#1655 Bain’s Mom Marlee (TikTok) - Part 1

Summary

Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1655 – Bain’s Mom Marlee (TikTok) – Part 1
Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Marlee (Mom to 1-year-old type 1 diabetic, Bain)
Date: October 17, 2025

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Overview

This engaging episode features Marlee, known online for her TikTok account documenting daily life with her toddler, Bain, as they navigate his type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Marlee and host Scott Benner (who also has a child diagnosed with type 1) dive into the early warning signs, harrowing diagnosis, learning the ropes of diabetes management, and the power of online community support. Their conversation is packed with candor, relatability, and both emotional and practical insights for families dealing with young children and type 1 diabetes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Marlee and Bain's Story

• Marlee introduces herself as mom to Bain, a one-year-old diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and notes their popular presence on TikTok and Instagram ([00:14], [02:35]).
• Bain was diagnosed just 5 days after his first birthday, brought to the ER for unexpected lethargy and vomiting—ultimately in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and coma ([03:34]-[05:09]).
  • "Five days after his first birthday...it was horrible." - Marlee ([03:54])

2. Early Symptoms & Misdiagnosis

• Looking back, Marlee recognizes symptoms like excess thirst, heavy urination, and increased fussiness, but at the time, these were attributed to normal toddler behaviors ([06:16]-[07:26]).
  • “...He was always peeing out of his diapers...People just were like, that’s what boys do...” - Marlee ([05:43]-[06:16])
• The acute episode escalated quickly from lethargy to vomiting and heavy breathing—classic but little-known diabetic symptoms for infants.

3. The Diagnosis Experience

• Bain was first misdiagnosed with a double ear infection but rapidly deteriorated; at the hospital, the doctor abruptly announced, "your son's got diabetes," which left Marlee both shocked and hurt ([09:14]).
  • “Honestly, it was kind of hurtful to me. He walked in, it was like, 'your son's got diabetes.' Like, that's exactly how he said it...” - Marlee ([09:14])
• Marlee describes feelings of guilt and confusion, wondering what she could have done wrong despite her efforts to be the “perfect mom” ([09:14]-[10:13]).
• Eventually, Bain was airlifted to a major children’s hospital due to the seriousness of his DKA ([10:13]-[11:11]).

4. Family Background & Genetics

• Marlee notes type 1 diabetes is present in her husband’s family, even if only in distant relatives ([12:02]-[12:13]).
• Host reassures that even distant family history matters with autoimmunity ([11:51]-[12:13]).

5. Emotional Fallout & Coping Mechanisms

• The diagnosis triggered intense emotions: guilt, helplessness, and uncertainty about Bain’s survival ([13:38]-[14:22]).
  • “...Is my child going to stay alive? How does this happen when I’m such a type A perfectionist...?" - Marlee ([13:38])
  • “There’s nothing you can do about it.” - Marlee ([14:22])
• Faith played a role—Marlee shares prayers for Bain’s survival during the medevac flight ([37:55]-[38:26]).
  • “...God, if you're real, you will save my baby, and I will do...anything you need me to be. Like, I just need you to save my baby.” - Marlee ([38:03])

6. Hospital Stay, Education, and Aftermath

• Bain spent ~3 days in Pediatric ICU, two of which he was essentially comatose ([17:03]-[17:47]).
• Marlee and her husband received a crash course in insulin dosing, carb counting, and diabetes math—which felt overwhelming, especially given the rarity of infant diagnosis ([17:47]).
  • “...I'm supposed to draw this insulin? He's getting one unit of Lantus. Like, I can't even find one unit on this insulin pen.” - Marlee ([17:47])
• Moving from ICU to the education floor felt like being transferred from “the nicest hotel to the crappiest hotel”—the system wasn’t tailored to such a young case ([17:47]).

7. Challenges with Infant Diabetes Management

• The “Diapers and Diabetes” Facebook group became Marlee’s essential resource ([24:43]-[25:21]).
  • “That Facebook group saved me, like, truly.” - Marlee ([24:56])
• Insurance hurdles: Many diabetes tools aren’t cleared for infants, requiring off-label prescriptions and persistent advocacy ([25:21]-[26:01]).
• The return home was traumatic: Marlee felt “traumatized by even giving your kid food,” all while fighting insurance and learning dosing ([25:25]-[25:46]).
• Responsibility and marital strain: Both Marlee and Scott discuss their families’ “bubble” responses, focusing on just enduring and absorbing the workload emotionally ([22:19]-[24:03]).
  • “You just put your head down and go...there's not a lot of time to, like, sit around and think about how you feel.” - Scott ([23:09])

8. Adjusting Careers and Home Life

• Marlee left her in-person SLP job immediately following diagnosis, moving to part-time teletherapy ([27:40]-[27:42]).
• Her husband continues to work from home as a server engineer ([26:13]).

9. Management Tools & Daily Realities

• Insulin delivery challenges: Half-unit syringes often still delivered too much; Marlee and Scott both devised creative methods to deliver microdoses ([29:26]-[30:29]).
• Constant finger pricks and injections (up to 13 shots/day) were the norm before transitioning to a pump ([33:06]-[33:08]).
  • “I was having to give him 13 shots a day...that's just too much.” - Marlee ([33:06]-[33:09])
• Switch to CGM (Dexcom) and finally, Tandem Mobi pump gave significant improvements in glycemic control and ease for the family ([30:32]-[34:27]).
  • “Those microdoses are just everything. Like, they truly are.” - Marlee ([34:27])

10. Impact on Family Planning & Future

• The diagnosis initially put having more children on hold due to the intensity of care required, but after a year, Marlee feels less fearful about managing another child ([35:43]-[36:37]).

11. Raising Awareness on Social Media

• Marlee’s viral TikTok (a Dexcom placement video) reached millions, exposing widespread misunderstanding about diabetes in infants and opening a channel for education ([44:03]-[44:35]).
  • "No one understood diabetes and toddlers." - Marlee ([44:10])
• Regular content includes both diabetes management and snippets from Bain’s daily life, contributing to wider community knowledge.
• The account now has over 128,000 followers and nearly 5 million likes ([46:49]-[47:05]).
• Marlee credits other diabetes families—and groups like Diapers & Diabetes and the Juicebox Podcast Facebook group—for guiding her journey ([45:46]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I think Bane truly would have done that because I've never seen...it was like a crack addict trying to get their drug. Like, that's literally what it looked like." – Marlee, describing Bain’s excessive thirst ([08:49])
• “When we got there, hundreds of people start coming in. They're talking to me like, 'Oh, my God, we never see 12-month-olds in DKA.' ...I'm feeling, like...a unicorn that has a horrible thing on her.” – Marlee ([13:16])
• “You don’t look at [toddler symptoms] as like, my baby's weird...you want them to be growing, you want them to be doing that type of stuff. So now that I know, yeah, he had all of them.” ([06:28])
• “I just felt...what did I do to deserve this?” – Marlee, grappling with blame and guilt ([13:38])
• "I was worried about myself. I was worried about our family in a hole. I was worried about Bane, obviously, continuing to live..." ([22:19])
• “Every time [the endo] would come in, she would let me know, like, he's going to be okay...he's going to be fine. He's just in a horrible state right now.” – Marlee on the supportive endo ([18:41]-[19:21])
• “That Facebook group saved me, like, truly.” – Marlee on Diapers and Diabetes ([24:56])
• “He needed those microdoses...” ([33:14])
• “People really love Bane. Like, they really do.” – Marlee, on the community that’s grown around their story ([47:38])
• “I will literally be anything you need me to be. Like, I just need you to save my baby.” – Marlee ([38:03])

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |---|---| | 00:14, 02:35 | Marlee introduction, social media background | | 03:34–05:09 | Bain’s diagnosis and DKA hospitalization | | 06:16–07:26 | Hindsight on symptoms and missed warning signs | | 09:14 | Abrupt diagnosis delivery by ER doctor | | 10:13–11:11 | Transfer and medevac to children's hospital | | 12:13 | Family history, genetics | | 13:38–14:22 | Emotional fallout, feelings of control, guilt, faith | | 17:03–18:34 | Pediatric ICU experience, crash course in diabetes care | | 22:19–24:03 | Family and marital strain during crisis | | 24:43–25:21 | Diapers & Diabetes Facebook group as a key resource | | 25:25–26:05 | Insurance and logistical hurdles for infant diabetes care | | 27:40–27:42 | Career and family adjustment post-diagnosis | | 29:26–30:29 | Microdosing insulin, resistance to standard syringes | | 33:06–34:27 | Burden of frequent injections, transition to pump | | 35:43–36:37 | Family planning, impact of diabetes on future decisions | | 44:03–44:35 | Viral TikTok and the public’s lack of awareness | | 46:49–47:05 | TikTok growth statistics | | 38:03 | Reliance on faith during airlift to hospital | | 13:16 | Feeling like a "unicorn" (rarity of infant DKA) |

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Conclusion

Marlee’s story—emotionally raw, practical, and bracingly honest—is a window into the complex world of managing type 1 diabetes in infants. The episode explores not just the tactical parts of disease management, but the invisible toll it takes on parents, the role of social support, and the unexpected reassurance of community and faith. With vivid anecdotes, actionable advice, and memorable humor, this episode is a must-listen for families, caregivers, or anyone seeking to better understand what it means to be “bold with insulin” from day one.

Listen to Episode #1656 for Part 2 of Marlee’s story.

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Find Marlee on TikTok: @marleebrandon
Join the Juicebox Podcast Facebook Group: “Juicebox Podcast Type 1 Diabetes”

(Note: All timestamps in MM:SS)

Transcript

[A]

Here we are back together again, friends, for another episode of the Juice Box Podcast.

[B]

Hey, my name is Marley. I have a type 1 diabetic 1 year old son named Bane and you may have seen us on TikTok or Instagram and now even Facebook. We just post our life as a family handling type 1 diabetes and our toddler son and just go with the flow and do whatever.

[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 Beginning 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 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 Beginnings series and all of the collections in the Juice Box Podcast are available in your audio app [e-mail] in the menu. Nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your healthcare plan. Summertime is right around the corner and Omnipod 5 is the only tube free automated insulin delivery system in the United States. Because it's tube free, it's also waterproof and it goes wherever you go. Learn more at my link omnipod.com juicebox that's right, Omnipod is sponsoring this episode of the podcast and at my link you can get a free starter kit. 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 usmed usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514 get your supplies the same way we do from usmed. The show you're about to listen to is sponsored by the Eversense365. The Eversense365 has exceptional accuracy over one year and is the most accurate CGM in the low range that you can get. Eversensecgm.com juicebox hey, my name is Marley.

[B]

I have a type 1 diabetic 1 year old son named Bain and and you may have seen us on TikTok or Instagram and now even Facebook, but we just post our life as a family handling type 1 diabetes and our toddler son and just go with the flow and do whatever.

[A]

All right, let's talk about that. How old was Bane also with Bane? Like, is that a Batman reference?

[B]

Actually not. My husband does love Batman and he actually told me that was a character in Batman, like probably three months after we decided we were going to name him that. And it's not spelled the same as Batman's. I don't believe.

[A]

Gotcha.

[B]

But it's just a name that I heard and I liked it and I thought it would be a strong name because of our last name. And it's just. I don't know. We love it.

[A]

Yeah, no, I do too, actually.

[B]

It's different.

[A]

Yeah, it is. It's very cool. So Bane is your first.

[B]

He is my first child, which is kind of traumatic that this happened as a first time mom. He was diagnosed at 12 months old. He had his first birthday and then five days later we were in DKA in the hospital being told that he has diabetes. And it was a whole thing.

[A]

Wow. Five days after his first birthday.

[B]

Yeah, it was horrible.

[A]

I imagine my daughter was a week or two after her second birthday and that was also crazy. So prior to that first birthday, did anything stick out to you as being sketchy, weird, Anything medical, really?

[B]

No. Like in hindsight, now that I know the symptoms and the Characteristics of type 1 diabetes, yes. But at that point, no, he's always been a very healthy child. He never really got sick. He's only gotten sick twice in his life. He had an anaphylactic reaction to eggs when he was 9 months, going on 10 months old. And then other than that, no, we had never noticed anything. Now, what made us take him to the er, he started having like that lethargic, heavy breathing. Then he. Then it started the vomiting and it just kind of really started to snowball within a few hours. And it got really bad. Where we were, my husband was like, we have to take him to the hospital. And we went and thinking they would tell us, like, he has the flu or he has RSV or, you know, normal things that normal babies have.

[A]

He was in dka, though.

[B]

Yeah, he was in DKA and in a diabetic coma. And they were like, your son has type 1 diabetes and you just never expect anybody to be told that, especially your infant son. And it was just. It hit home. It was horrible. Like, it truly was.

[A]

No, it's not one of the things you plan for when you're thinking about having a family, that's for sure.

[B]

No.

[A]

So he had the Kussmaul respirations. He was breathing really heavily and Then was that just for like the day and then the vomiting and then the hospital was. Did it all come like in a very close time period?

[B]

It did, like leading up, like I would say that week, three days before he got diagnosed, he was being grumpier than usual, kind of really tired. He always drank a lot. He was a big breastfeeder, he was big on water. He always was drinking. He's been like that since he was a newborn. He was just one of those type of babies. And then he also was always peeing out of his diapers and people just were like, that's what boys do, they just do that. So being a first time mom, you just don't think.

[A]

Tell me, Marlee, how long was the peeing out of the diapers going on for?

[B]

Probably, I would say at least a month or two.

[A]

Truly, I'm gonna guess that's your timeframe of onset to diagnosis.

[B]

Truly, now that I know things, now that I understand what the characteristics and the symptoms of type one are. Yeah, he was doing all of them. He was excessive thirst, he was excessive peeing. Then the vomiting came, the weight loss was there, all that stuff. But I feel like a lot of those symptoms go hand in hand with babies. And they want babies to have wet diapers. They want babies to start losing that chunky baby weight and transitioning to toddlers. When they're moving, they want you to, to be eating all the time. Like they want that. So you don't look at that as like, my baby's weird. He's doing something he's not supposed to do because you want them to be growing, you want them to be doing that type of stuff. So now that I know, yeah, he had all of them. Like he truly did. But until it became horrible, like that day, I would say eight hours, he went from like a grumpy, cutting teeth toddler to like, he can't keep his eyes open.

[A]

Right. And was he actually in a coma by the time you got to the hospital?

[B]

Yeah, he was. So what happened is we took him to the urgent clinic because it was like five o', clock, his pediatrician's office was closed. We took him to the urgent clinic. They were like, he has a double ear infection. We're going to give him a roceph and shot. So they gave him a shot. They made us sit there. It was his first ear infection he had ever had. They gave him the infection or the Rocephin shot, and they were like, sit here and we're going to monitor him to make sure you know, nothing happens from the shot. So we sit there. He starts vomiting on me, which was weird because I had never seen him throw up before other than the egg allergy prior. And so everything got good. He kind of got a little bit more perky, so he wasn't as lethargic at that point. And then we drove home. From the point where we got into the car and got home, he probably threw up six times. And when we got home, he was, like, grabbing water. He was trying to grab anything. And he's 12 months old. He came and walk at this point. Yeah, he's just grabbing it, guzzling it down, then projectile vomiting. That's when my husband was like, we're taking him to the ER right now. We're going right now. And we finally went in and.

[A]

Yeah, I interviewed an adult once that the story in their family was that she was diagnosed as a toddler. And when they finally figured out something was going on, they caught her drinking out of the toilet.

[B]

And I think Bane truly would have done that because I've never seen. It was like a crack addict trying to get their drug. Like, that's literally what it looked like.

[A]

Yeah. No, I imagine it was rabid.

[B]

He needed it.

[A]

Tell me something. When he's in. When they tell you he's comatose, like, what do they explain to you about the process and the outcomes they're hoping for and what might go wrong? Like, how do they explain all that to you?

[B]

So we live in a pretty small town in Mississippi. We do have a hospital. We have an emergency room. So we took him to that small hospital, and we probably were there. It felt like forever, but we were probably there 45 minutes. And the doctor, literally, they swabbed him, they chest X rayed him, whatever. The doctor walked in and he literally. Honestly, it was kind of hurtful to me. He walked in, it was like, your son's got diabetes. Like, that's exactly how he said it. And your mouth just drops. You look at him like, are you freaking kidding me? Like, are you serious? He has diabetes? What went through my head was like, how does my son get diabetes? I knew what type 1 was. I had a friend growing up in high school that had type one. My husband has relatives with type one. But I feel like my mind automatically went to type two. And like, how does my infant son have diabetes? He's only eating organic food. He's breastfed, head. Like, I've tried to be the perfect mom. How does this happen?

[A]

Right?

[B]

So when he walked in, he was like, I didn't realize, you know, how serious it was.

[A]

Yeah. Your head didn't jump to type one?

[B]

No.

[A]

Yeah, Right.

[B]

And he was like. He's in DKA and told me what DKA was. He was like, we're calling an ambulance. He's getting on an ambulance. And the first bed that opens up in an icu, you're going. So they called Le Bonner in Memphis. They called our hospital in Jackson. They called all the children's hospitals that were within four hours from us. And the first one that got a bed, we went to it, and the doctor came in. He was like, actually, your son is so bad, basically, that he's getting on a helicopter and we're airlifting him to the Batson.

[A]

They life flighted him. Huh? To where? Where did he go to?

[B]

We went to Children's of Mississippi, or also known as Batson's Children's Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. And praise God they let me get on the air or the helicopter with him, because I don't think I would have made it driving three hours from where we are to him. But, yeah, it was a whole thing.

[A]

No kidding. Hey, do you have any autoimmune issues? Hypothyroidism, celiac? You got any eczema vitiligo?

[B]

I don't. I do think my. We have went to every type of specialist known to man. For my husband, he gets chronic mouth ulcers, like, 12 at a time. He's had everything under the moon done. He's seen every kind of doctor possible. He's been tested for autoimmune. It never rings up that he has any autoimmune disorders, but I truly do think he probably does, and they just can't figure out what it is.

[A]

The type one's in his family line, though, so this is.

[B]

Yeah. So he has distant cousins with type one.

[A]

Yeah, that. I. I'm gonna tell you. I don't. It doesn't matter if they're distant or not. Like, it's autoimmune. Runs in his side of the family as type 1 diabetes. I don't think it's crazy that you're. That your son has it. So.

[B]

Yeah, I definitely think it was a genetic thing. It's all of the cousins he has on his grandmother's side. I think it's his second, third, and now some of his fourth cousins are all getting type 1 diabetes.

[A]

Wow. How about that? Which is insane, but it's the bane of their existence.

[B]

Yeah. Literally.

[A]

Yeah. By the way, there's so many titles just with your names, we could Easily call this bane of my existence. We could easily call this Marley and Me, because you and I are talking.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

There's. There's a thousand ways to go here, but we'll figure it out as we. As we head through. Okay. So you're. Can I ask how old you are when this happens?

[B]

I was 27.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

First child.

[A]

Young yourself. How long have you been married?

[B]

We've been married four or five years.

[A]

Wow. Okay. So, yeah, I mean, you're still. You're a young person starting a family. It's not what you're expecting, obviously.

[B]

No, no, for sure.

[A]

How. Once. Well, I guess my question should be, how long did that coma state last?

[B]

So once we got airlifted to Batson, they do triage different. Like, they bring you to the er. That's where it's. So it's also a learning hospital because it's our state's children's hospital. So it's all residents and doctors and nurses. Like, it's.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Hundreds of people. So when we got there, hundreds of people start coming in. They're talking to me like, oh, my God, we never see 12 month olds in DKA. We never see babies with diabetes. Like, so I'm feeling, like, awesome, A unicorn that has a horrible thing on her. Like, I just felt. I was like, what did I do? Like, what did I do to deserve this?

[A]

Help me, Marlee. Did it feel. You know, you mentioned Jesus already, so, like, did it feel like something got given to you or done to you, or did you feel like you did something wrong? Like, I'm trying to figure out what the feelings were that you were fighting with right then.

[B]

I think the feelings I was fighting for besides, like, is my child going to stay alive?

[A]

Is.

[B]

How does this happen when I'm such a type a perfectionist type person and I tried to do everything perfect and then something like this tries to take his life? It was just. It was horrible.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, it really was.

[A]

Did it give you that kind of lost feeling? Like, it doesn't seem to matter what I do? Like this. How did this horrible thing happen?

[B]

There's nothing you can do about it.

[A]

Yeah, I know how you feel. I hope you're having luck giving that away. You're not carrying that around with you, are you?

[B]

Oh, no, we're good now.

[A]

Good, good, good. How long ago was this?

[B]

So he was diagnosed on August 16th. So he's coming up on his one year of. We've been dealing with this very, very recent show.

[A]

Yeah, very recent. No kidding. Shit show. For sure. You know, obviously he pulls through and he's doing well and like how long is he in the hospital for? And when they send you home, try to go back to that time and tell me about the understanding you have of your new responsibilities. When you think of a CGM and all the good that it brings in your life, it's the first thing you think about. I love that I have to change it all the time. I love the warm up period every time I have to change it. I love that when I bump into a door frame sometimes it gets ripped off. I love that the adhesive kind of gets mushy sometimes when I sweat and falls off. No, these are not the things that you love about a cgm. Today's episode of the Juicebox Podcast is sponsored by the Eversense365, the only CGM that you only have to put on once a year and the only CGM that won't give you any of those problems. The Eversense 365 is the only one year CGM designed to minimize device frustration. It has exceptional accuracy for one year with almost no false alarms from compression lows while you're sleeping. You can manage your diabetes instead of your CGM with the Eversense365. Learn more and get started today at eversensecgm.com Juicebox 1 Year 1 CGM Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. It might sound crazy to say, but summertime is right around the corner. That means more swimming, sports activities, vacations. And you know what's a great feeling? Being able to stay connected to automated insulin delivery while doing it all. Omnipod 5 is the only tube free automated insulin delivery system in the US and and because it's tube free and waterproof, it goes everywhere you do in the pool, in the ocean, or on the soccer field. Unlike traditional insulin pumps, you never have to disconnect from Omnipod 5 for daily activities, which means you never have to take a break from automated insulin delivery. Ready to go, Tube Free Request your free Omnipod 5 starter kit today@ omnipod.com JuiceBox terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found@ omnipod.com juicebox type that link into your browser or go to juiceboxpodcast.com and click on the image of Omnipod right at the bottom. There's also a link right in the show notes of your podcast player.

[B]

So he was in the pediatric ICU for about 3 ish days. I would Say they checked his blood every hour, took two vials of blood every four hours. And basically I would say he was like in the coma type state for at least two days. Didn't wake up, wasn't eating. Woke up the third day. And you know they don't allow you to eat until they're ready for your sugar. Like, your sugars have to be down for them to see how I guess it's working. I don't know. I was so confused at that point. But he finally was allowed to eat on the third day, and then that's when his sugars were finally better. His bicarb, or whatever those words are.

[A]

They use the blood gases they were checking.

[B]

Yeah, his gap was closed and all that stuff. And they moved us to like, they call it their education floor, which it was like going from the nicest hotel to the crappiest hotel on the block. It was horrible. And that's where they taught us around the clock how to give insulin, how to dose for carbs. And like, I felt so lost. And I asked that nurse probably a million times like, okay, show me this math again. Like, what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to draw this insulin? He's getting one unit of Lantus. Like, I can't even find one unit on this insulin pen. Like, they're having to give us half unit syringes. And the nurses were. So they're like, we don't see this in infants. Let me go try to find a half unit syringe because we don't ever use those.

[A]

And yeah, now you're talking about. You're telling me a lot of things that happened to us too. Like, I'm hearing a lot of similarities.

[B]

Even the doctor, like his endocrinologist, she's wonderful. We still use her. She was with us when he was there, when he got diagnosed. We still use her. She's wonderful. She's like the head of the teaching medical university at that hospital. And she honestly was my lifesaver. Like, every time she would come in, she would let me know, like, he's going to be okay. He's going to. If he wants to be a pro football player, he'll still be a pro football player. If he wants to climb mountains, like, he'll still do that. Like, it's okay. You can do whatever you want with him. He's going to be fine. He's just in a horrible state right now.

[A]

Yeah. Was that helpful to you? To make you feel better?

[B]

For sure. Especially hearing it from somebody that you hear is like, A diabetic guru. And she. This is her job. She understands this. So you feel like her telling you that is like, kind of like reassuring in a way.

[A]

Sure. Hey, I mean, and this is only, I would imagine, like a handful of hours or days removed from you thinking he might not live, right? Like.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

I'm not putting words in your mouth. Right. You guys weren't sure. You guys weren't sure he was going to live, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Can I ask a little bit about the interpersonal during the hospital stay between you and your husband? Because you're young, you've been married, you've been married a long time, so you've got a little rhythm going, but you haven't been married 20 years. Did you ever have time to assess him or him, you. About how you guys were dealing with this, or did you feel like. Because I'm trying to say that, like, when. When this was happening between me, my wife, my daughter, and my. My son, who was older and not in the hospital with us at the time, I don't know how to explain that. I felt like I was insulated inside of a bubble and I wasn't really connecting with my wife or my daughter. Like, a lot felt like it was happening to me while it felt like a lot was happening to my daughter. And I could look over at my wife and see that she was in trouble. And I didn't have the ability to worry about my wife. And, like. And I don't feel like she had the ability to worry about me. So it felt like we all insulated ourselves into our own bubbles. Like, Ardyn was just in a dead stare, basically, you know, just. And I was just digging in on what was happening, what was my responsibility. You start thinking about how it's going to change your life, her life. Like you said, like, what are you going to be able to do? And then I looked at my wife and I felt like she was going through the same thing. Like, the last thing you could do was, like, almost worry about another person in that situation. I was wondering if you had a similar experience. I have always disliked ordering diabetes supplies. I'm guessing you have as well. It hasn't been a problem for us for the last few years, though, because we began using US medicine. You can too. Usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514 to get your free benefits. Check. US Med has served over 1 million people living with diabetes since 1996. They carry everything you need from CGMs to insulin pumps and diabetes Testing supplies and more. I'm talking about all the good ones, all your favorites, Libre 3, Dexcom, G7, and pumps like Omnipod 5, Omnipod Dash Tandem, and most recently the Eyelet pump from BET. The stuff you're looking for, they have it at us med 888-721-1514 or go to usmed.com juicebox to get started now. Use my link to support the podcast that's usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514.

[B]

Yeah, so we definitely had a similar experience. Like, I was worried about myself. I was worried about our family in a hole. I was worried about Bane, obviously, continuing to live and fight through this and then also being poked and prodded and it was horrible. I was worried about breastfeeding him and what, that, what this hospital stay would do.

[A]

So many things.

[B]

I'm a very control freak type of person. I like to have control. I like to kind of just be on top of my shit, honestly. And I just like to be a leader. That's just how I am. That's the personality I have. And so I was worried about Chandler and I was worried about his feelings and obviously he was worried about mine. But I felt like we were both so broken at that point. Like, we just had to put our head on and learn what they were teaching us, honestly.

[A]

Yeah, I think the first time I grew up pretty broke and like, my dad left pretty early and stuff like that. And I felt like it was the first time as an adult or the first time since my father and mother got divorced where I understood that, like, concept of, like, you just put your head down and go. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, there's not a lot of time to, like, sit around and think about how you feel. There's something that's so shocking happening in front of you that needs handling and you just like you. I don't know if it's conscious, but I think it's a decision you make. Like, is this going to knock me over or am I going to keep going?

[B]

Yeah. And something. You will not know how it feels until you experience that. Like, it's the most horrible, gut wrenching feeling. But you don't have time to sit there and sulk and worry and you just don't have time. Like, do you want your child to be alive? Do you want to learn how to keep them alive? Then you just got to keep going.

[A]

Yeah, since then. I haven't felt like that since then, up until the day I realized My mom was going to die.

[B]

Oh, man. I'm sorry.

[A]

No, no, no. Those are the two times that I felt like whatever that is. Yeah, yeah, like that. How would I describe. Felt like all the fibers inside of me were being torn apart.

[B]

Yeah. Like you're just numb to it.

[A]

Yeah, it was really crazy. Okay, so you're okay. A self confessed control freak. So that's nice. I'm assuming, I'm assuming you're looking for ways to give that away right now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But so your home, you were syringes, like half unit syringes. That's how they sent you home.

[B]

They didn't send us home on a pump, which I'm now in that Facebook group called like diapers and diabetes. That's where I learned everything about caring for an infant with diabetes. It's not from the hospital at all.

[A]

A lot of people speak well about that Facebook group.

[B]

That Facebook group saved me, like, truly. But we left on Humalog Junior insulin pens with like a correction factor and a carb ratio. That was horrible. And then we left on Lantus and vials because insurance issues. They wouldn't pay for pins for some reason because nothing is cleared for infants with diabetes, apparently.

[A]

Yeah, no, no, there's. Yeah, nothing's available for that.

[B]

It was horrible. Like you get home from this horrible hospital stay and now you're like traumatized by even giving your kid food and then you're fighting insurance on the phone for Dexcoms because they're not FDA cleared for one year olds. But I can't help my one year old has a diabetes.

[A]

Yeah, right. That's not my fault.

[B]

Yeah. Like I didn't ask for this, but.

[A]

Is that when you learned about that the doctor can write the prescription off label and you can just use that stuff that way?

[B]

Yeah. So our doctor, she's like, she'll do a PA in a heartbeat and she'll fight with those. Like she's gotten everything, everything approved for him.

[A]

Nice. That's awesome.

[B]

Praise the Lord, because. Yeah, between me and her, they didn't have a chance.

[A]

What do you guys do for a living? Like, did somebody have to change jobs or do like. I mean, it's a lot of work raising an infant with type 1, so.

[B]

So before all of this, my husband has always worked from home. He is a server engineer. He works on computers. I couldn't tell you what he does because I don't really understand it, but that's his thing. He loves it and he's always worked from home. I am a speech language pathologist I worked in a pediatric private practice seeing kids with all types of disabilities, but also just normal kids with speech issues or whatever. I worked there full time Monday through Thursday and then the day he got diagnosed. Well, before he got diagnosed, my husband was at home and his mom would keep Bane at our house.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

His first year of life. And they kept calling me, like, something's wrong with Bane. Like, you need to come see him. He's sick. We're gonna take him to the doctor. I'm like, maybe he's just tired of y'.

[A]

All.

[B]

Like, he probably just wants his mom. So I'm just gonna leave work and come. So I went home and that's when all shit came loose and we took him to the hospital or whatever. And that day I never went back to work.

[A]

No kidding. Has that hurt your family?

[B]

It did hurt our family for a little bit, I feel like more mentally because it's hard when you're going from a 2 income home to now. You don't know what the future holds because that's what we didn't know, what the future holds. Probably two months after he got diagnosed, I did transition from in person speech therapist job to now a teletherapy speech therapy job. So I do work a part time speech therapy job.

[A]

That's awesome. That's awesome.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So tell me about what you've learned about taking care of type 1 and an infant over the last year.

[B]

I've learned that it is so unpredictable, it is unknown and no one understands it unless you have dealt with it, including the doctors. That's what I've learned.

[A]

I remember. So I don't know how much Bain weighed when? Before he was diagnosed.

[B]

Big boy.

[A]

Oh. How much do you remember?

[B]

I think he weighed like 25 or 26 pounds.

[A]

That's great. So Arden was 2. She weighed 19 pounds. And when we came out of the hospital, I think she weighed 17.

[B]

Yeah. Bain had lost a lot of weight too.

[A]

Yeah. And then in the coming time, I. I'm telling you because you don't know this, but like, I think people who listen might know this already. But I realized, like, you know, like you said, like a unit. I can't use these unit syringes. And we only had three. This was 2006. So they only had. We had a syringe and vials and we got a meter. Those are the things that we got. Right, Right. So a unit that's not working. Doctor's like, well, here's half a unit needle. It's like, all right, great. They didn't work either. Like, they were too much. So I didn't know what to do. I was a stay at home dad at the time, by the way. So it was me, like 24 7, trying to take care of it pretty much. And I kept thinking, like, you know, in the beginning you're like, well, the measurements are in half, so that's how it works. But then one day you're like, this is like, I don't need a half a unit here. And I couldn't figure out how to, like, get a system going, so I took some insulin and. And I squirted it into, like, a dish, and then I put food coloring in it.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

All right. And then I sat and I practiced with my eyes closed, pulling on the plunger like, so slightly that when I pushed it back out, a big drop would come out, like. So I was trying to teach myself how to pull in a drop of insulin. And you couldn't read it on the syringe. So it was all about feel. That's why I would just do it with my eyes closed. I'd pull it and then I try to remember how I did it. I'd squirt it back out. And I put the food coloring in it so I could see it better. And I was like, okay. And I got them to the point where I was really consistent. Then, of course, I threw away the insulin that had the food coloring in it. And, you know, and then the next time I bolist, I did it like that with, like, a drop of insulin.

[B]

Yeah. That's how it was for Bane. Like, it was. It felt like it was a teardrop.

[A]

Yeah. It was just an insane moment where I was like, even this half a unit's way, way too much.

[B]

Yeah. Like, it was either I felt like I was either not giving him enough or it was too much and I was having to carve him up to deal with the insulin in his body.

[A]

Yeah, but you have a CGM now, right?

[B]

Yeah. So we left the hospital with the Dexcom and on insulin pins and whatever, and then he got on a tandem Moby in April.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's a game changer.

[A]

I imagine it is. I don't think we got our first CGM. I mean, if she was 2 when she was diagnosed, like, maybe for four years.

[B]

I cannot imagine.

[A]

I was out of my mind by then. I was struggling to keep his or keep her A1C in the, like, mid to high eights.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And nobody was telling me what to do. Like, it was all just. It just all felt random. It really just like, maybe the worst part of my life. Like, you know, if I was. Yeah. If I was a control freak, I would have been out of my mind because I didn't. I was like, I would. I didn't feel like I was controlling anything thing.

[B]

Yeah, I'm sure. Especially, like, having to poke her constantly. Like, I still poke Bain a lot. And we have a Dexcom.

[A]

Yeah. No, I think Arden probably finger pricks and needles in those first years, like, up until when she got a pump, which was. I think she got a pump when she was like, we got an omnipod when she was like, four something. It was a couple years in, but counting finger pokes and, you know, and. And injections, I must have stuck her 10,000 times.

[B]

Yeah. Bless her.

[A]

Yeah. Just really crazy. And to this day, like, it's. She's not good with needles.

[B]

Yeah. Kind of how Ben was at first. Like, he never really fought me because he was so small, and it was just, you know, we got to do this type of thing. He's always been pretty good with needles, but at first he would kind of, like, whimper and, you know, like the normal. Like, I'm scared of this type thing. But, yeah, it's horrible. It's a horrible feeling when you're a parent and you're feeling like you're hurting your child.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. So how long did you get the Moby, by the way? Let me just say this. Tandem diabetes.com juicebox dexcom.com juicebox Use the links. They're in the show notes. You're gonna laugh because you're on TikTok. You're like, I know what he's doing.

[B]

I'm team tandem all the way.

[A]

Awesome. So how have things changed? I assume just him putting on weight probably has made things easier. Like, where are you today with the. With the management.

[B]

So his A1C when he was diagnosed was like, 9.8, I want to say. And then in March, before starting the Tenemoby, it had only went down to 8.9, and that was strictly on pins and vials. And that's. I feel like I'm pretty on top of this stuff, but I feel like that's just because pins and vials do not work for infants and toddlers. Like, just period the end. It just doesn't. Unless you're doing diluted insulin.

[A]

Okay. It was just such a little amount that it was never quite enough.

[B]

I was having to give him 13 shots a day.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

And that's just too much.

[A]

You know what I mean, yeah, no. So you're giving these little, little bits to hold down the higher blood sugars.

[B]

Yeah. Like, he just, he needed those microdoses. So that when we went to our six months, I think it was really seven month appointment to our endo, I was about to tell her, like, okay, we're doing a pump. And she was like, okay, you ready for a pump? And I was like, yeah, we're ready for a pump. So we chose to do the tandem just from personal. I just had talked to a bunch of different moms that I've met through TikTok and socials and Diapers and Diabetes, that Facebook group and seeing what works, and I was like, let's try the Moby. If for some reason the tubing doesn't work, we'll switch to the pods. But I want to try the Moby first. The algorithm, they say, is wonderful. It's lightweight. I love the ability that he can unclip it from his body and, you know, we'll just try it. So we started it in April. We go back to the Endo actually at the end of this month. So I don't know his A1C right now, but I think it's been a game changer. Like, he's in range 90% of the day. He's doing really good with it. He's a. He's a trooper. Like, it doesn't phase him, those site changes. He don't mind it, he don't care. He wants to help. And those microdoses are just everything. Like, they truly are.

[A]

Those algorithms are awesome. Does he wear it on body or does he clip it to his clothes? Or do you bounce back and forth?

[B]

So we kind of bounce back and forth. We'll use like tandem pouches on his back. I do it on his belly because his arms are so small. And then his legs. He's such a rough toddler that every time I put it on his legs, it's falling off within 30 minutes. So we'll do those and. And then we use the spy belt a lot and we clip it around his waist and put the spa belt either over his clothes or under his clothes.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

I kind of go between the two. Like, one week we'll do the pouches, one week we'll do the belt just to give his body a little break.

[A]

How do you divide the work? Your husband still works at home, right?

[B]

So, yeah, Chandler works from home and we just kind of tag team it. I feel like I control more of his treatments, his blood sugar treatments. Like, if he's low. I'll kind of tell Chandler what to do. Like, give him this many or give him this many carbs or whatever. Chandler's really good about just helping. Like, if I need anything, if I need him to go change a Dexcom, he just kind of lets me kind of help lead him into whatever he needs to do. Or if I want to take control, he's like, go for it. Like, you do you do you.

[A]

Has this year impacted your plans for your family? Are you considering more kids? Were you before?

[B]

It definitely did. I feel like I definitely don't think I would have had another child by now because I wasn't the kind of person that wanted to under two or that toddler and infant. I didn't really want that. But it definitely hindered my mind and thinking that I want another kid because there's so much that goes into diabetes, Especially those first few months. You feel like you're drowning. But now that we're a year into this and it just feels routine. I'm not saying it's not hard, because it's just as hard as it was day one, but it's more routine and we're more comfortable. And I don't feel as scared of insulin, and I don't feel as scared of trying new things. Changing his pump settings. I think I could see myself in the future having one more. Only one now.

[A]

If the reality became that a second child also got type one, I think I would die. I was gonna say, it's not gonna change your reaction to it, right?

[B]

No, no, no. I could handle it, but I think I would, like, wanna be like, my.

[A]

God, there's gotta be worse people on the planet. Could something bad happen to one of them? Please. Yeah.

[B]

I've seen kids, our families on TikTok, and they have, like, multiple kids with diabetes. I'm like, y' all are troopers. Like, I don't know how you do it.

[A]

When we were growing up, there was this. This old guy. I don't want to say where I knew him from, because I want to be very vague. Older man. And he was just beyond a curmudgeon. He was just a prick, you know? And he went on and on. Like, didn't matter how old he got, how sick he got. Nothing ever happened to him. It felt like he was going to live forever. And a few of us used to say that, you know, all over the world, there are terrible people doing terrible things yet. And I'll. I'll just. I'll have my friend Rob bleep this out so we used to say all over the world, there are terrible people doing terrible things, yet still walks the earth.

[B]

Which is true. Like, how does my baby end up with diabetes and there's, like, killers on the street.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We're shooting missiles at people and, like, your kid's getting type one and you. But did that shake your faith at all?

[B]

No, it really didn't. I feel like it kind of made me lean into it, because when we were in that helicopter going to Batson, and in the middle of the night, and all you have are your thoughts because your baby's in the back of the helicopter with the medics, I feel like I was like, God, like, if you're real, which I know he is, but, God, if you're real, you will save my baby. And I will do. I will literally be anything you need me to be. Like, I just need you to save my baby.

[A]

Well, I'm glad. I'm glad. Yeah. I'm glad he's okay. That's wonderful. Also, what a bummer, like, because how often are you going to take a $10,000 helicopter ride and not get to really enjoy it? So.

[B]

Right. Like, I remember sitting in that helicopter in the pilot. He was so nice, but he kept, like, trying to make small talk, and he was like, what do you do for a living? And I'm like, I'm a speech therapist.

[A]

You should have been like, man, I'm married.

[B]

Speech therapy. And I'm like, I don't care. My kid is dying in the back. Like, stop talking to me.

[A]

You should have said, I'm married and my kids back there dying. It's inappropriate for you to be hitting me on me like this, talking to me.

[B]

I'm literally. He's like. When we got in the helicopter, he's like, okay, I know this is just standard, but he's like, don't touch these buttons. Don't touch the door until I. Unless I tell you to. Don't try to jump out. I'm like, I'm not gonna try to jump out. My baby's in the back.

[A]

I'm not gonna try to jump. Hey, you know what? Don't make fun of him. I have somebody in my house this week doing some work, and I literally put my finger in wet, like, plaster. I looked at it, and I'm. I fairly intelligent person, and I reached out and I touched it, and I thought, why the hell did I do that? Yeah. Anyway, he's probably had somebody just, like, reach out, and he's like, don't you're gonna kill us. Yeah.

[B]

I'm like, honey, I'm not worried about your doors, your buttons. Like, yeah, just get me to the damn house.

[A]

Let's just get going. So you did something. I mean, 20 years removed from me doing it, but you did something that I did, too. And I'm wondering, because I'm an. I'm an older person now. Like, I'm not that old, but I'm like, you know, I'm not 27, you know, the year after Arden was diagnosed, pretty much exactly a year later, maybe not even. Maybe it was like six months later, if I'm thinking about it correctly. I started writing a blog before a blog was really a thing. I'm not saying I wrote the first blog in the world, but there were not a lot of them when I started doing it. And the technology just wasn't really there. I think WordPress was probably the only way that people knew about to put a blog up at that point. I did it initially because I had tried to raise money for a JDRF walk. And I remember just, like, raising like, a thousand dollars and thinking like, well, this was lame. Like, put a lot of effort into this. I wanted people to know more about it. I also wanted to try to help. I had that kind of overwhelming feeling, like, I'm not a doctor, but I want to do something, you know? And then I didn't really raise much money, and I was like, oh, this is a bummer. And I thought, well, maybe people didn't donate because they didn't understand it. And I'll, like. Like, try to help them understand it more. And I started writing about it. And then I have to say, over the. I think over the next nine years, we did the walk for 10 years. We don't do it anymore, but I.

[B]

Think we're doing our first one this year.

[A]

Yeah, I raised $50,000 total in 10 years.

[B]

That's awesome.

[A]

Yeah, it was pretty. Was pretty great using basically that blog to try to educate people about what Type one was like.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But then it became something I didn't expect it to be. It was almost like its own Little community. And 2013 rolled around. So I had been writing the blog for six years, and I'm just going to tell you, I got a book deal. I was writing a book. Blogging was kind of dying at the same time. People just weren't really reading the way they used to. I mean, the book took a year to write, it came out, et cetera. And then I was out doing media for it, and I just started, you know, that led to me having an idea about making a podcast. And I think, again, I was maybe a little ahead of the curve, like, you know, making a diabetes podcast. And I launched that in, like, January, again, 2015. So now that's. I've been doing it for 11 years now, and I feel like I've built a pretty kind of immense community of, you know.

[B]

Yeah, you definitely have people.

[A]

Thank you. I watch it help people all day long every day, seven days a week, you know, 365 days a year. It's pretty massive and sometimes hard for me to even conceive of. Of all the people it's touching. But at the same time, like, I didn't do any of that on purpose.

[B]

Yeah, that's kind of how we were.

[A]

Yeah. And the technology wasn't like. Like, the blogging technology was not a thing. And there were podcasts going for, like, a couple of years, but I was pretty, again, sort of at the edge of it, like, you know, where it was going on. So you decided to, like, pick up your phone and start a TikTok, and I'm wondering why you did it. Like, what was your goal and what has it become?

[B]

I've always been like a TikTok fiend. I never posted, but I. I'm a doom scroller. Like, that's what my husband calls it. Like, I will sit there and scroll on TikTok and watch the dumbest videos all day, every day. And me and my best friends send videos to each other, and so I've always had an account. Well, Bain had probably been diagnosed 4 months, 5 months, and I think he was, like, 15 months old. I took a video of me putting on a DexCom for him, and I actually was sending it to my mom because she had never seen me put a Dexcom on him. And I was on TikTok, and I was like, I'm just going to post this to show my 50 friends. That's all that followed me. 50. I had 50 followers. They were all my personal Facebook friends from, you know, high school, college, whatever. And I posted it, and the video went, like, mega viral, like, within. I still had notifications on at that point, I started getting all these DMS and requests. Nice comments, horrible comments. I mean, you know, everything.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And I think the video now has, like, 3 million views, maybe 4 million, something like that. But, I mean, it was crazy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And just from seeing all the comments on that video, it was very. It showed me that no one understood diabetes and toddlers. Like, I mean, just, you Know the normal stuff, like, why are you feeding your kid junk food? How to get diabetes? Or I didn't know babies could get diabetes. How do babies get like. It was just, you know, the dumbest questions. But I understood because people don't understand that.

[A]

Yeah, you get a.

[B]

Why would they understand? They've never been through it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I think the next video I posted was like telling people how he got diagnosed because people would be like, I'm glad you called it so early or I'm glad you figured out. I'm like, we didn't catch it early. Like he was in dka. Yeah, we called it the last. The last second.

[A]

Yeah, this wasn't early. This was a day before he died.

[B]

Yeah, literally, like we called it the last second just because he's 12 months old. He was. He had like hours probably of his life left. So we started posting on TikTok and it grew so fast. And I think it continues to grow because people now love Bain and they see his language developing, they see him getting his own little personality and him learning about. He's learning about diabetes and he's learning the things, you know, that we do on his day to day life. We change dexcoms, we change sites, we count carbs, we. We get our med. You know, like, he's just understanding those things and people like to follow along with that because I'm not going to give myself props, but I am a speech therapist, so his language is like crazy. He talks in five word sentences and he's not even two yet.

[A]

Awesome.

[B]

So people just are like, how do you do? Like, how does he talk like this? How does he tell me about diabetes? How does he let you just put his dexcom on? He don't fight you. So I just started kind of like posting little snippets and. And it just grew so fast. I followed one other person on TikTok that had diabetes at that point. Her name on TikTok is called Wonderful Wells and her son is like 3. He has diabetes. I think he was 4 at the time. But he got diagnosed when he was 3. And she would post videos of putting sites on him or whatever and just informing people. And I think she, at that point she was raising money to get a diabetic alert dog. And so, you know, when you're in that hospital, the first thing I did was join Diapers and Diabetes Facebook group. I joined the Juice Box podcast group because everybody on Diapers and Diabetes told me to do that. And I ordered a Sugar Pixel and then I looked up diabetes on TikTok. Like, that's just what I did.

[A]

That was. It just got going. How many followers do you have now?

[B]

I think we have 127,000.

[A]

Can I. Let me. I'm gonna try to find it while I'm talking to you. So I'm. Oh, my gosh. A person. I. I am not good at tick tock. I just want to say that immediately.

[B]

I love. I'm just. Oh, we have 128, 000.

[A]

What's your. What's your.

[B]

Like, how do I Marley M A R L E E Brandon. And I. I feel like now I don't post as much diabetic stuff. I do post diabetic stuff, but I post a lot of him just acting crazy.

[A]

Okay. It's. Are you in, like a black and white striped top?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Okay. Well, now you have one more follower. Congratulations.

[B]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[A]

You have a follower of a guy that's not on TikTok very often. Wow. Yeah. You have almost 5 million likes total on your. On your videos. That's crazy.

[B]

Yeah. People really love Bane. Like, they really do.

[A]

So when I started doing this, it was a. It's a blog, right? And it'd be one static picture. And to be truthful, after Arden hit a certain age, she came to me and she said, I don't like looking like a baby on the Internet.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I was like, okay. So we removed every picture we could find from the blog and everything. And even like the. The masthead of the blog got changed so that it was. It used to be a photo of her and. And then it became like a caricature. And then eventually the blog's not called Arden's day anymore. It's called juiceboxpodcast.com now. Yeah, right. I mean, obviously he's very little right now, and the world's a different place and kids are more accustomed to this. This is like a thing. But do you. Have you given thought to, like, how long would this go for? And at what point does he get an opportunity to say, like, I don't want people seeing this, or, like, I mean, it's got to go on through your head, right? This episode was too good to cut anything out of, but too long to make just one episode. So this is part one. Make sure you go find part two. Right now. It's going to be the next episode in your feed. I'd like to thank the Eversense365 for sponsoring this episode of the Juicebox podcast and remind you that if you want the only sensor that gets inserted once a year and not every 14 days, you want the Eversense CGM. Eversensecgm.com Juicebox 1 Year 1 CGM Arden has been getting her diabetes supplies from US Med for three years. You can as well usmed.com Juicebox or call 888-721-1514 My thanks to US Med for sponsoring this episode and for being longtime sponsors of the Juice Box Podcast. There are links in the show notes and [e-mail] to USMED and all of the sponsors. Summertime is right around the corner and Omnipod 5 is the only tube free automated insulin delivery system in the United States because it's tube free. It's also waterproof and it goes wherever you go. Learn more at my link omnipod.com juicebox that's right, Omnipod is sponsoring this episode of the podcast and at my link you can get a free starter kit. Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary. Full terms and conditions can be found@ omnipod.com juicebox I can't thank you enough for listening. Please make sure you're subscribed or following in your audio app. I'll be back tomorrow with another episode of the Juice Box Podcast. If you're looking to meet other people living with type 1 diabetes, head over to juicebox podcast.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 Lux, practical education and judgment. Free atmosphere. Perfect day at Coco Bay Saint Kitts Saint Thomas Five interactive workshops with me and surprise guests on Type one 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. 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.