or radio or anything like that?

[B]

No, My mom has a speaker in her alarm clock. She has an alarm clock speaker.

[A]

That's an old person thing. Don't do that. Okay. Okay. Don't. Don't say it to her because we're trying to keep her in a good mood for the new iPhone. You know what I mean?

[B]

Oh. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I do want to say really something funny.

[A]

Go ahead.

[B]

So she thought it was broken. It's kind of old. It's kind of new. It's kind of in between. She thought it was broken, so she made my dad go and buy a new one, a brand new alarm clock speaker, and he made him go out and buy one. So he bought one, came home, surprised her. The one wasn't broken. It was just unplugged.

[A]

Unplugged. Oh, how embarrassing.

[B]

It was just unplugged. So my dad had to go all the way back to Walmart and get. Find the receipt and get his money back.

[A]

He didn't make your mom do it?

[B]

Nope. All because. All because it was just unplugged.

[A]

Unplugged. So. All right. Does she do stuff like this often? How is she with your diabetes?

[B]

Oh, no, she's really good about my diabetes. She's smart. She's like. She does a lot of it. She puts the insulin in the pump and does all that It. She's really fast, too. She does it really, really, really quickly.

[A]

So how about you? Are you good with it?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I can manage it. I put my own pump in. Sometimes she'll have me come upstairs and do it and show me how to do it, but, I mean, she does most of it, so.

[A]

Which pump are you using?

[B]

I'm using the new T Slim, Tandem Mobi.

[A]

Oh. How do you like that?

[B]

It's really good. It's. There's one thing I don't like about it.

[A]

Go ahead.

[B]

It's the charging time. It's really fast at charging, but it only holds its charge for three days. And that's actually worse than the old pump. I had the old pump, I had held a charger for like four or four and a half days before I had to charge it. So.

[A]

Really? Come on, Tandem. What are you doing? Right.

[B]

Yeah, right.

[A]

Is that a problem having to try it? Sounds like it might be a problem, but I don't know.

[B]

Yeah. Like, I think I was out at dinner yesterday where I was somewhere with my dad. I forgot, and I realized my pump was at 5%, and so we had to. We were. I think we were at Quick Trip or something. And so we had to wait for my pump to charge and then it was, it was annoying.

[A]

Okay. Hey, I just want to say tandem diabetes.com juicebox if you want to learn more about the Tandem Moby, use my link.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I'm not talking to you, Chrome. Talking to the people. Listening. You know people are going to be listening to this, right?

[B]

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

You're right with that.

[B]

Oh yeah.

[A]

Cool. How many people do you think will listen? I'm not going to tell you, but I just want to hear your guess.

[B]

I hope a lot.

[A]

It'll be a lot. Yeah. What do you hope that they hear when they listen to you? Like, what is it you want to pass on to people?

[B]

So one thing I want to say is you don't have to be scared. Only part you might have to be scared about is just the fact that, I mean, going into the hospital and everything. But other than that, once, once it's over with, I mean, it's okay. It's. It's good.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's as long as you take care of yourself and take care of your blood sugar and your insulin, especially make sure you dose for your food because if you don't, you'll go high and that's not good.

[A]

Yeah. Then what happens? Does it kind of ruin your day or how do you think about it?

[B]

So when I think about going high, I mean, it's just my mom and she says it's worse than kind of going low for a certain period of time. It's like a sandblaster on the inside of your body. Just imagine that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

A sandblaster on the inside of your body.

[A]

You want the level of glucose in your blood to be where it's supposed to be.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This is interesting. Like, what are you trying to avoid by keeping your blood sugar down, like health wise?

[B]

So I, I haven't had my blood sugar up for a long, long time or, or like low for a long time to know like how bad it is. So I'm not really sure. I don't, I don't know how bad it is. But like whenever I go low, it's weird. It feels like I'm gonna faint. I don't feel tired.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Just kind of like how often do.

[A]

You get low like that?

[B]

It's actually pretty often whenever I get to like 70 or 60. 70 is not too low. Like, I mean, it's low, low, but not, it's not really low. I can feel it at 70, but when it gets down to like 60 and 50s, which don't happen too, too often. I can feel them way more than 70, but it's. Yeah, okay. I don't like it. It's weird.

[A]

60 and 50, like once a week, once a month. How often?

[B]

Maybe once or twice a week.

[A]

Does it come around activity, like when you're playing sports?

[B]

Whenever I'm playing sports, I do take off my pump and stuff, so I don't. I don't really know what my sugar is during like baseball, but I have had my blood sugar go down that low one time. I know when I was playing baseball. Yeah, it wasn't fun.

[A]

Were you out on the field when it happened?

[B]

Yeah, I was, I was.

[A]

Did you get dizzy out on the field?

[B]

Yeah, I did not feel good. I. I was just. I was waiting for that inning to get over so I could just go and get some. Get some sugar.

[A]

Yeah. Did you think about telling somebody, like, hey, I gotta like time out here?

[B]

No. I mean, I kind of did, but I didn't. I didn't want to like interrupt anything or any. Anyone, so.

[A]

It's a hard decision to make.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Especially when you're low. Right. It's harder to think about it.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

That only happened one time while you're playing baseball.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, we don't want you to get low twice a week though. What do you think's happening? Maybe we could figure it out and stop it from happening.

[B]

I'm not really sure. I mean, it's sometimes when I overdose for something or sometimes it's just because the heat outside and stuff and. Yeah, me, I mean, riding my bike, especially riding my bike, it goes low a lot. Especially in the heat in the summer.

[A]

Yeah. So, I mean, is it hard to plan ahead for activity? Like, you know, to put. Put yourself in activity mode or maybe take away a little sit, talk to your mom about making adjustments?

[B]

Yeah, I try that sometimes. And just sometimes it kind of doesn't even work.

[A]

Yeah. So like pre bullishing, it's hard to remember to do. Right.

[B]

I pre. Bullish sometimes I make you do. Yeah.

[A]

Well, all that stuff that you told people not to be scared about, like, is that something you figured out by yourself or did your parents tell you not to be scared and you believe them and you're not scared?

[B]

Kind of figured out myself. My parents told me that it was gonna be okay and stuff, but I mean, they didn't really say not to be scared or anything, but after I just got used to it, it just kind of came to my sense that everything's fine. I just have to Take care of myself and it'll be okay.

[A]

So after you live with diabetes for a while, you came to the conclusion that as long as you do the things you're supposed to do, it works out pretty well.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

No kidding. You just came to that conclusion on your own?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Do you have friends who know about your diabetes?

[B]

A lot of people, yes.

[A]

Like, did they try to help you with it? Do you guys not talk? Talk about a lot? Not talk about it much? Like, how does it intertwine, I guess, in your relationships?

[B]

So my friend who. He said I could talk about him. So my friend, his name's Emmett. He's a very nice kid. He's very smart.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He helps me out with it sometimes. Whenever he hears my beeper, he'll say, are you okay? You need. Do you need any sugar or anything? We were out biking one time. He heard my beeper go off, and I did not hear it, and he said, your beeper is going off. Are you okay? I have. I have snacks in my bag. Do you need any snacks? So I checked my blood sugar, and I was. I was high, so I said, I don't. I don't eat any sugar. I just need to give myself some insulin. So he's. He's really nice. He's. He's a cool kid.

[A]

How long have you known Emmett for?

[B]

I've known Emmett ever since second grade.

[A]

No kidding. You guys good friends?

[B]

Yes. We. We bike all the time. All the time.

[A]

Where do you go? Through the woods or, like, town? How do you. Where do you go?

[B]

Not really in the woods. I mean, necessarily. We go to the park a lot. We ride around the park. There's a little skateboard place. We. I jump my bike on the skateboard place on the big ramps over there. So we bike around there a lot. Sometimes we go to the grocery store. Sometimes we go to his house and bike around his neighborhood. Yeah, sometimes we bike around my neighborhood. Yeah.

[A]

Does his phone ever die?

[B]

No, it. Sometimes he says it's low, but never.

[A]

Dies like yours does?

[B]

No.

[A]

Is yours dying because of your diabetes supplies that you're running off it, or because you're listening to music all the time?

[B]

Do you think I don't really listen too. Too much? The music? Yeah, I listen to music whenever I'm, like, biking and stuff, but other than that, I don't think it's because of the music.

[A]

I just don't hold her phone. And you've got a lot of, like, Bluetooth stuff hooked up?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, I do have a lot of Bluetooth stuff. Like, I do have the speakers, but I also have my pump, my Dexcom. I have a lot of stuff. So I think it might be because of my diabetes. Like, all the stuff doing that. Yeah, because I'm. I mean, I'm on my diabetes stuff a lot. Like, a lot a lot.

[A]

Right, right. When you're on it a lot, is it because you're nervous or just you're trying to do a good job? Do you think you look at it too much? What's your level of involvement with it during the day and how does it affect you?

[B]

I think I look at it because I want to keep my blood sugar where it is supposed to be. Sometimes it's because I'm a little bit nervous. Like when I'm biking, I check it a lot because I don't want to accidentally go low.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And not realize it.

[A]

So do you know what to do if you get too low? What is your plan if you get too low?

[B]

If I get too low, I will just immediately stop biking and tell Emmett that we need to take a break right now and I will get some sugar. And if it does not come up? I haven't really. I haven't actually got crazy low yet. Biking, like, not low enough to use my. There's a spray thing that you spray in your nose if you go too low and it like, saves your life.

[A]

It's called back semi, right?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Have you ever heard people call it back squeamy?

[B]

Yeah, I think my parents call it that.

[A]

Yeah, I think it's back semi.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, they're old. They don't know. How old are your parents, by the way? She's over there right now. It's hard to say her age out loud, but. Do you know how old she is?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

She, like, really old?

[B]

Kinda.

[A]

Yeah, kind of really old. How old? Like in her 40s?

[B]

More than that.

[A]

Oh, my God. 50s?

[B]

A little bit more than that.

[A]

60S?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

No kidding. Are you adopted?

[B]

Nope.

[A]

No. How long have they been married? Just pretend she's not there. Look away. How long have they been married? You don't know?

[B]

I think about 15, 20 ish years.

[A]

Really? Interesting. What kind of work does your mom do? Does she. You don't have to say where she works, but, like, does she do a thing?

[B]

Yeah, she works still.

[A]

What kind of work?

[B]

Not really sure. I don't know.

[A]

I hear you. I don't think my kids know what I do either.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How about your dad? Do you know what he does?

[B]

He's retired.

[A]

Nice. Wow. Your parents are in there. You're 13. Your parents are in your 60s. That's cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So are your friend's parents all, like, much younger than your parents?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How is that. Is that. Is that any sort of way, or does it not bother you or not come up?

[B]

No, it doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother their parents at all. It doesn't.

[A]

No big deal. Yeah, no kidding. Wow. Well, that's interesting. You might have to interview your mom in a minute when we're done. I might have to talk to her for. Ask her. Say when. When I'm done recording. Would you talk to Scott for five minutes, Mom?

[B]

When I'm done recording. Do you want to talk to him for five minutes? She said sure.

[A]

Cool. Tell her I got questions.

[B]

He got some questions. Okay.

[A]

She's okay with that?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Awesome. Okay, we'll keep talking now.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

All right. So, have you seen any movies this summer?

[B]

Yes, I've seen a couple.

[A]

You see Superman?

[B]

No. I did want to, though, but kind of sad. I missed. Missed it.

[A]

Did you see Fantastic Four?

[B]

No.

[A]

What did you see?

[B]

I know. I saw the new Fast and Furious. I think it was like, early. Early summer when it started. I think I went to the movies. I did. I did see the Minecraft movie. I didn't watch it at the movies, but I watched it on YouTube, actually, and I watched Happy Gilmore 2. That's one of the ones I watched.

[A]

Yep. Listen, you definitely play Minecraft, right? No, no, with your math mind. Have you ever tried it?

[B]

Oh, yeah, I used to play it a lot. I mean.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

Like, a lot, a lot.

[A]

Just don't play it now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You outgrew it.

[B]

Yeah, I think so. It's just.

[A]

Yeah. What'd you think of the movie?

[B]

The movie was pretty fun. I mean, it was. It was cool. Yeah, it was funny. Definitely funny.

[A]

Nice. I wonder if you would like Superman.

[B]

Oh, yeah, I like Superman. I watched a lot, a lot of Superman.

[A]

Yeah. Actually, interestingly, isn't Superman from Kansas?

[B]

I think so.

[A]

I believe so.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Maybe you'll recognize some of the stuff that they. Some of the places they're at in the movie. Who knows? That'd be crazy if you did.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

You grew up in Kansas. That's where you were born.

[B]

Yes. Yes, I was.

[A]

When you think about going to college, do you think about leaving home and going to college or do you think about staying local?

[B]

Staying kind of local? I might.

[A]

I haven't thought about a lot yet.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

We live in Lawrence, so the main College in Lawrence is obviously ku, so I don't really know if I want to go there or. My parents are K State fans, so it's kind of ku. K State. We don't ku.

[A]

That's the Jayhawks, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. You like basketball?

[B]

I watch basketball.

[A]

You watch it?

[B]

Some of it, yeah.

[A]

What's your favorite sport to watch?

[B]

My favorite. Oh, baseball.

[A]

Baseball is your favorite sport to watch?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Bobby Witt Jr. You love him?

[B]

Oh, yeah. Bobby Witt Jr. Although he's not my favorite baseball player.

[A]

He's not your favorite royal or not your favorite baseball player?

[B]

Actually, no, he's not my favorite royal, actually. Who is my favorite royal? He's the catcher. I have his baseball card, actually.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Salvador Perez.

[A]

Oh, no kidding. Yeah. He's old, huh? Yeah, he's been around for a long time.

[B]

Yeah, he's old, but he's still doing.

[A]

It, so I'm kidding. Did you see that, Mason? I don't know how much you follow baseball. Mason Miller was traded from the A's.

[B]

No, I did not.

[A]

He's a reliever. He has type one.

[B]

Huh.

[A]

Did you know that?

[B]

No.

[A]

Where'd he go? All right, hold on a second, crew. Let me figure out. Let me figure out where he went. He was with the A's. He escaped the A's. Oh, he went to the Padres. Oh, yeah. I'd like him to be on the podcast, but he does not answer my DMs. If anyone knows him, I would like to get a message to him, but, yeah, he has type one. He throws like 100 miles an hour. He's a closer.

[B]

Geez.

[A]

Yeah. Anyway, he's got type one. Who else has type one? There's another pitcher. You know any. Any type one ballplayers?

[B]

I don't think so. Actually, no.

[A]

There's. Guy used to pitch for the Cardinals, has type 1. Can't think of his name. I've had Brandon Morrow on the podcast. He's got type one. Adam Duvall has type one. I think Jordan Hicks is the guy's name. Is it Jordan Hicks? Yeah, I am. Right. Ha ha. I'm sorry. Just. I'm just happy to be right. He's maybe with the Giants at this point. Anyway, there's a couple play. So baseball's your favorite sport to watch and to play?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

What position do you play?

[B]

I play second base. Right field. Let's see. Pitcher. I am a pitcher. I'm starting to do pitching. I went to a pitching clinic on Saturday and they were. They were surprised because I haven't pitched A lot. And so my fastest pitch was 57. And that was on a day that I wasn't ready. We were actually in Branson.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So.

[A]

But how fast were you throwing?

[B]

We went to this place in Branson called Wonderworks and they had a simulator where you could pick which sport you did. So I picked baseball, obviously. I pitched 57 and that was when my arm was sore and I was. I wasn't ready. It was just a. A little thing. So I pitched. I pitched 57 that day.

[A]

That's pretty great, man, for your age.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Really great. You think you'll do more of it?

[B]

Yes, I do. I really want to pitch for my team.

[A]

Nice. How tall are you?

[B]

Almost five foot. I'm 4 11.

[A]

I think you're getting there. You starting to grow about now?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah, a little bit.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Are your parents taller or shorter?

[B]

They're not really short and they're not really tall. I guess they're.

[A]

They're in the middle.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Gotcha. That's all right. I think pitching is great. Just be careful with your arm. You know, make sure you warm up first. You know about using the bands to warm up your arm?

[B]

Yeah. Yes.

[A]

Good. Oh, man. They're teaching you guys that?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

It's awesome.

[B]

I actually learned some pitches from a kid who is 13 but plays for 14 team. So he's a really high level baseball player. And so he showed me a two seam, not a fastball, but a two seam slider. And he showed me a curveball. And so I've mastered the two seam slider and curveball. And my trustiest pitch I have in my arsenal is my change up.

[A]

Nice. So are you right handed or left handed?

[B]

I'm right handed in almost everything.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Everything.

[A]

Does that two seam, does that run to the right?

[B]

It kind of does. So whenever I put spin on it, it kind of. It goes down a little bit and then it kind of goes to the right somewhat. Yeah, it goes to the left or to the right depending on how you put spin on the ball and how you throw, so.

[A]

Nice. I'm excited for you. My son played baseball since he was 4 years old, all the way through college.

[B]

Dang.

[A]

Yeah, it was a lot of fun. He's older now. He's 25. So he doesn't play anymore? Yeah, but yeah, he played all through college. By the time he was done college, his fastball, he played center field and he pitched and his fastball was up to 93 by the time he graduated.

[B]

Geez.

[A]

Isn't that crazy that could happen to you, your body could get bigger and stronger and you could be, like, doing all kinds of crazy stuff, I hope. Yeah, that'll be fun. I. I love that you love baseball. That's really cool. Anyway, Bobby Witt got a triple yesterday. He was. Or two days ago. I think he's flying around the base. He is really fast.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Actually, speaking of flying around the bases, my favorite baseball player is Ellie De La Cruz, and he is the best base stealer in the world right now. I'm pretty sure he.

[A]

The Pirate.

[B]

Ellie De La Cruz, I think plays for Cardinals.

[A]

Cardinals? Really? What am I thinking of on the Pirates then? Let's see. Hold on, Scott.

[B]

There's a couple baseball players with the last name Cruz, so.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, De La Cruz. The Reds, Cincinnati.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Nice. Why did I think he was with the Pirates? Who's with the Pirates that I'm thinking of? There's so many people. My son, like, knows them all. When we talk about it, I'm always like, I don't know what you're saying. I can't remember everybody, but he's got that kind of head. He could play in a baseball game and then sit down afterwards and talk through every pitch of, like, four of his bats. Yeah, he'll be like, on my first at bat, like, he started me with this, and then the second pitch was this. I fouled it off. The third pitch was this. It missed outside. I'm like, always stunned by that. Like, he, he can remember all of them. Or he'll talk about a guy he threw, like, you know, he's like, in the sixth inning, I pitched this guy, and he, he can walk you through all the pitches. It's really an interesting way his brain works, but nevertheless, I don't have that ability is what I'm saying. Like, he tells me about it and I'm just like, yeah, okay. Yeah, all right. I don't remember, but yeah. Do you have anything in common with your parents? Like, you said you like math. Is that something your parents, like, have in common with you?

[B]

My mom is really good at math, so, I mean, I guess that my dad is also really good at it. I mean, he doesn't like it, but.

[A]

He'S good at it.

[B]

He's good at it. Yeah, my mom likes it. She's good at it. I like her. I'm good at it. So kinda, yeah.

[A]

So now I know you're too young for this, like, to really have an answer, but you're 13, so college is five years away, which is a long time. Right. But at the same time. It's not that long of a time. And I'm wondering if you've thought about not being home with diabetes. Like, what is it you're going to have to figure out over the next five years to be comfortable going away to college?

[B]

I'm comfortable with it now. I will have to learn how to put all my insulin and everything in my pump. And I do all of my Dexcom stuff, so I put on my Dexcom sometimes I put the little patch on it. So I do all the stuff for my Dexcom but my pump, So I will have to learn that. So.

[A]

Yeah. Do you think that'll be any trouble to learn?

[B]

I don't think so. It's way easier. Way easier with the new Moby.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So it should be. I hope it should be good.

[A]

Do you think your mom's waiting for you to ask about, like, hey, can I learn more about this? Where? Do you think she's, like, happy for you not to have to worry about it right now?

[B]

I think she's waiting.

[A]

Yeah. What will make you go to her and say, hey, I'd like to know more about this?

[B]

I'd like to. So I think I might ask whenever I change my pump out. So.

[A]

Yeah. To learn a little more about it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. You're not trying to avoid it, right?

[B]

Oh, no, no. Oh, no.

[A]

But it is nice that somebody helps you, or.

[B]

No, no, it is. It is nice. Yeah. Sometimes whenever I'm playing my video game, she'll just ask me to give me my phone and my pump, just take it off real quick. I don't have to wait up, wait or anything. She'll just do it, and then she'll come back and I'll put it on. I can go back to play my video game. So it's. It's nice. Yeah, it's really nice.

[A]

Nice to have a little help. That's very cool. I think your mom's going to probably help you for a while, which, you know, especially even when you get to college, like, you're gonna need some assistance sometimes. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

It's gonna be a thing that I think you'll probably, like, slowly get more and more control of for yourself. But it's nice to know that somebody's got your back.

[B]

Yeah, it is.

[A]

Who is more involved with your diabetes, your mom or your dad? Or is it equal?

[B]

My mom, she does all the stuff. She's the. The smart one in the house, I guess.

[A]

She's the smart one.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Well, she did not know her clock was unplugged. Her clock speaker was unplugged.

[B]

It is.

[A]

Do you remember that? When she needed a new speaker. Yeah.

[B]

Oh, yeah. That's one thing.

[A]

That is one thing. That's okay. We'll cut her a break on that one.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What kind of food do you like to eat?

[B]

Let's see. I like to eat vegetables. I eat a lot of carrots and hummus.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I do like to eat peppers, so I eat a lot of banana peppers. I might think that's kind of weird, but I eat banana peppers with my fried chicken, so that's not weird.

[A]

I don't think that's weird. You think it's weird?

[B]

I mean, I think some people might think it's weird, but, I mean, I like eating my banana peppers with my chicken.

[A]

I mean, I think that's okay. So does your mom make the fried chicken, or do you guys get it somewhere?

[B]

We get it at Dylan's. They have the best fried chicken. The best.

[A]

Dylan's is the best fried chicken?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So if I can't. If I ever come to ku, I should go to Dylan's?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. I thought one time I was going to speak there, and then it didn't work out. I forget why. Do you listen to the podcast ever?

[B]

No, just.

[A]

Your mom does, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Did she come to you and ask you if you wanted to do this, or was it a thing you asked about?

[B]

I asked about it. I asked, has there been any kids on the podcast? So I asked if I could. So she asked you, and.

[A]

Yeah. And you got to tell people that you don't think they should be afraid?

[B]

Nope.

[A]

That's great.

[B]

They should be.

[A]

What else do you want them to know?

[B]

Anything else I would like them to know that is, anything. Like, if you do go really, really low, I would say be calm, be relaxed. Because if you. If you, like, get really, really scared. I know sometimes. One time I was riding my bike and I was low and I crashed, and both of those combined, the low and the fact that I crashed. I got the sprocket from my bike, went into my calf, and cut holes out about maybe a little, a half an inch deep. So I probably should have got stitches, but I did not get stitches. We cleaned it out and everything. That was not fun. Adrenaline, I did not know what to think about at all. So if something does happen that's really, really bad, like going low, I'd say if you're calm and relaxed, just be calm. Just try to be sugar. If it's really, really bad, Use your back, squeamy. So, yeah, one thing I want to say.

[A]

Well, that's awesome. I will say that you just gave me the chills when you talked about the sprocket, like, putting holes in your legs. That.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How long ago was that?

[B]

Oh, it's all killed. I don't. I can't really even see it.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I don't know exactly where it's at. I think it was about maybe a year. No, it was two years ago. It was about 2ish.

[A]

Okay. Wow.

[B]

Actually, I just had. I had a recent crash in Arkansas. I was riding mountain bikes again in Arkansas, and so my bike wasn't biking. I was going about 20 on a turn. The brakes weren't braking, and so I tried to brake, and it was rainy that day. I tried to turn my bike. It was not turning at all. So I kind of brake. Did not do nothing. I skidded, went into a tree, almost broke the tree in half. Took all the bark off the tree, tangled up in my bike and the tree, and so I had a big gash. Like, it's. It's scarred up, so I could see it. It's in the middle of my calf on my other leg that I got. Not the leg that I had the other incident on.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So this is a different leg, and it's about an inch long, and I think it was about also half an inch deep, so it was bleeding bad. This guy. Luckily, there is a doctor who is riding, saw us and saw me in the tree, and so he came over and gave us a med kit. And so we put all the stuff on my leg and everything. And so that was not fun, but also fun because I got back up and started writing again.

[A]

Wow, you are a daredevil, huh? I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me like this. This was awesome. Thank you.

[B]

Thank you. Thank you for letting me come on the show.

[A]

No, it's my pleasure. It really was. You were terrific. Your mom said you would be, and she was 100% right. I want to wish you a ton of luck. It sounds like you're doing great. I think you should just keep doing what you're doing with your diabetes. Keep learning and keeping that attitude you have. You're going to. You're going to do really well.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

You're welcome.

[B]

I really hope so.

[A]

Yeah, man. I don't see any reason why to think you wouldn't. Like, you know what I mean? Like, you.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

You're thinking about it, right? You're learning as you go. You have A great attitude and you're. You're working on it and you're happy to push through the tough times. I don't want to see you get low as much. I think you guys should work on that. You know, trying not to get so low while during activities. But other than that, man, like, you're. You really are doing a great job. I hope you're proud of yourself.

[B]

I am. Thank you so much.

[A]

You're welcome.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Let me talk to your mom before you go, okay?

[B]

Okay.

[A]

What's her name?

[B]

Marcia.

[A]

Okay, thank you.

[C]

Good morning.

[A]

Hey, Marcia. He was awesome.

[B]

Oh, good.

[A]

Yeah, it's hard to tell when it's a one sided conversation, right?

[C]

Yeah, he. Well, he was a little nervous. I could tell that he was much better towards the end. I could tell.

[A]

Yeah. That. By the way, that's everybody. Not just.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Not just 13 year olds. Everybody starts out nervous. So I just have to ask you, how old are you?

[C]

How old am I?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I'm 60.

[A]

And he's your only kid?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Was he right that you got married about 15 years ago?

[C]

17.

[A]

Oh, he was pretty close. Okay.

[B]

Yeah, Yeah.

[A]

I just popped you on to ask you, like, is it a second marriage, a late in life baby? Like, how did.

[C]

So it's really a long story, but yes, I am my husband's fourth wife and he is my first husband.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

And crew does have a brother. He calls him an uncle, but it's a brother. And Adam is like 47, no kid.

[A]

Says the half brother, obviously.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Now I want to. I have so many questions. How old's your husband?

[C]

He is 70.

[A]

Did he outlive some of those ladies or did they not care for him anymore?

[C]

Well, like, it's funny, I laugh. I said I met him after his first wife, dated him after his second wife and married him after his third wife. So I've known him for a long time and we just kind of kept reconnecting and so. Yeah.

[A]

And you weren't married through that time at all?

[C]

No.

[A]

Did you ever think you were going to have a kid?

[C]

No.

[A]

No.

[C]

Well, because like by the time we got married, I was like 40 some.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So. Yeah.

[A]

Was crew not on purpose.

[C]

He was on purpose.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Are we winking at each other? What's going on right now? No. No. Okay. Wow, that's awesome. It sounds like you have your own little story that I would really enjoy hearing.

[C]

Yes, yes.

[B]

It's.

[C]

It's an interesting. It's an interesting one, that's for sure. It's a story.

[A]

I bet you it is. All in Kansas. These. These?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Really?

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. I met him in his hometown. I was there on a conference and went out with some friends and ended up like dancing with him. And then he showed up at the hotel the next day, said, hey. So we dated a little while. That was after his first wife. And then he kind of always kept track of me and hunted me down.

[A]

I was going to say he's not shy, I know that.

[C]

Oh no, he is not. Is not. And his son takes after him. Like when crew was like, I remember this vividly. We went to the swimming pool and crew was probably like 2 years old. And this man holding another little girl comes up and he goes, hi, I'm coo White. What's your name? To this guy? And the guy tells him and he's like, and what's her name? Pointing to the daughter. So Cruz, kind of a ladies man like his dad is.

[A]

He also doesn't seem to have any fear of dying as far as I can tell.

[C]

No.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

No.

[A]

He's like, I'm like, what do you want to do for a living? He's like, I'd like to be one of those Red Bull mountain bikers. I was like, I don't think that's safe.

[C]

No, it's not. He's really good on a bike. He is very good on a bike. And we've gone down to Bentonville, Arkansas a couple of times and rode mountain bikes through there. And so yes, a 70 year old man and 60 year old woman trying to keep up with a 13 year old on mountain bikes.

[B]

Picture that I am.

[A]

I've been picturing it since I. Because like I just, I was teasing him a little bit. I was like, is your mom old? And he's like, well. And I'm like, What's she like, 40? He goes, no. And I'm like 50. And she goes, no. And I'm Like 60. He goes, yeah. And I was like, oh. I also told him that. That he needs a new iPhone and that he should work you for it. So that should be coming soon.

[C]

Just so you know, that's been going on for a month now and every time it's brought up because his cameras doesn't work on it. And so when he tries to take a picture of his dex come and go, see, I need a new phone.

[A]

He told me, he's like, the battery dies too quickly. And I said, tell your mom is a matter of health, it's got nothing to do with your enjoyment. And then he's like. And I said, do you ever get bored being a. An only child? And he said, yeah. And I said, do you think you're going to get a brother or sister? I think this was before I realized you were 60. Sorry. And he's like, no, I don't think so. And I was like, well, then you need a phone for that. And I was like. I was like, you had to tell your mom that. Be like, listen, I'm. I'm very bored, and I. I just. I need. And if you're not going to make me a brother or sister, I need a better phone. I'm interested to see how he comes back to you with it, if he, like, actually follows through and does that or not.

[C]

Oh, he's tried with a brother and sister angle, too. I. I need one, Mom. Let's just go get one.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, you tell him, listen, you're gonna be raising that kid if I make another baby, so just be careful.

[C]

No, I know. That's not.

[A]

That's no joke.

[C]

No joke.

[A]

Mommy can't pick the baby up when you're 20. You're gonna be. You're gonna be on the hook. I just want you to know. Yeah, that's really something.

[C]

That's for sure.

[A]

You have an interesting life.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

How did you find the podcast?

[C]

Actually, I have been on your podcast. Oh, what are we, like, episode 1194, I think, maybe.

[A]

Kidding. Okay. All right. Just before that, like, just.

[C]

How did I find it?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

We were at a pumpkin patch shortly after he was diagnosed, and he went low, and I gave him a bunch of stuff, like, three different times. He kept going lower and lower. And we were newly diagnosed. I mean, like, he. He got diagnosed in February. And so, like, this was October, right? And it's the first time I'd ever been out in public with him going so dramatically low. So I pumped him full of everything. Glucose, tabs, Skittles, another pack of Skittles, a caramel apple. And then he shot high. And I'm like, on. We just kept listening to him buzz, and it was before I knew anything about being bold with insulin or any of that kind of stuff. So he was sitting at, like, 250 or something, and we were waiting on this little train, and this. He went off, and this woman whips her head around and says, dex Common. I said, yeah. And she goes, there's mine. It was the first time we met someone out in public. And she goes, you should listen to the Juice Box podcast. And so then I started listening. I. I go to the gym every morning, like around five. And so I get on the exercise bike and put on the podcast and started listening from there.

[A]

Oh, that's awesome.

[C]

Which has been amazingly helpful. I'm glad when he says, my mom's the smartest about diabetes. That is, I am, because I listen to the deuce box. And so we do a lot of his management that way. And he's maintained low 6A 1Cs his whole diagnosis.

[A]

Wow. It's awesome. He told me he gets low a little bit while he's like active if it's hot outside.

[C]

And he is active, 100% guaranteed.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So when he rides his bike, he has to make sure that he has things with him. And then sometimes when he's playing baseball, if it's hot out, we pass a lot of Skittles through the fence or Gatorade or, you know, whatever. Whatever it takes to get him out.

[A]

Has he tried eating a little something that's really tough to digest? Like, you know, like a kind bar or something like that little something that sits in your stomach a little longer to hold him up during those activities?

[C]

You know, it's really interesting because there are times, most of the time he doesn't have any problem. If he goes in pretty stable to whatever activity, he'll stay stable throughout it. But if he's eaten beforehand and has some insulin on board for whatever he's eaten, it kind of seems to exacerbate that.

[A]

Yep, for sure. Active insulin during activities is a quicker way to being low. Well, it sounds like you guys are doing really, really well and I'm happy for you.

[C]

We've just kind of taken the attitude like, you have this and you'll have it the rest of your life. And so we catch people out in the wild and we're like, they've got a Dexcom, let's go talk to them. Or, you know, so we've done a lot of that and we've never made it. So it's something to be embarrassed about or something.

[A]

You know, he seems very clear minded about the whole thing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, he is a great kid. He definitely seems. And it makes sense too that you guys are older too, because I think my kids would be better if I was older when I raised them.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Not that they're bad kids, but like, I. I would have given. I'm sure I should clarify that. I think that I would have had a different perspective. And I imagine you do too, raising some, like.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

What were you, 40, like 7 when you had him?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Wow. Yeah, you were probably Thrilled when he came out and he had, like, his fingers and his toes.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, he's been good for us. Everybody's like, oh, he's going to keep you young. And we're like, hell, no. He keeps us tired.

[A]

No, I don't see that. Sounds like something a person would say. Who doesn't know. No, that's really something. All right. I don't want to take up your time. Marsh, this was really wonderful. Tell him again that I said thank you and I'm sorry. If you have to end up buying him an iPhone, it's my fault.

[C]

Oh, I'm sure it's going to happen before school starts.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, what a lovely back to school idea.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Oh, yeah, thanks.

[A]

Yeah, just go out there and what? I don't even know what they cost anymore. They're insanely expensive.

[C]

Oh, yeah, they're crazy.

[A]

So.

[C]

But he's had it. I mean, his schools, interestingly enough, took away all their cell phones last year. And I'm like, on, dude, here's one perk. You get to have yours all day long.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[C]

But, yeah, Mama has the share time plan and so I lock down his phone.

[A]

So, yeah, he's. I tell you what, he didn't say one. Like, every kid I've ever interviewed will be snarky a little bit about their parents. He was never once about you guys.

[C]

That's because he loves us.

[A]

Well, I hope so. It's not because he's scared out of his mind, right? You don't have him scared of that. No, no, no, I'm just kidding. He didn't. He just. He really. He's. He was lovely. I. I really appreciate you. You're putting him on with me. Thank you so much.

[C]

Yeah, well, thank you for doing it. He was kind of excited about it, so.

[A]

Well, I can't wait for him. Him and Emmett to be able to listen to it.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

All right, great. Thanks so much. Hold on one second for me.

[B]

Okay. I had so much fun.

[A]

Oh, that's cool, man. I'm glad. The conversation you just enjoyed was brought to you by usmed usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. Get started today and get your supplies from us Med. Today's episode of the Juicebox podcast is sponsored by the Dexcom G7. And the Dexcom G7 warms up in just 30 minutes. Check it out [e-mail] juicebox. The podcast you just enjoyed was sponsored by Tandem Diabetes Care. Learn more about Tandem's newest automated Insulin delivery system Tandem Moby with Control IQ [e-mail] Juicebox There are links in the show notes and [e-mail] okay, well here we are at the end of the episode. You're still with me. Thank you. I really do appreciate that. What else could you do for me? Why don't you tell a friend about the show or leave a five star review? Maybe you could make sure you're following or subscribed in your podcast app. Go to YouTube and follow me. Or Instagram TikTok. Oh gosh, here's one. Make sure you're following the podcast in the private Facebook group as well as the public Facebook page. You don't want to miss please do you not know about the private group? You have to join the private group. As of this recording it has 51,000 members in it. They're active, talking about diabetes. Whatever you need to know. There's a conversation happening in there right now and I'm there all the time. Tag me. I'll say hi. If you're looking to meet other people living with type 1 diabetes, head over to juiceboxpodcast.com juicecruise because next June. That's right, 2026 June 21st. The second Juice Cruise is happening on the Celebrity beyond cruise ship. It's a seven night trip going to the Caribbean. We're going to be visiting Miami, CocoCay, St. Thomas and Saint Kitts. Yeah, the Virgin Islands. You're going to love the Virgin Islands. Sail with Scott in the Juice Box Community on a week long voyage built for people and families living with type 1 diabetes. Enjoy tropical luxury, practical education and judgment. Free atmosphere. Perfect day at Coco Bay St. Kitts St. Thomas. Five interactive workshops with me and surprise guests on Type 1 hacks and tech, mental health, mindfulness, nutrition, exercise, personal growth and professional development. Support groups and wellness discussions tailored for life with Type one and celebrities. World class amenities, dining and entertainment. This is open from every age. You know, newborn to 99. I don't care how old you are. Come out. Check us out. You can view staterooms and [e-mail] JuiceCruise the Last Juice Cruise just happened a couple weeks ago. A hundred of you came. It was awesome. We're looking to make it even bigger this year. I hope you can check it out. The episode you just heard was professionally edited by wrong way recording wrongwayrecording.com.