#1623 Camp and Canine Victory

Summary

Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1623: Camp and Canine Victory

Guest: Toby Gustafson (age 11) and Brianna (his mom)
Release Date: September 9, 2025
Host: Scott Benner

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Overview

In this heartwarming and insightful episode, Scott Benner is joined by 11-year-old Toby Gustafson and his mom, Brianna, from Verona, Wisconsin. The trio explores the journey of a new type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis, practical strategies for managing diabetes in childhood, the role of diabetes camps, and the profound impact of a diabetes alert service dog. The episode is punctuated with laughter, honest reflections, and detailed accounts of living boldly with T1D as a family.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Diagnosis Journey and Early Experiences (03:07–10:50)

• Symptoms and Diagnosis: Toby began experiencing digestive problems and weight loss before being diagnosed at age 10. The diagnosis followed a concerning episode after eating funnel cake at a water park.
  • "After I'd eaten that, I went into a sugar coma, and was just really tired, and I was laying down in the middle of a water park." – Toby (04:57)
• Hospital Experience: Toby recalls his apprehension with finger pricks and how hospital staff tried humor to alleviate his fears.
  • "The middle finger doesn't hurt as bad as any of the other fingers, so I just trusted her." – Toby (07:53)
• Transition to Tech: Toby now uses a Dexcom G7 CGM and Omnipod 5 pump, attributing improved stability and reduced stress to these devices.
  • "My blood sugar's been a lot more stable at home and school… before, with shots, I'd be high or low." – Toby (09:49)
  • "The pump is… giving me a lot less responsibilities than what I had." – Toby (10:35)

2. The Diabetes Camp Experience: Camp Sweeney (11:00–19:51)

• Winning the Camp Spot: Toby won his spot at Camp Sweeney through a Juicebox Podcast-related raffle, which was randomly selected via ChatGPT.
  • "I guess my mom had entered me into the Camp Sweeney raffle… you picked again, and I got picked." – Toby (11:00)
• Camp Overview: Toby attended for 18 days in Texas, engaging in a range of activities from boating and canoeing to shooting rifles and weightlifting. The camp fostered independence and T1D self-management.
  • "Camp actually just kind of forced me to be able to change my Dexcom on my own." – Toby (30:39)
  • "There were so many activities, I can't even name them all… boating, canoeing, water park, hiking, adventure course, zipline, rifle range, weightlifting…" – Toby (18:47)
• Parental Perspective: Brianna openly discusses the anxiety of leaving Toby far from home and praises the camp's strong blood sugar management and sense of community.
  • "To think about leaving him so far away for so long, that was really scary… But from his stories since he's gotten home, sounds like a wonderful experience." – Brianna (16:33, 17:09)
• Peer Support: Toby valued meeting other kids with T1D, including another camper who won via the podcast.

3. Victory with a Diabetes Alert Dog - "Ope" (19:51–24:44)

• How They Got Ope: Toby also received his diabetes alert dog, Ope, through a Juicebox Podcast partnership—the Louis Legacy Scholarship.
  • "So we applied for that, and Annie from Medidogs interviewed us and then selected Toby to receive Ope." – Brianna (20:12)
• Dog’s Abilities:
  • Ope alerts Toby to lows by "booping" him with his nose—under the hand for lows, over for highs.
    • "He'll jump up at me and boot me… try and boot me in the face." – Toby (22:04)
    • "If I ignore him, he'll keep booping; if that doesn't work, he'll go to mom or dad." – Toby (22:13)
  • Ongoing training: They train with Medidogs twice a week, soon to be weekly.
• Impact: The dog goes everywhere with Toby (including school), enhances safety, and teaches responsibility.
  • "He's been doing really good with lows… he can sense drops before I know." – Toby (21:08, 21:49)

4. Learning and Independence with T1D (27:51–35:11)

• Breakthrough T1D Support: Upon diagnosis, Toby received a "Rufus" bear from Breakthrough T1D, helping him feel seen and supported.
  • "Relieved that people… understood what type 1 really is." – Toby (29:16)
• Self-Management Milestones: Camp accelerated Toby’s confidence in tech changes (changing Omnipod, CGM), though he still prefers when his mom does it at home.
  • "Camp has been something that has just, like, brought that to me… like, they're making me do it." – Toby (30:39)
  • "I'm scared of… stabbing a needle into [my] skin just by pushing a button." – Toby (31:25)
• Food Choices and Limitations: T1D has prompted healthier eating habits; Toby strongly prefers diet soda to prevent spikes and sometimes finds carb counting at social occasions (like the "cookie incident") tricky.
  • "If I drink a regular soda, my blood sugar spikes… Diet Coke affects maybe 5 or 10 points." – Toby (35:47)

5. Community, School, and Social Life (35:11–46:00)

• School Transition: With adjustment, diabetes became routine—Toby quickly became comfortable managing supplies and tech at school.
  • "As soon as you get adjusted…it doesn't feel like anything… now it's like, it's nothing." – Toby (38:48)
• Social Support: Trusted friends know how to help, and parents ensure caregivers (like friends' parents) know how to support lows/hypos.
• Managing Lows: The "neighbor cookie" story illustrates real-world challenges and learning moments for the whole family. (Especially carb counting at unpredictable events.)
  • "When we were picking up to go home, Toby's alarm went off… as soon as we got home… he was maybe 32, went into the 20s after that." – Brianna (52:14)
• School and Activities: Toby is active in martial arts (Taekwondo), enjoys reading (especially graphic novels and National Geographic), and manages to participate fully in routines.

6. Family, Genetics, and Reflection (46:00–50:08)

• Autoimmune History: Brianna details the extensive autoimmune background on her side (colitis, hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, ITP, PANDAS), highlighting possible roots of Toby’s T1D.
  • "Both Toby and his brother have something called pandas… autoimmune disease runs in our family." – Brianna (47:16)
• Parenting and Partnership: Both parents are teachers, and Brianna works in special education administration.
• Toby’s Reflection: Feels supported by his mom, struggles with understanding "why diabetes exists" in general, not just in himself.

7. Why Camp Matters & Final Thoughts (56:02–61:13)

• Toby on Camp:
  • "You get to make new friends and meet people your age with diabetes… there's no such thing as diabetes except treating lows, trading highs, poking and putting on your stuff… you don’t even have to watch your sugars … they'll watch your blood sugar … when you need to change your stuff…" (56:19)
• Value to Family:
  • Camp Sweeney (~$5,000) and the service dog were significant practical and emotional wins for the family.
  • "As a result, Toby's A1C is 6.0, and that is absolutely because of what we've learned from the podcast." – Brianna (60:44)
• Personal Wins & Family Bond:
  • Toby feels confident, grateful, and happy.
  • Brianna deeply values the support and learning from the Juicebox community.

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Notable Quotes

• Scott (Host):
  • "Very often, something that gets said to them in the first couple of days, that's not always like a real rule, ends up being a rule in their head because they think, well, this is the first place that they put it or told me to do it…" (08:36)
  • "You better hope I give a car away one day. Be awesome, right? You guys will be like, oh, we won the car too." (27:37)
• Toby:
  • "The pump is making that better… it's given me a lot less responsibilities." (10:35)
  • "At camp… I can't not do it. They're making me do it. I have to do it." (30:58)
  • "You get to make new friends and meet people your age with diabetes… there's a whole bunch of activities…" (56:19)
• Brianna:
  • "I feel confident they would manage his blood sugars well, which they absolutely did… I was just more nervous about if he'd feel safe and comfortable." (16:49)
  • "We frequently have Saturday night dinner with neighbors… [Toby] was maybe 32 [mg/dL]… He hadn't ever had a really severe low before…" (52:14)
  • "Oh, absolutely. I feel like we've learned so much more through the podcast than we've learned anywhere else." (60:44)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Diagnosis Story: 03:12–07:53
• Hospital/First Diabetes Tech: 07:53–10:50
• Winning Camp & Camp Experience: 11:00–19:51
• Diabetes Alert Service Dog ("Ope"): 19:51–24:44
• Breakthrough T1D/Rufus Bear: 27:51–29:30
• Camp-Induced Self-reliance with Diabetes Tech: 30:39–33:39
• Food Choices, Social Eating, The Cookie Incident: 35:43–55:00
• Friendships, School and Social Support: 38:48–41:23
• Autoimmune Family History: 46:00–48:28
• Reflection on Mom's Support: 49:26–50:08
• Camp Value & Takeaways: 56:02–57:41
• Podcast’s Impact on Family: 60:44–61:13

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Memorable Moments

• Toby's Honest Humor and Insight: Willingness to share everything from finger stick scars to fears about device changes, all with a casual, mature wit.
• The Double Giveaway Fame: Winning both a camp slot and a diabetes dog through Juicebox community opportunities.
• “The Cookie Incident”: A relatable, real-world reminder about the unpredictability of blood sugar and importance of cautious carb counting.
• Service Dog Training: Visual descriptions of how Ope signals Toby for highs and lows, and how their training brings peace of mind.

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Conclusion

This episode presents a layered portrait of a young person and family who are adapting expertly to the realities of T1D. With community support, humor, technology, and compassionate mentorship, Toby and his mom Brianna embody the optimism and resourcefulness necessary to thrive with type 1 diabetes. Their story is a testament to Boldness with Insulin, the importance of peer support through camp, and the real-world benefits of diabetes tech and alert dogs—woven together by the education and community found through the Juicebox Podcast.

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For more resources, personalized stories, and educational series, visit JuiceboxPodcast.com.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome back, friends, to another episode of the Juice Box Podcast.

[B]

Hi, I'm Toby Gustafson and I'm from Verona, Wisconsin and I'm 11 years old and I've been diagnosed for roughly a year and a half.

[A]

If you or a loved one is newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and you're seeking a clear, practical perspective, check out the Bold Beginnings series on the Juice Box Podcast. It's hosted by myself and Jenny Smith, an experienced diabetes educator with over 35 years of personal insight into type 1. Our series cuts through the medical jargon and delivers straightforward answers to your most pressing questions. You'll gain insight from real patients and caregivers and and find practical advice to help you confidently navigate Life with Type 1. You can start your journey informed and empowered with the Juice Box Podcast. The Bold Beginning Series and all of the collections in the Juice Box Podcast are available in your audio app and@juicebox podcast.com in the menu. 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. Today's episode of the Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the Eversense 365. You can experience the Eversense 365 CGM system for as low as $199 for a full year. Visit Eversensecgm.com juicebox for more details and eligibility. This episode of the Juice Box Podcast is sponsored by Omnipod5. Omnipod5 is a tube free automated insulin delivery system that's been shown to significantly improve A1C and time and range for people with type 1 diabetes when they've switched from daily injections. Learn more and get started today@ omnipod.com juicebox@ my link you can get a free starter kit right now. Terms and conditions apply and eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found@ omnipod.com juicebox the episode you're about to listen to was sponsored by touched by type 1. Go check them out right now on Facebook, Instagram, and of [e-mail] check out that programs tab when you get to the website to see all the great things that they're doing for people living with type 1 diabetes.

[B]

Touchedbytype1.org hi, I'm Toby Gustafson and I'm from Verona, Wisconsin and I'm 11 years old and I've been diagnosed for roughly a year and a half.

[A]

Wow. And who else is with us?

[C]

And I'm Brianna, Toby's mom.

[A]

Hi. It's cool for you guys to do this with me. Thank you very much. So, Toby, you told me that you have a list of things you want to talk about. I think that's awesome. Can I ask you a couple of questions before we get to your list, though?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. How long have you said you've had type one? About a year.

[B]

About a year and a half. Ish.

[A]

Okay. Do you remember not feeling well before you were diagnosed, or how did that time go right before somebody told you you had diabetes?

[B]

Yeah. Really tired. Most of the main symptoms that show up with type one and then blood draw, like, after school at one point in time, and then middle of the night, went to the. Like at 9, I got sent to the hospital for it.

[A]

So, mom, you saw something was going on and took him to the doctor for a blood test.

[C]

Yeah. What's kind of interesting is way back in October, which was quite a ways before he was diagnosed, the following February, he was having some digestive troubles. And so we had done some workups with his doctor and couldn't quite figure out what it was. They thought, based on one of the labs, that maybe he had intolerance to dairy, but the issues continued. And then we noticed he was kind of losing a little bit of weight in February, and it kind of came to a peak when we went for a weekend at the Great Wolf Lodge. Toby, do you want to talk about that at all?

[B]

Yeah. So at the time, I was 10 years old. I was at the hospital on February 19, 2024. I was at the Great Wolf Lodge the week before. That's at the Wisconsin Dells. And I was taking a break, and I was super hungry, so I went on gotten funnel cake. It was like big. Like at least the size of your head. It had ice cream, sprinkles, whipped cream, all that other stuff.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

After I'd eaten that, I went into a sugar coma, and it was just really tired, and I was laying down in the middle of a water park.

[A]

You ate that thing and it made you so tired you. You couldn't even get up and move around anymore?

[B]

Basically, no.

[C]

And yeah, you fell asleep and took a real long nap in the water park, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And br. How did that make you. Like, how did that strike you?

[C]

Yeah, that made me feel really nervous. I had already scheduled an appointment for him the following Monday. So this happened over the weekend. And I had made the appointment because of the weight loss and the continued digestive troubles. And then when he fell asleep in the middle of A water park. As a 10 year old, I knew something was seriously wrong. I didn't know what. And then he just didn't ever recover really, from that incident in the water park. He had really bad belly pain. And we tried going out to dinner, but he wasn't feeling well enough for that. He slept on the drive home from the water park.

[A]

Yeah. A lot of high blood sugar kind of issues, right?

[C]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Yeah. You're waiting for the return of the blood draw. When you get it back, they just call the house and say, get to the hospital.

[C]

Yep, exactly. And Toby had already gone to bed for the night, so we went down and woke him up.

[A]

So you woke him up, got him together, headed off to the hospital. Did you know that you were at that point? Did they tell you on the phone? Did they say, hey, he has type 1 diabetes, or did they say, you just have to go to the hospital?

[C]

No, what actually happened is his blood test results came back through the My Chart app and I saw them and I saw that the suit, he had super high blood sugar. I can't remember. I think it was in the 600s. And what's that, Toby?

[B]

I'm pretty sure it was like 670 something.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

Yeah, that could be about right. And I actually had a friend and coworker whose child was diagnosed with type one a little less than a month before then. And right away I took a screenshot of it and I sent it to her and I said, this has got to be type one, right? You know, what else could it be? And she was like, yeah, that could be for sure. And then we headed to the hospital. At that point, the clinic didn't actually call us back with the lab results until we were already on our way to the hospital.

[A]

Saw it sooner. Toby, can I ask you a question? You don't have to be embarrassed, so if you're embarrassed, don't answer. But your mom said you were having digestive issues. Did that mean it wasn't coming out or it came out too much?

[B]

Came out too much.

[A]

Too much. Okay. All right, then once you get to the hospital, do you remember Toby, like, what that was like or were you kind of out of it at that point, not feeling well? Like, what do you remember about intaking in the hospital in the. The next couple of days that you were there?

[B]

So right when we got there, we did a finger poke and I was really nervous about doing it. And there was this other person there. I cannot remember her name. She did tell us her name, but she said that the Middle finger doesn't hurt as bad as any of the other fingers, so I just trusted her. And then that just kept on going. So now I have scars on my finger. So now I have to switch to my ring finger.

[A]

Toby, I have a question. Do you think the nurse was trying to get you to give the finger to be funny and to make it a lighter situation for you? Probably, yeah. Yeah, you're right. She was trying to be. Trying to make it fun for you because you got to go like this then, right? No, no. What'd you do? How'd you. Would you go to her this way?

[B]

I just had to stick out my hand.

[A]

Oh, just stuck out your hand. I mean, do you think that's true, like, because, Toby, it's interesting. You're, you know, you're young, but I talk to a lot of people who have type 1 diabetes, and very often something that gets said to them in the first couple of days, that's not always like a real rule, you know, ends up being a rule in their head because they think like, well, this is the first place that they put it or told me to do it. And then they do it over and over again for no real reason. Like, does that feel like maybe what's happened to you? Like, did you just got it into your head, like the middle finger is the right finger to use?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So that. So then I just went to the other hand.

[A]

To the other middle finger?

[B]

Yeah. And then it just kept on going. So then I had to switch to a different set of fingers.

[A]

How often do you test?

[B]

Depends on how my blood sugar is. Sometimes it's not even every other day, but sometimes it's like, I don't know.

[A]

Like 13 times a day, depending on what's going on.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Do you also wear a CGM, I imagine.

[B]

Yes, I do.

[A]

Which one?

[B]

Dexcom G7.

[A]

G7. Do you have a pump?

[B]

Yes. Omnipod.

[A]

Omnipod 5 or Omnipod Dash5.5. So you're automated.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

How do you like that?

[B]

My blood sugar's been a lot more stable on, like, when I'm at home. School's been a lot better than it was before when I was on shots, because then it would just. Whenever I poked, I'd be high or low.

[A]

Yeah. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but when, before, when you were just doing mdi, before you had a pump and you were either high or low, was that exhausting? Was it, like a lot? Did a lot of your life feel like it was diabetes?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, a lot. Can you explain to me how that. How that impacts you?

[B]

Just made my life a lot more stressful and a lot more stuff going on, so I did take more responsibilities.

[A]

The pump is making that better.

[B]

Yeah, it's having less. It's given me a lot less responsibilities than what I had.

[A]

Okay, so the whole system is kind of taking up some of the extra work.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And have you felt that remove stress for you?

[B]

Yes, it has removed a lot of stress.

[A]

That's awesome. That's really great. So let's tell people before we get too deep into this. Toby, how come you're on the podcast today? How did we meet?

[B]

I guess my mom had entered me into the Camp Sweeney raffling thing. You had picked someone else, but then they didn't answer, so then you picked again, and I got picked.

[A]

Isn't that crazy?

[B]

And then I got sent to camp, and then I was. And then I was. My mom was thinking that we would be able to do a podcast to say how it all went and all.

[A]

Yeah, that's. It was a great idea, actually. Yeah. So, you guys, I guess for people listening, you don't know, like, it's not uncommon for people to enter giveaways, and then when you contact them and say, hey, you won, they just never get back to you. You know, you got to give them a little time, you know, because maybe there's an email in a junk. You know, in a junk folder or something like that, but after a certain amount of time, like, all right, well, listen, this is your last attempt. Like, you have to answer. And no one answered. And I was like, okay, I'll just choose again. And it wasn't even me that chose Toby. You got picked randomly by ChatGPT? I fed all the names into it, and I was like, here, pick a winner. You know, I actually gave it a long explanation of what we were doing and then just, you know, asked it to randomly choose a winner. I chose you. And then how long did you go to Camp Sweeney for? Like, how long are the sessions?

[B]

A little bit less than three weeks. 18 days.

[A]

18 days?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you're from the Conson and Cam Sweeney's in Texas?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Wow. How'd you get there?

[B]

Drove.

[A]

No kidding. You make, like, a little.

[B]

15 hours?

[A]

A little family event.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Brianna, how was the ride?

[C]

The ride was pretty uneventful. Thankfully, both of our children are really good car people. They love, you know, eating snacks and watching their tech, and so the drive was pretty uneventful. Toby brought his service dog, who he also won Through a giveaway that we found on the Juice Box podcast.

[A]

Seriously?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

What? My God. How do you win so much stuff? It's awesome.

[B]

I don't know.

[C]

He's so lucky.

[A]

That's really crazy. It's funny because your last name just makes me think of that movie, so I don't remember it any other way. Grumpy Old Men, right?

[C]

Yeah. His dad's name is Jonathan Gustafson, so.

[A]

I just hear him yelling in my head. Is it Walter Mathal? I can hear him yelling it, like, in my head. So. Okay. So you guys, this is interesting. The whole family drives down and then you've got to leave him there. Now, Brandon, he hasn't had diabetes that long. Wisconsin's not close to Texas. I don't assume you lived in Texas for 18 days while he was there, right?

[C]

No, we didn't though. I really wanted to, but my husband told me that was silly and we needed to go back home. So we compromised and we stayed for about five days. So about Toby's first week of camp almost. And we kind of had a little family vacation down there with his brother.

[A]

Nice.

[C]

And then we headed back from there.

[A]

Head back. And then just. Just one person. Dad just come back and get you? Toby or Mom.

[B]

Dad.

[A]

Yeah, I did. Okay. Wow. Okay. So, all right. What did you guys do for five days in Texas? Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. We talk a lot about ways to lower your A1C on this podcast. Did you know that the Omnipod 5 was shown to lower A1C? That's right. Omnipod 5 is a tube free automated insulin delivery system and it was shown to significantly improve A1C and time and range for people with type 1 diabetes when they switched from daily injections. My daughter is about to turn 21 years old and she has been wearing an Omnipod every day since she was four. It has been a friend to our family and I think it could be a friend to yours. If you're ready to try Omnipod 5 for yourself or your family, use my link now to get started. Omnipod.com juicebox get that free Omnipod 5 starter kit today. Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found@ omnipod.com juicebox this episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by Eversense. Thanks. 365. And just as the name says, it lasts for a full year. Imagine for a second a CGM with just one sensor placement and one warm up period. Every year. Imagine a sensor that has exceptional accuracy over that year and is actually the most accurate CGM in the low range that you can get. What if I told you that this sensor had no risk of falling off or being knocked off? That may seem too good to be true, but I'm not even done telling you about it yet. The Eversense 365 has essentially no compression lows. It features incredibly gentle adhesive for its transmitter. You can take the transmitter off when you don't want to wear your CGM and put it right back on without having to waste the sensor or go through another warmup period. The App works with iOS and Android, even Apple Watch. You can manage your diabetes instead of your CGM, which, with the Eversense 365. Learn more and get started [e-mail] JuiceBox One year, one CGM.

[C]

Oh, we went to lots of parks. We went to a water park. There's this longhorn cattle drive.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

That we went to.

[A]

And Brianna, how many times did your husband say, we can go now? Do you say it every day or. No?

[C]

I think by day three, he started saying, why are we in Texas in the middle of summer? It is so hot.

[A]

So tell people, though, why? What was your anxiety?

[C]

Well, you know, I've never left Toby with anyone overnight, I don't think, except for family members. So to think about leaving him so far away for so long, that was really scary.

[A]

Sure.

[C]

You know, I felt confident that they would manage his blood sugars well, which they absolutely did a great job of. That I was more nervous about just if he would feel safe and comfortable and be having a good time. And from his stories since he's gotten home, it sounds like it was a wonderful experience.

[A]

Awesome. Toby, were you nervous about being left alone at camp?

[B]

A little bit at first, but then just, like, drifted off and it wasn't there.

[A]

You didn't think about it again. How long do you think it took before you were comfortable?

[B]

Maybe a day, two days.

[A]

Okay. And what about camp made you comfortable.

[B]

Having multiple other friends there? And one other kid was actually in my cabin that got drawed from the podcast. Cole.

[A]

Oh, no kidding. Oh, that's great. How many? I'm asking you. But, Brianna, I don't know how many kids that end up going through the podcast this year. Was it like 4 or 6 or something like that?

[B]

I think it was. I'm pretty sure it was six.

[A]

Six, right? Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. I'm so glad to, like. I mean, we Just, you know, we. I don't know who he is, but I interviewed Ernie, you know, the camp director. And I remember at the end just being like, hey, you know, if you want to give away a slot, like, I'll. I'll give it away for you. And then they. I think they like the attention that it brought. So they did it a couple more times and we actually got people to offset some costs. If I'm not mistaken, Omnipod and US Medicine paid for one kid to go each. And then we had a private donor who kicked in for somebody, and then the camp matched that. I think that's how we got to six. So that's just some random person who loves the camp and wanted to see a kid go to it. Paid for one person to go. Yeah, just a lot of kind people doing kind things. All right, so, Toby, what goes on at camp? What were the activities like? How much were you involved in your diabetes? How did they manage your type one? Tell me the whole thing.

[B]

There were so many activities, I can't even name them all. But the ones that I did overall were boating and canoeing, water park, hiking adventure course, zipline, rifle range, weight and weightlifting.

[A]

Wow. You shot a rifle while you were there?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Did you hit anything?

[B]

Yeah, I hit it. I shot a hat.

[A]

A hat?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's very cool.

[B]

And a rubber duck.

[A]

Brianna, how does that make you feel? Like that he got so comfortable so quickly and did so many things. I mean, there's probably a lot of things he's never even done before, right?

[B]

I mean.

[A]

Riflesconsin. I'm assuming you've been hunting, but. Yeah, that's fine.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, he. He has been hunting before with lots of family members who are hunters. But I was very surprised about the weightlifting. I think the first week of camp, he signed up for weightlifting three times, and he continued to sign up for it throughout camp. So that was pretty cool.

[B]

Three times a day out of the five session five, 45 minute group.

[A]

So, Toby, there's a lot of things to do and you can kind of go around and put your name on it and go do different things and then say, oh, I love doing that. I'll do it more. I didn't like that. I won't do it as much, basically. Oh, that's pretty cool, actually. I guess I'm gonna have to, like, veer off this for a second. You want a service dog through the podcast?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

How did that happen? Brianna, how did that happen?

[C]

So you had made a post, I believe, about Louis Legacy Scholarship.

[A]

Oh, my God. That was you?

[C]

Yes, that was back in April. And so we applied for that and Annie from Medidogs interviewed us and then selected Toby to receive Ope. So that was super cool. And it's been a lot of work, but really good work and really good learning of responsibility for Toby, too.

[A]

I think we're gonna have to look to see if. If ChatGPT likes the last name Gustafson, maybe. Like, I'm gonna. By the way, if I do another giveaway and you win, I'm skipping yours and picking the next person.

[C]

That seems fair.

[A]

They can't win again. You didn't enter to win a comic book from Omnipod, did you?

[C]

No.

[A]

Okay, good, because I'm picking the winners for that this weekend. I'm so scared. You're going to win one. So how do you like having a service dog, Toby?

[B]

Really good. He's been doing a whole bunch of work, so if I. He's been doing really good with Lowe's and Ties. Ties. We just started, but Lowe's he's gotten really good at.

[A]

Does he go to school with you, or do you just use him at home? And how do you use him?

[B]

He's going to go everywhere with me.

[A]

Okay. When he's done being trained completely.

[B]

He's always in training. So he's going to. Yeah, he's going to school next year as well.

[A]

Next year. And so if I painted a picture, you're, like, hanging around the house doing some stuff, and you start to get low, but you don't feel it yet. Does the dog know before you know?

[B]

Yeah, sometimes. Yes. He can sense, like, drops and all that stuff.

[A]

So how does he tell you?

[B]

He boot me with his nose.

[A]

No kidding. And how do you tell the difference between the dogs being playful and the dog thinks you're low?

[B]

He'll jump up at me and boot me.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Like, he'll try and boot me in the face.

[A]

And if you ignore him, what happens?

[B]

He'll just keep booping. If it doesn't work, he'll go to mom or dad. If there's no other people that he trusts they can go to, he'll bark at me.

[A]

And then once you treat like, say you grab a juice box and you hit the juice box real quickly. I don't exactly understand how this works, Toby. Does he look and go, oh, he drank a juice box. We're good now. Or does he wait for your blood sugar to come back up before he leaves you alone?

[B]

So what would happen is he'd boot me. I put my hand out to my side and say, what is it? If it's high, his, he'll put his nose over my hand. If it's low, he'll put his nose under my hand and I'll treat him while he's still in that position.

[A]

Wow. And then he knows you did something about it.

[B]

Yeah. And I'll do something about it. And then I'll say, all done after, and then he'll just be like, okay, I did my job, and then I'm done for now.

[A]

Wow. That's kind of marvelous, isn't it? Like, really like Brianna. That's crazy, right? Am I the only one?

[C]

He learns so fast. It's unbelievable. He's so smart, and I can't believe how quickly he picks up on new skills when we teach him. So we're continuing to work with Annie from Medidogs to work on his ongoing training. So Toby and Ope get together with her twice per week right now. And then once school starts in September, then they'll just train together once a week. And Toby and Op have tasks that they do together in between to practice the skills that he's learned.

[A]

Wow. And Toby, how are you enjoying? Did you have a pet prior to this?

[B]

Yes, I do.

[A]

What else do. What do you have?

[B]

He's a 14 year old golden retriever.

[A]

Oh, so you have a dog already?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. But he doesn't have a job or do anything. He just eats and poops.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, gotcha.

[B]

He's just a family dog.

[A]

Family dog. When your mom first came to you and said, hey, we want a service dog, were you excited or were you like, I don't need that, or how did you feel about it and how do you feel about it now?

[B]

So what happened was I had. My parents had told me about it, and then we went on a call with Annie and one other person. I can't remember her name, but then we just had like a 45 minute conversation about it. But that was also right when my brother had his tonsillectomine. So he was. He was still talking, but not.

[A]

How old's your brother?

[B]

7.

[A]

Can I ask a question, Brianna? This is interesting. Today is day. How do you count the days? Do you count the surgery day as day one, or is the second day day one?

[C]

Ooh, I don't know. All right, so today's day surgery is day zero.

[A]

Today is day eight of Arden's tonsillectomy, and it's been horrendous.

[C]

Yeah, it's terrible. The recovery is awful, especially as you get older. So I'M sure hers is extra bad.

[A]

Yeah. Did they give him, like, narcotics to help him?

[C]

No, they didn't. But the surgery is a lot easier recovery the younger you are. So probably by day, I don't know, 9, 10. He was doing pretty well.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

But I've heard for adults, it can take a month before you're really feeling back to normal.

[A]

This was really something, like, not a thing she did lightly. Obviously, it's that kind of a big deal, but she just was getting sick so often and getting tonsillitis so often, and actually the last time ended up in the hospital to get IV antibiotics to try to get rid of it. So she was like, I'm getting rid of these tonsils. You know, they came out and, you know, yesterday she said something like, I can feel the scabs rubbing against my throat, I think she said. And. But she hasn't spoken. Like she's whispered a couple of words in the last day or two, but I haven't heard her speak in, like a week.

[C]

Oh, poor thing.

[A]

Yeah, it's. It's pretty terrible. So she's at the point where you have to set an alarm to take the next dose of medicine before the pain starts. And if you. If she's like, if it doesn't do that, it's just searing pain. And then that pain reflects, I guess, radiates to your ear. I guess there's a nerve in your. I. This is what I'm understanding. There's a nerve in your throat. And so not only do you have all the throat pain, but you have, like she said, it feels like we've been talking through whiteboard a lot. And she's like, you know when you use a Q tip and it goes all the way to the back and slips in and you get that, like, searing poke pain? She's like, that's what it feels like the whole time. And.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, gosh. So your. Your son didn't talk about that way.

[C]

You know, he's seven, so his description was not very clear. He just really didn't eat for a long time. It took a really long time before he got back to eating well. Yeah, but he didn't really complain of a lot of pain. We just stayed up on Tylenol and ibuprofen, and it seemed like for him being a little kid, that that worked well enough for him.

[A]

Yeah, no, this is probably something we should have done earlier. We just didn't. I mean, honestly, in hindsight, we didn't really know. It wasn't as bad when she was Younger, but yeah, it's pretty, pretty bad. Anyway, sorry. It was a good, good way for me to get some information about that. Okay, Toby. So camp was awesome. Ope is awesome. Obviously I must be like a hero in that house type, right? What else did I buy you guys? You better hope I give a car away one day. Be awesome, right? You guys will be like, oh, we won the car too. But what else was on your list.

[B]

To talk about breakthrough T1D?

[A]

Yeah, whatever you want to talk about. You came ready with a list. So tell me what you want to say.

[B]

So breakthrough T1D is a research facility and they have been a huge part in my life. And I'd be thinking a whole bunch of other kids life as well. When I was diagnosed then they had already. They gave me a stuffed animal called Rufus. It's a bear, probably a foot. It's like a stuffed bear. He wears a shirt and has like poke sites on his hand.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And then the rest of his body just covered up with it with like shot sites and all that stuff.

[A]

I don't have a Rufus, but I do have. I got to give some credit here to Medtronic. Like check out this lion. Isn't that great? Yeah, yeah, that's from Medtronic. I got that at Friends for Life. I actually brought it home with me because I was like, this is a nice stuffed animal. I don't know what I'm going to do with it. I think he's just going to sit on my desk. You just reminded me that he's been on the floor next to my desk for a week and I haven't done anything with him, so I'll have to move him. So when you're diagnosed, somebody came to the hospital, gave you like a gift basket or something like that. It had Rufus in it and other things. And that was from Breakthrough T1D?

[B]

Yeah, I got some. I got a backpack for it for my medical stuff. A few books.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

Some other stuff. Yeah.

[A]

And that made you feel how? How? Like when you got that stuff.

[B]

Relieved that people like understood what it, what type one really is.

[A]

It was nice to know that somebody understood what you were going through.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What were you going through?

[B]

A lot of emotions.

[A]

Yeah. Tell me.

[B]

Really scared when I got my first insulin injection because I mean no 10 year old kid likes getting shots every time they eat.

[A]

Yeah, sure.

[B]

And poking their finger with needles every day.

[A]

So you were scared of the pokes, the needles, stuff like that. And understanding that you weren't by yourself, like alone, that other people knew about this was. Was valuable.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And that's the thing you felt on your own. Not a thing your mom told you or somebody explained to you. You. You felt like that.

[B]

I just felt like that.

[A]

Yeah. Once you get out of the hospital, you're pretty young, right? Do you understand how to count carbs? Like, what is it? Like, what's your part in diabetes and what's your mom's part in diabetes, Your dad's part in it when you're coming out of the hospital?

[B]

My only part for the first two, three months was being able to poke my finger on my own, doing all my stuff, just managing my blood sugar at camp. Camp actually just kind of forced me to be able to change my Dexcom on my own.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But I've been able to change my omnipotent on my own for, like, two, three months now. Camp has been something that has just, like, brought that to me. Like, it's like, I can't not do it. Like, they're making me do it. I have to do it.

[A]

So you were able to change your CGM at camp for the first time?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Awesome, man. Congratulations. That's really cool. How did it feel? Were you proud of yourself?

[B]

Yeah, but I did not do it again yet.

[A]

So you did it at camp, but when you came home, you're like, okay, listen, you guys can get back to doing this. I'm not going to do it for now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Tell me why. What about it? I mean, are you scared of it? Is it just an extra thing you don't want to do? What's the feeling?

[B]

I'm scared of it because, like, I mean, what kid would want to stab a needle into their skin just by pushing a button? It's literally like a millimeter thick needle. So.

[A]

But does it hurt?

[B]

I mean, depends on where you put it. If it hits like a nerve, yes, for sure it hurts.

[A]

Okay. And that happens sometimes.

[B]

Sometimes it happens, but it did not happen when I did it there.

[A]

What's the difference between you pushing the button and your mom pushing the button?

[B]

I don't have to hesitate about pushing. My mom just does it.

[A]

Because she's not gonna feel it if it hits a nerve, right?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

She's like, whatever. Do you think that's how it feels to her? She's like, whatever or no, no, she cares, Right? Yeah, yeah, of course. So. But do you not have the same feeling about putting on the pod? Like, couldn't the pod hit a nerve or hurt more or less one time to the next?

[B]

The omnipod just Shoots itself in. All I have to do is push a button and then just clicks a few times, and then it puts it in on its own. So I don't have to push the button to inject the needle on its own.

[A]

Right, okay, so. Because you're. But you are pushing a button on your phone, right?

[B]

Yeah, but it's not like I'm pushing it onto my skin and then pushing the button.

[A]

I see. And so it helps that the omnipod's already on. And do you pinch when you put omnipod on? Do you, like, gather up a little skin?

[B]

I actually grab onto the outside of the omnipod and just pull up a tiny bit. Yeah, because for some reason that helps it, because nerves are usually closer to the surface. So then sometimes that would just make it not hit as many nerves.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So it's like every 10 Omnipod changes, I hit a nerve or something like that.

[A]

How do you find the clicking? Because it clicks. Right. And it's not always the same number of clicks.

[B]

Yeah. So what I know is that's four through nine clicks.

[A]

It's gonna come somewhere between four through nine. Do you ever. Like, when it gets to nine, are you ever like, wow, this is taking forever?

[B]

Sometimes.

[A]

And you know what's happening when it injects, when it puts the cannula in. You know how it does it, Right?

[B]

Yeah. Just twists a knob, and that unlocks the needle, and then there's a spring in there that pulls it back in.

[A]

So you know there's a needle in the omnipod. Yeah, but you don't care about that one. No. Interesting.

[B]

I don't know why.

[A]

And you did. And you did it fine at camp. Yes, because peer pressure, like, the good kind of peer pressure. You felt like everybody else is doing it. I should do it too.

[B]

No, I've just been. I've been changing the omnipod before. I've had either of my camps. I went to Wisconsin's line camp as well.

[A]

Right. But I'm saying the Dex Comic camp, you did it once.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

They like. Were they like, hey, everybody does their own thing? Or did. Was it like you saw everybody doing it? You thought, well, I should try it too?

[B]

I just kind of was like, yeah, I don't. I'm not 100% comfortable with people at camp doing it. I mean, they're called. They're college kids. So.

[A]

Brianna, is this a control thing for Toby? Is he. You think?

[C]

It absolutely is. So Toby is very particular about how everything gets put on his body. So he Likes me to change his pods. He tolerates his dad putting on his pods and pretty much rest of the situations, he wants to put it on himself. So at school with grandma, he wants to do it himself.

[A]

I got you. So Toby, you were at that camp and you're like, I'm not letting these nudniks do this. They're college kids. I'll have to handle it myself. Yeah, yeah, I see. Okay. Well, that makes sense to me. That makes complete sense to me, actually. What else is on that list there?

[B]

I have two more things, so I'm going to just save school for last. Food choices. It somewhat forced me to eat somewhat healthier because let's say you drink like a regular soda like every day or something. My blood sugar would just spike. So then I limit myself for like every once in a while to a diet soda or a sugar free.

[A]

Okay, how do you find them to be versus the regular one?

[B]

Regular spikes my blood sugar. Diet or zero sugar. If it affects, it's maybe five, 10 points.

[A]

What about the taste though? Do you prefer one over the other?

[B]

Depends on how I'm feeling. I'm. I'm usually drinking more Diet Coke or Pepsi.

[A]

Okay. But you. But before diabetes you drank regular soda.

[B]

Yeah. Like root beer and Sprite.

[A]

I love that you said root beer. Thank you for doing a Wisconsin thing. You know that you said root beer.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

My brother lives out there with you people in the Kansan, so he didn't used to say words like that, but he does now sometimes. Can you say roof for me, please?

[B]

Roof?

[A]

Yeah. That's the thing on top of your house?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

What is it called?

[B]

A roof.

[A]

What does a dog say?

[B]

Roof.

[A]

And if your hands have like stones on them, they are like when somebody works real hard and their hands get rough. Say that word, rough. So it's rough. Ruff. Rough.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Excellent. Have you ever been ice fishing?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I know you have. Don't worry, I understand the whole thing. I know what's going on up there. Do you think the packers are awesome?

[B]

Depends. Last year they weren't the best.

[A]

They definitely weren't. You miss Aaron Rodgers in the time when you guys were great.

[B]

No.

[A]

No. You don't like Aaron Rodgers?

[B]

Not really. Yeah, my dad does not for sure.

[A]

Your dad doesn't like him?

[B]

No.

[A]

Because of football or something else. Do you know?

[B]

Well, when he lost against the Chiefs before the super bowl, he just slammed his helmet down the ground.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Kind of rage quitting.

[A]

You think your dad. Your dad quit him too, in that moment.

[B]

Oh, he's just quit him overall because language and all too.

[A]

Oh, I see what you're saying. They don't like the guy in general. Do you guys? Have you ever been to a game?

[B]

I've been to three now.

[A]

Awesome. In the winter when it's freezing cold?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Doesn't bother you?

[B]

Nope.

[A]

No, not all. You live in a different place. Was Texas, like, did it feel like you were like, a whole world away, or did it not really make you feel like you were far from home?

[B]

After about three days, it just felt like it was normal. But when I came back, I was like, it's cold. It was like 75 or 80. And I was on a morning walk that day and I was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

[A]

Yeah, you didn't feel like a Wisconsinite anymore. You were like, wow, it's chilly out here.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You go for morning walks?

[B]

Yes, with my dog and with open. My other dog.

[A]

Nice. You take them with your parents or by yourself?

[B]

My mom usually goes with you.

[A]

Mom goes with you. Awesome. Are you doing it for exercise or doing it for the dogs?

[B]

Both.

[A]

Both? How else do you get exercise? Do you play sports or do anything like that?

[B]

Yeah, I do martial arts.

[A]

Oh, nice. What kind?

[B]

Taekwondo. Korean martial arts.

[A]

Very nice. That's awesome. What else am I not asking you? What did you want to talk about? About school and diabetes.

[B]

So with school, like, it might seem impossible just to go to school, but really I don't think it is. You just have to adjust to it. Like, as soon as you get, like, adjusted after the first week or two weeks, like, it doesn't feel like anything. When I first went to school and getting shots, I was like, what is this? Why am I living in this world? But then now it's like, it's nothing. Like, there's no big deal with it. I'll poke on my own. Oh, change my omnipod on my own if I need to.

[A]

Right. Do you read, Toby? Are you a reader?

[B]

Yeah, I read.

[A]

Yeah. What kind of books do you like?

[B]

Graphic novels. And every once in a while I'll read, like, National Geographic books.

[A]

Yeah. Do you know how I could tell you were a reader?

[B]

How?

[A]

You don't know?

[B]

No.

[A]

You use words that I wouldn't expect you to use at your age, so I figured you must have read them somewhere. You like reading, huh?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. That's awesome. Keep doing that. Okay. Don't get, like, 13 and think you're cool and stop reading. Yeah, keep reading. That'd be great. What do you enjoy doing at school? What's your favorite subject?

[B]

Either science or math.

[A]

Okay. Do you have any idea what you want to do when you're an adult?

[B]

Probably neuroscience.

[A]

Oh, just some neuroscience.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. That's awesome. What, do your parents do something like that for work?

[B]

No, no, my mom. I can't remember. What are you Mom?

[C]

I work in special education administration and dad is a teacher.

[A]

Oh, you guys are teachers. That's awesome. And when you're mad at your husband, do you yell Gustafson at him?

[C]

Not usually.

[A]

Could you please do it for me one day?

[C]

Sure. Someday, just for you. I'll think of you when I do it, I swear.

[A]

Like in outrage. Just yell the name and then just throw your hands up there and walk away. Don't even give it any context. Be. Just be gone. Toby, do you have obviously friends, right?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. Do you talk to them about your diabetes?

[B]

Trusted friends? Yes.

[A]

Okay, so inner circle people, people who are close with you.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

What do they know about it? Like if you got low, could they help you? Did they understand any of that?

[B]

Yeah. So one of my friends mom is a cancer nurse, so she knows like all the doctoring things with all of it because she went through every single thing of the TR training. So she knows like the doctor training and like, she knows how to help with my blood sugar as well.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I ate at my friend's house and I had dosed there because I was going to his little brother's basketball game.

[A]

And you felt comfortable around her because she was a nurse?

[B]

I feel comfortable around most of my friends parents because, like, they're adults that understand, but some of them don't fully understand it.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

My neighbors for sure understand.

[A]

Okay. You carry glucagon with you?

[B]

Yes, I do.

[A]

Which one do you carry?

[B]

I cannot remember. I think it starts with a T. It's a nasal spray.

[A]

Oh, back to me.

[B]

It starts with a T now.

[C]

Yeah, it's that one. You're right.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yep.

[A]

Back Simmy with a T. Taximmy.

[B]

I thought you said back simmy.

[A]

I did.

[C]

That's what it is, babe.

[A]

I'm just agreeing with you because you're wrong and I was trying to make you feel good because you're young.

[B]

I was like. I was like, what?

[C]

Huh?

[A]

It's a B. It's backsimmi.

[B]

I know, just sounds so weird. It's a T, but, huh.

[A]

It's not a T. Okay? You're. You're just misremembering it, that's all. When you go look, you'll be like, oh, it is baximi. Although my favorite thing is that people. Some people call it back Squeamy. I don't know. It's such a funny thing. I don't know. You know what I mean, Toby? Like, if I said to you it's called back Squeamy, wouldn't you think that's probably not what it's called? It's a weird word. Who would make that word up, right?

[B]

I don't know. I don't know what I'd say.

[A]

Yeah, I gotcha. Movies, television. What do you like?

[B]

If I watch movies, I'd probably watch, like, Marvel movies.

[A]

Did you see Superman?

[B]

No.

[A]

Did you want to?

[B]

Whole bunch of people, all my friends and a whole bunch of, like, all of my friends who watched it had said that it's a. It's like, not. It's nothing like what it. They made it sound like they didn't like it. No, it's like nothing. What it looks like at the beginning or sounds like.

[A]

I don't know. I enjoyed it, though. We had a good time. Now, I have not seen Fantastic Four yet, but. Have you seen that?

[B]

No, but I have seen one of the Fantastic Four movies.

[A]

Okay. Okay. Well, yeah, I mean, you guys can't afford to go do that. Your mom used up a lot of money living in Texas for five days. By the time you pulled out of Texas, did you say to yourself, like, I'm glad I did this, but I didn't need to, or were you happy you did it and thought it was a good idea?

[C]

I am still happy that I did it. I think it was the right amount of time. I now feel like staying for the full 18 days would have been crazy, so I'm glad my husband talked me out of that.

[A]

The right thing for you, is that what you're saying?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It would have been too jarring for you to just be like, hey, get out of here, you crazy kid, and then just leave?

[C]

Yeah, it was too far away.

[A]

I got, you know, I completely understand. Would he have flown? If that wasn't a consideration, would one of you just jumped on a plane with him, taking him there, pushed him off the plane and gotten back on and come home? Like, if you did it again.

[C]

We're more of a road trip family, though. Toby and his dad did fly home, but, yeah, if it was closer to us, then we probably would have just ditched him. That's what we did for the Wisconsin Lions camp. We drove him there, dropped him off, drove home. But we knew we were only a couple hours away in case something came up.

[A]

I Don't know exactly where you live and I'm not asking, but like, from my brother, I know you have to fly into one airport and like, don't you have to go to a small airport to fly to an international airport to fly out? Like, isn't that the whole problem with Wisconsin?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Typically you drive down to Chicago or fly into Chicago first.

[A]

Is there like a mid. Mid something airport? Midland? Mid. I can't think of it now.

[C]

Yeah, I think that's further north than us.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[C]

But I can't remember the name of it either.

[A]

I'm so accustomed. Toby, what do you got?

[B]

I mean, we live in the Madison area, so it's not as far away from Chicago.

[A]

Yeah. By the. By the school.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You guys probably live incredibly close to where my brother lives, actually.

[B]

Oh. Like 20 minutes away from Madison.

[A]

Yeah. I was only out there once. I don't know what lake flies are exactly, but they were horrifying.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Yeah, they're.

[B]

They're terrible. Up in. Up in the Up.

[A]

I love. What's the up?

[B]

Lake Michigan area A little bit further up.

[A]

It's funny, like, could you say things that my sister in law says? Like you said the Dells earlier and I was like, I've heard my sister in law say that. Then you just said the up. I was like, I've heard that too. I don't know anything about it. I just. These are just words that I've heard.

[C]

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

[A]

That's what it stands for.

[C]

Up. Yep.

[A]

Yeah, I would definitely call it up. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is not. Not a sexy name for anything. Toby, what do you not understand about diabetes that you're hoping to get as a skill? And can you tell me one thing your mom does great about your diabetes and one thing you wish you would do differently?

[B]

One thing that I for sure don't understand is why.

[A]

Why you have diabetes?

[B]

No, just like why in general.

[A]

Tell me. Make that a bigger question. Why what?

[B]

Why is it a thing? How is it a thing? How did this all start and all that stuff?

[A]

Oh, so not even to you, but just in general. You'd love to know why. Why anybody has diabetes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Why it even happened in the first place.

[A]

Right. Do you have any other medical issues or do other people in your family have any other issues?

[B]

My mom will be able to explain that with autoimmune diseases.

[A]

Good.

[B]

It's more on her side.

[A]

Go ahead, Brandon. We found something you're okay to talk about. Go ahead.

[C]

I guess it's my Turn. Toby's dad's side of the family has nothing. They have beautiful health. My side is a hot mess express. So both on my mom and dad's side, there's a lot of autoimmune issues. Both Toby and his brother have something called pandas.

[A]

Oh, that's. Yeah, I know what that is.

[C]

Okay. Yeah. So basically, when they get strep throat, then it causes behavioral changes, tics, things like that, which. That's an autoimmune disease I have had. When I was in college, I had something called ITP or immune thrombocytopenia. Caused my platelets to get attacked by my body, and so my blood was not able to clot. And then I have colitis along with both of Toby's grandparents on my side and then his grandma and aunts, and on my ma, like my grand. My mom and Toby's aunt and two relatives on my dad's side all have rheumatoid arthritis. We've got a little hypothyroidism, some lupus.

[A]

What do you guys like? English, Irish, German? Like that mix?

[C]

More like Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish.

[A]

A little more in that direction. Okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

All right.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

So a whole bunch.

[C]

But there's a lot of autoimmune, so. Yeah, it's my fault. I get. I take the credit for it.

[A]

Well, it's nobody's fault, but it. Yeah.

[B]

Last name is more Swedish.

[A]

Yeah, No, I mean, it's. It's great. It's incredible. Like, you really are like out of a comic book. Is that a common name, by the way?

[C]

Gustafson?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Oh, no, I don't think it's super common. I don't think there are any other Gustafsons that Toby goes to school with.

[A]

Gotcha. Okay, well, so. Okay, so there's a fair amount of autoimmune on your. Your. Both sides of your family.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Okay. And do you brand the thing you have? Is that a thing you struggle with to this day, or is it a thing that's been managed?

[C]

Well, no. So I haven't had any issues with my platelets since I was in college.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

They don't really know what caused it, but it is an autoimmune issue, so that's resolved.

[A]

Okay, well, that's good. Okay, so, Toby, what's the thing? Your mom's awesome at. At diabetes a lot. She's good at a lot of it.

[B]

It's like a whole, whole bunch of stuff.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

More than I can probably list. She could probably list them all.

[A]

We don't need her. Listen, Toby, this, this episode is for one thing and only. It's the highlight what a good guy I am and that you've won a dog and a trip to camp. I'm just, I'm teasing you. Wait, we don't need anybody else getting credit during this hour. Okay. But no, your mom's good at a lot of stuff. Is that right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's cool. So you feel very lucky that she's thinking about it and involved and everything?

[B]

Yes, very much.

[A]

That's awesome. Is there anything she does or doesn't understand that you wish was different? This is your chance. You could, you can get something straightened out.

[B]

Not that I can think of at the very moment.

[A]

That's awesome. Isn't that great, Brianna, to hear that you're awesome at this?

[C]

Yeah, I was really nervous to hear his response.

[A]

I was too, a little bit actually. Actually, when I asked, I was like, why don't I ask more people this question? This is a great question. But you're happy?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. Brianna, what's a thing you wish you were a little more adept at?

[C]

Oh, I feel like how to manage blood sugars when you eat trashy food. That's something we're still working on of getting that just right. You know when you eat pizza or pasta or Chinese food. For sure.

[B]

Mom, you should tell the story about like when we had cookies at the neighbor's house.

[C]

Oh yeah, that was really bad. So we frequently have Saturday night dinner with one of our neighbors families and we had dinner at their house and you know, we're guessing the carb count. We don't know for sure, but we're taking a rough estimate. And so we dose them for dinner, ate dinner. Then they had gotten some cookies from a bakery for dessert and we used ChatGPT. We weighed the cookie and put that into ChatGPT based on the type of cookie and used that as our carb count and Toby's. When we were picking up to go home, Toby's blood sugar, his alarm went off. His little alarm went off. So he was below 75. So I think. Did we give you a juice, maybe something? We treated it there, had him help clean up and then we're walking home and he was just being so goofy. His body was all over the place and he was like, I can't walk. And he was just being so silly and he hadn't ever had a really severe low before that. So we didn't know what, what that looked like for him. As soon as we got home, which we lived Two houses from them. We did a finger poke and I think he was maybe 32. Oh, something like that. Super low.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And so then I just threw.

[B]

I went into the 20s after that.

[C]

Did you?

[B]

That could be it. I was still conscious.

[C]

Yeah. It could have been high 20s, but. So we gave him a bunch more sugar and he actually didn't feel awful until after. He was already starting to come back up, but that was super scary. And we're a little more cautious about our dosing when we don't know our carb count.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Kind of sunset experience.

[A]

How much do you remember how many carbs it thought the cookie was?

[C]

Oh, I have no idea. I feel like it was 50 plus though.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[C]

Yeah, it was a big cookie cookie.

[A]

I have to say. And I've only been to Wisconsin one time and I'm not painting with too broad of a brush here, but I had trouble eating well in Wisconsin. I don't think it's Wisconsin exactly, but like I was there for a number of days, always in a restaurant, like, you know, didn't have an opportunity for like home cooked food because what we were there for and a lot of stuff, a lot of the offerings were like greasy or deep fried or like fatty or that kind of thing. And I was like, wow, like this is hard. I found myself thinking, I wonder how people who have diabetes like manage this. I also would say that like, you know, non diet drinks were prevalent. You know, like it was harder to find a diet iced tea at places. It was, you know, sugar free iced tea. It was. I had that vibe of like when you drive south down the eastern seaboard, usually right around North Carolina, you start having trouble finding just diet soda. Even like at a gas station. It just becomes very, I guess just, I don't know, geographic about how people eat generally speaking. I know Brianna, you listen to the podcast. Like, I'm stunned. Like when. I know that sounds crazy, but like when, when a 10 year old says to me, like, I drink soda, like that throws me for a loop. But I know everybody drinks soda, but it's just a thing. I don't know, it just in a million years I wouldn't do like not soda in general. Like soda with sugar in it. Like before diabetes even. It just seems, it seems insane to me. But I know that that's not uncommon for most places and people and everything like that. I don't know how you handle something like that. I've never, never in my life tried to bolus for that.

[C]

Yeah, we don't have soda in Our house, and we never did, even before diabetes. But when he goes and visits grandparents, they have soda there or occasionally if we go out to a restaurant. So that has been a switch. I don't think we've ever tried to bolus for a regular soda. I don't feel like Toby has had a regular soda since he's been diagnosed.

[B]

What about Denmark? Remember in Denmark how that pizza place messed up and got me just a regular Coke and that spiked me into, like, three hundreds?

[A]

Yeah, but you weren't. Your mom's saying you weren't trying to, like. I don't think I couldn't do it. Like, I can bolus for, like. Arden went on a boba tea kick for a while, and we figured that out. So that's got to be similar. It's a very sugary drink. She was having one of those, like, every week for a little while. She's like, I'm gonna get boba tea. And I'm like, okay, this must be awesome. I haven't tried it because it's got, like, balls floating it. Do you know what it is? Have you ever seen it?

[B]

Yes, I've seen them.

[A]

Yeah, you drink. Have you ever had it?

[B]

Yeah, I've gotten one from Icky Sticky.

[A]

Are the balls weird when you drink them?

[B]

Oh, no. It's hard to say. Usually I save them for last and I pop them in my mouth.

[A]

I gotcha. I don't think I could do that. Maybe I'll try the next time. She gets it. Okay.

[B]

If you get it, like a fruity flavor, they're not as bad.

[A]

Yeah, the fruity flavors aren't as good.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But, like, the bread ones are really weird overall.

[A]

Let me finish with this, Toby. Do you want to go back to camp again?

[B]

Very much.

[A]

You do? You enjoyed it that much? Gotcha. Did you make friends a lot? People you're keeping in touch with now that you're home?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That's awesome, too. Tell people one reason why they should consider going to diabetes camp.

[B]

You get to make new friends and meet people your age with diabetes. There's a whole bunch of activities that you can do. They give you the carbs that you do. You can just, like, literally, there's no such thing as diabetes. Besides trading lows, trading highs, poking and putting on your stuff. Otherwise, like, you don't even have to watch your sugars or anything.

[A]

Okay. Kind of like a little vacation, basically.

[B]

Just like, you don't have to even watch anything. So they'll watch your blood sugar. They'll watch your. Watch when you need to change your stuff and all that.

[A]

Yeah. And Brianna, they give you a different phone when you get there at Sweeney, right?

[C]

Yeah, that's true. So as soon as we arrived to camp with Toby, they assigned him a camp phone. They turned off all of his follow stuff. They changed his password so we couldn't creep on him even if we wanted to.

[B]

I could, though.

[A]

And it's part of their system. Right. I don't completely remember how it was explained to me, but they can track all the phones. Is that how it works?

[C]

Yes. So Toby shared that his counselor had his Follow app, so his counselor was able to follow him. And then at nighttime, the med staff had the counselor's phone, so then they followed the kids.

[A]

I see. And, Toby, did you miss your phone for 18 days or you didn't mind that you didn't have it?

[B]

I didn't really ever use the phone in the first place, so.

[A]

Okay, you don't use it for other things.

[B]

Right now, driving and reading? I use Libby.

[A]

Okay. And then you have games on your phone.

[B]

Yeah, but I don't use them as often as I do with, like, Libby Prodigy, which is a math game.

[A]

Okay. What's Libby?

[B]

Libby is a book app where you can rent books from your public library, and then, like, there are holds on it, too, just in case other people have them, because there's not an infinite amount of the books.

[A]

Interesting. Oh, I'm looking right now. Libbyapp.com.

[B]

Cool.

[A]

Brianna, why is he such a good kid? Has he always been like this?

[C]

He is. He's so bright and so fun. We enjoy him. We're so lucky to have Toby.

[A]

Aw, Toby, your parents love you. Isn't that nice?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, I think everyone's parents love them.

[A]

Yeah, I think so, too. I really do. How about your brother? Who's the better kid, you or him?

[B]

Depends.

[A]

Depends.

[B]

Very much depends.

[A]

All right, well, I rule your day. Today could be different than tomorrow.

[B]

Today, Me, Today's.

[A]

Well, you're on a podcast. You never know.

[B]

It could change.

[A]

Yeah, it probably will. Don't worry. Well, I really appreciate you guys doing this. I want to make sure. Is there anything that we haven't talked about that we should have?

[B]

I don't have anything.

[A]

You're good, Mom.

[C]

Yeah, I think I'm good, too. Thank you.

[A]

Awesome. No, it's my pleasure. I can't wait for you guys to win the next giveaway.

[C]

We'll take a break from applying.

[A]

No, I mean, why? At this point, it's awesome. Like, just hundreds of people. Like, I'm not kidding. Right? Like, hundreds and hundreds of people are like, oh, my God, I want to win the thing. The list goes on forever and ever and ever. And it's just you've won, like, two. Pretty cool. I mean, not for nothing, but what do you think it saved you? What was the cost of the camp had you had to pay it out of pocket?

[C]

5,000. Yeah.

[A]

Five grand.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. I'm getting a Christmas card. Right, Toby, Something. Something's going to come to the house at the holidays for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Send me some of that Wisconsin popcorn that's dipped in the caramel.

[B]

Yeah, but the dog, that's like 50 grand.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[C]

That might be a slight exaggeration.

[A]

Brianna, Brianna, let me have at least 15. Brian, can I just have this for a minute? Brianna, I've saved your family $55,000 is what I'm hearing.

[C]

I think you deserve more than a Christmas card.

[A]

Toby's going to college on me. It sounds like. This is awesome. All right, well, I'm. I mean, Toby, is there anything nice you want to say about me right now? There's no pressure at all that my.

[B]

Parents really do like your podcast episodes, and my mom has listened to almost every single one published. I'm super happy she's coming up on that.

[A]

I'm very happy. It's. It's been valuable for you, and it has. Brianna, you're learning through the podcast.

[C]

Oh, absolutely. I feel like we've learned so much more through the podcast than we've learned anywhere else. And as a result, Toby's A1C is 6.0. And that is absolutely because of what we've learned from the podcast.

[A]

Toby, good job, man. That's a lot of hard work. Good for you. Seriously, really well done, man. That's awesome. Yeah. Listen, I'm feeling pretty good about this right now. I feel like. I mean, 55,000 in Wisconsin, that's like $7 million, isn't it?

[C]

Practically, yeah.

[A]

Is it cheaper to live in Wisconsin than other places?

[C]

Probably, compared to some places. It also depends where you live in Wisconsin.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

I just figured in the north, I.

[A]

Think I just figured if you had to put up with that much cold, it has to be cheaper. That's what I thought.

[C]

I mean, it should be.

[A]

I mean, honestly.

[B]

Yeah. Compared to Norway, it's a lot cheaper. Norway is terrible.

[A]

Wait, Norway, like, across the ocean Norway?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Not like there's not a place in Wisconsin called Norway.

[C]

Well, there is a place in the up Called Norway.

[A]

Is there really?

[C]

Yeah, but that is definitely cheaper. Than where we live in Wisconsin. But he's talking about Norway. We went on a family vacation to Europe last summer.

[A]

Oh. Oh. I feel like maybe I paid for that then. That's awesome. I feel like I sent you to Norway and that where you got the pizza with the bad soda might have.

[B]

Been, but I think it might have been Denmark.

[A]

Denmark? Denmark.

[C]

They make pizza in Denmark with French fries on it.

[A]

Was it any good?

[C]

What'd you think of?

[B]

I liked it.

[A]

Do you guys have, like. Like, mom and Pop pizza there or if you go to get pizzas at like, Domino's or Pizza Hut or something like that?

[B]

I don't know, actually. I can't remember. I think it's like. I think it's like single restaurants. Like, it's not a big business. Just like, one small place.

[A]

Gotcha. Hey, do you guys go to that farmer's market that's in the middle of town in the summer? Am I just saying something random or am I saying something, you know about?

[C]

Yeah, the Madison Farmer's Market. That goes around the Capitol.

[A]

Yeah. Like, they do, like, they kind of close off a few streets there and there's vendors and everything.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

You do that. Yeah, I've been to that.

[B]

I mean, there's a lot of stuff.

[A]

Toby, let me have it for a second. All right, Just give it to me. Say, wow, that's amazing. I can't believe you've been to a farmer's market near my house. We don't live anywhere near each other. That crazy. Yeah, I was trying to connect. Toby, you really ruined it at the end. It's okay. Thank you so much, guys. Hold on one second for me, okay? The conversation you just heard was sponsored by Touched by Type 1. Check them out, [e-mail] on Instagram and Facebook. You're going to love them. I love them. They're helping so many people. @touchedbytype1.org this episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by Omnipod5. Omnipod5 is a tube free automated insulin delivery system that's been shown to significantly improve A1C and time and range for people with type 1 diabetes when they've switched from daily injections. Learn more and get started today@ omnipod.com juicebox at my link. You can get a free starter kit right now. Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found@ omnipod.com Juicebox Are you tired of getting a rash from your CGM adhesive? Give the Eversense 365 a try. Eversensecgm.com Juicebox Beautiful silicone that they use. It changes every day, keeps it fresh. Not only that, you only have to change the sensor once a year. So I mean, that's better. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juicebox Podcast. If you're not already subscribed or following the podcast in your favorite audio app like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, please do that now. Seriously, just to hit, follow or subscribe will really help the show. If you go a little further in Apple Podcasts and set it up so that it downloads all new episodes, I'll be your best friend. And if you leave a five star review, ooh, I'll probably send you a Christmas card. Would you like a Christmas card? If you're looking for community around type 1 diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast. Private Facebook Group juice box podcast type 1 diabetes but everybody is welcome. Type 1 type 2 gestational loved ones it doesn't matter to me. If you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort or community, check out Juice Box podcast type 1 diabetes on Facebook. The episode you just heard was professionally edited by wrong way recording wrongwayrecording.com.