#1678 Sneaky Chocolate Bar - Part 2

Summary

Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1678: Sneaky Chocolate Bar – Part 2 (Aired November 11, 2025)

Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Danny ("Double Amputee Diabetic" from the UK, living with type 1 diabetes for 37 years)

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Overview

This episode continues Danny’s candid, deeply personal account of living with type 1 diabetes, focusing on the consequences of long-term poor management, his journey through multiple amputations, and the mental and physical challenges he’s faced. Most notably, Danny uses his story not to instill fear but to raise awareness, encourage early intervention, and advocate for a supportive T1D community. The conversation is honest and empowering, focusing on hope, advocacy, and practical adaptation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Danny’s Amputation Journey

• Below-Knee Amputation and Setbacks ([02:08–04:18])

  • In May 2022, Danny underwent a right leg below-knee amputation due to long-term diabetes complications.

  • Began using the Libre 2 CGM (continuous glucose monitor), which he found transformative but only came after significant damage had occurred.

  • Post-operation challenges included infection and the need to further amputate above the knee.

    “It was a life changer for me, but a little bit too late.” (Danny, [03:10])

• Above-Knee Amputation ([04:18–05:18])

  • Explains that above the knee amputation brings new challenges--harder to walk, different prosthetics.

  • His recovery was significantly prolonged due to repeated trauma and infection.

    “It took weeks for me to settle back down... my body just couldn’t handle it.” (Danny, [05:24])

• Complications on the Other Leg ([05:36–08:03])

  • While hospitalized, a small wound on his remaining foot was neglected, becoming a serious ulcer.
  • Steadily worsening infection led to a left leg below-knee amputation exactly a year after the above-knee amputation on his right leg.
  • Emotional toll and hospital stays dominated most of 2022 and 2023.

2. Psychological and Emotional Challenges

• Depression and Suicidality ([08:58–11:44])

  • Danny describes a “real dark place” emotionally, especially facing impending second amputation.

  • Antibiotic treatment (doxycycline) left him feeling confined and isolated.

  • Openly discusses a moment when he considered ending his life and the sense of worthlessness that overtook him.

    “I had them tablets in my hand and I just thought how easy would it be just to take these and not be here anymore.” (Danny, [11:02])

• Support Systems ([09:48–11:44])

  • Praises the steadfast support of his partner (who lost her father during this period) and credits the resilience of family and friends for helping him through.

  • Connecting with others—especially an encounter with a young boy facing his own amputation—gave him perspective and motivation.

    “That was the main struggle for me... What was I worth to them?” (Danny, [11:38])

    “I see him two weeks later, he was outside the front of the hospital ... that was like right, you need to sort yourself out here.” (Danny, [12:56])

3. Recovery and Turning Point

• A Sense of Relief After Amputation ([13:19–13:53])

  • The final amputation brought unexpected relief; infection-free, Danny immediately felt “the best I’d felt in two or three years.”

  • Blood sugars and HBA1C improved drastically once the infections were resolved.

    “Within days of having that left leg amputated ... it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was the best I’d felt in like two or three years.” (Danny, [13:19])

• New Purpose and Advocacy ([16:28–18:07])

  • Now works as a family mentor for the amputee charity "Steel Bones," supporting other families and helping with practical needs.

  • Participated in major charity challenges (canoed 26 miles) and is using his story to educate others, especially youth with T1D.

    “It gives me a purpose to turn what I’ve lost into a positive.” (Danny, [17:17])

    “I’m not trying to scare someone. I’m trying to give them the realization of what happens if you don’t look after it.” (Danny, [17:57])

4. The Importance of Technology and Community

• Role of CGMs ([28:31–29:37])

  • Stresses that access to CGM technology was “the biggest game changer” for him.

    “CGMs in my eyes and a massive game changer. Oh, was, was, was the biggest game changer in my life.” (Danny, [28:54])

  • Scott concurs, expressing that given a choice, CGM would be the last device he’d want to give up for his daughter with T1D.

    "The CGM is just what it brings to you as far as the, your understanding. It’s unmatched really.” (Scott, [29:30])

• Impact of Poor Control ([29:37–31:13])

  • Danny details that his HBA1C was in the 11–13% range for years and only recently, through modern management and CGM, brought it down to 7.1%.
  • Acknowledges his own behavioral changes—short temper, cloudy thinking—at high blood sugars.

5. The Drive to Advocate & the US "Tour" Dream

• Plans and Obstacles ([17:18–42:47])

  • Dream to drive coast-to-coast in the US (New York to San Francisco) in a hand-control car, meeting with and speaking to young diabetics, and stopping at clinics.

  • Funding challenges: seeking sponsorship from diabetes tech companies and crowd-sourcing, but facing rejections and logistical hurdles.

    “I just want people to learn from my mistakes. I don’t want people going through what I’ve had to do 20 odd years later, try and fix that problem earlier. And you know, it is easier now with CGMs and pumps.” (Danny, [28:31])

  • Both discuss the difficulty in securing interest from companies; Scott shares business advice to create the advocacy event independently and then offer sponsors the promotion afterwards.

• Danny’s Advocacy Philosophy ([23:07–23:42])

  • Advocates for mental health openness, especially among men.

  • Urges younger people with diabetes to learn from his journey and not suffer in silence.

    “If you’re struggling, talk to somebody.” (Danny, [23:22])

    “Don’t suffer in silence like I did, you know, hiding away all my, my stuff and my struggles.” (Danny, [23:40])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Perspective and Resilience

  “That was the big thing for me. I was like listen, 40 odd years old. I’ve had a good innings... That little boy is six years old.” (Danny, [12:46])

• On Empowerment

  “There’s nothing more important than your own health.” (Danny, [24:27])

• On Technology

  “CGMs in my eyes…was the biggest game changer in my life.” (Danny, [28:54])

• On Advocacy

  “I’m not trying to scare someone. I’m trying to give them the realization of what happens if you don’t look after it…You’re not looking after tomorrow, but you’re more preserving 10 to 15, 20 years’ time.” (Danny, [17:57])

• On Advocacy Value

  “I think having that knowledge is valuable. Like, I don’t think you should leave this recording if you’re listening to it right now being scared. But, you know, maybe take…let Danny’s experience be your, you know, your thing instead of having to get to where he had to get to to learn.” (Scott, [19:20])

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:08] – Danny describes his first amputation, support network, and discovery of CGM technology
• [04:18] – Second amputation and extended hospitalizations
• [06:33] – The development of the left foot ulcer and repeated infections
• [08:03] – Second leg amputation process and emotional fallout
• [10:18] – How he shared his struggles with his children
• [11:02] – Disclosure of suicidal ideation and sources of support
• [12:46] – Conversation with young boy in hospital provides perspective
• [13:19] – Sense of relief, improved health after final amputation
• [16:28] – Newfound advocacy through charity work and athletic achievements
• [17:18] – Motivation for raising awareness, plans for US awareness tour
• [28:31] – Scott and Danny discuss the life-changing impact of CGMs
• [29:37] – Danny’s HBA1C transformation and emotional effects of high blood sugars
• [31:13] – Fundraising for Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D
• [35:14] – Pitching the US tour concept to device companies
• [42:47] – Practical advice from Scott on organizing advocacy events

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Community and Social Media

• TikTok: double amputee diabetic
• Facebook & Instagram: Danny Spudsmith
• Juicebox Podcast Facebook Group: Active member

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Closing Tone & Message

The conversation is frank, energetic, and ultimately uplifting. Danny’s humor, resourcefulness, and commitment to advocacy for others with diabetes shine through, even in the face of immense hardship. Scott and Danny both emphasize the importance of awareness, openness about mental health, and the life-changing value of diabetes technology and community. The episode is a powerful testament to living boldly with insulin, not in fear, and to transforming hard-earned lessons into hope for others.

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Transcript

[A]

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

[B]

Hi, my name's Danny. I'm a type 1 diabetic of 37 years. I am from the UK and I want to start raising awareness to the dangers of not looking after your diabetes.

[A]

This is part two of a two part episode. Go look at the title. If you don't recognize it, you haven't heard part one yet. It's probably the episode right before this in your podcast player. The podcast contains so many different series and collections of information that it can be difficult to find them in your traditional podcast app sometimes. That's why they're also [e-mail] Go up to the top, there's a menu right there. Click on Series Defining Diabetes, Bold Beginnings, the Pro Tip Series Small Sips, Omnipod 5, Ask Scott and Jenny Mental Wellness, Fat and Protein Defining Thyroid After Dark Diabetes Variables, Grand Rounds, cold win, pregnancy, type 2 diabetes, GLP meds, the math Behind Diabetes, Diabetes Myths and so much more. You have to go check it out. It's all there waiting for you and it's absolutely free. Juicebox podcast.com 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. This episode of the Juice Box Podcast is sponsored by the Contour Next Gen Blood Glucose Meter. Learn more and get started [e-mail] juicebox this episode of the Juice Box Podcast is sponsored by Medtronic diabetes and their MiniMed 780G system designed to help ease the burden of diabetes management. Imagine fewer worries about missed boluses or miscalculated carbs thanks to meal detection technology and automatic correction doses. Learn more and get started [e-mail] juicebox.

[B]

So yeah, on the 6th of May I ended up having a right leg below knee amputation and you know, it completely rocked my world and it tested me mentally. But I was so lucky that I've got such a good family partner. You know the family friends, my friends have been absolutely amazing over these last three years. So I recovered well after the op got got sent home after two weeks from hospital, back at home in a wheelchair, everything was going reasonably well. My diabetes was well controlled and by this point I was on a cgm. Now I've been put on the Libra too back then so everything was going well. I was constantly checking that app on my phone, constantly scanning because they was to get funding in the uk you had to do a minimum of eight Scans a day on it.

[A]

You have to use it. Yeah. To get it paid for.

[B]

To get it paid for. So I was constantly like every half hour scanning it. But it was good. It was. That was the life changer for me, but a little bit too late. And it got to June when I was about to go and start some physio, go back to see the consultant to start physio, and went in, they checked the stump. It's. Yeah, yeah, it looks good, but we just want to have another doctor look at it. And they noticed that the stump, my stump had been, was infected again. So I got admitted back into hospital and I spent a couple of weeks on antibiotics again. And they said, you know, we need to take a centimeter off the bottom of the stump to try and keep it below the knee. We'll have a plastic surgeon on standby. There was all this big operation lined up. And about two hours later, I woke up back on the same ward. Not like a medical ward, it was back on the diabetic ward. And I thought, thanks. Either gone really too well or something's not right here. Because I could see my stump all bandaged up again. And they said that the bones too infected. We thought we'd caught it all when we'd done the first amputation, but we're going to have to go above the knee now.

[A]

And I was just like, how does that change your. Your outlook? Like, be explain to people why below the knee is preferable.

[B]

So the below the knees preferable because it's easier to walk when you've got a knee. Just to get up and walk, to stand, everything. So this was a whole new challenge.

[A]

So I was like, how high up did they. Did they have to take it, Danny.

[B]

So that they've gone just, just above the knee as such? Okay, it's slightly above the knee. So I was like, right. So it's a different type of leg that I've got to learn to walk on now. But I was. I was still quite positive about this. Okay, so this happened on the 6th of July in 2022, when I got amputated above the knee. But my body took it really badly. Really, really badly. I ended up spending 9, 9 weeks in hospital at that time. By the time I got sent home, it was nine and a half weeks.

[A]

After they took above the knee. Nine and a half weeks because you just did not rebound well from the surgery and the infection and everything.

[B]

No, it took weeks for me to settle back down. I think it was because I had too many two traumas. In a short period of time, my body just couldn't handle it.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But in this time in the background, there was a little pin prick also on the back of my left hill. So there was a bit of diabetic neuropathy on there as well.

[A]

Did you tell somebody?

[B]

Yeah, they. They had noticed it.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And where I was in hospital for that nine and a half weeks, you know, and I'll. I'll never hold the hospital responsible for this. People saying, you should do. You should do. You know, it's not great. They didn't dress the little. The thing that was a pin prick on the back of my hill. They put me on a mattress and where I was fidgeting so much on all the drugs that I was on, you know, some really strong hallucinogenic drugs. I was saying all sorts of random stuff where it rubbed it. It slightly started making the whole.

[A]

The hole bigger and got infected.

[B]

It got infected again.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So in and out of Hospital in 2022. In. In total, I was in. I was in hospital four months in 2022.

[A]

Danny, are you gonna. Are you gonna tell me you lost your other leg?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Okay, so that. That went forward to 20. In and out of hospital. 2022. Caught coverage just before Christmas. 2022.

[A]

Why not? Yeah, yeah, why not?

[B]

If I'm gonna. If I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna get everything.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I managed to get out on 23rd of 23rd of December, which was quite good because I got out of all the Christmas shopping. So that was. It was quite a good little rest up in hospital, and, you know, everything was fine. But that ulcer was getting bigger. It was. It was the size of, you know, it was 5 cm diameter by now. So it was. They were filling me more and more with antibiotics. Me and my partner went away in the new year of 2023, and we ended up having to come home a day early because I was. That the foot was smelling really bad. You know, it was. The infection was. It was just eaten away at the back of my foot. So this process carried on for a few months, and it was literally a year to the day when I had my above knee amputation. I ended up having my left leg amputated below the knee in 2023 on July 6th.

[A]

No kidding. But late in that entire year lead up to that, did you feel like this is where it was headed or were you able to remain positive at least?

[B]

I was always. I'm always very positive person. I'm always a very Positive person with everything that I do. I like to be involved with charity events, doing bits. If I can help someone out, I'll be the first person to put my hand up and do stuff. But at this time, when they told me I was, you know, it got to. It was like March time again. And they've said, right, you know, if this. We're going to carry on giving you antibiotics, but if this doesn't work, you know. You know the end result. And I think in my head I knew, yeah. What was going to happen, that I was losing that left leg.

[A]

Those antibiotics don't work because of the 30 years of.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Of damage. Right. Like, it's.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Things are too far gone once it.

[B]

Gets to that point and, you know, that. That's when I really struggled, you know, mentally, really struggled. That's when I thought, you know, I wasn't. I wasn't worth anything. I went to a real dark place once. They told me in, like the May, that that was it, you know, they would put me on this antibiotic called doxycycline. You couldn't go out in the sun in it and I. I just felt like a prisoner in my own home. Everyone. We had people round was out, you know, outside having. Everyone's outside in the garden having a barbecue and I'm saying, stores, because I can't sit in the sun. Because I tried it once sitting in the shade and it actually burnt the skin.

[A]

Oh, gosh.

[B]

And I was like, how does this.

[A]

Affect your relationship with your girlfriend too? Or does it not?

[B]

She has been absolutely fantastic. Amazing food, a whole process. So in that same year, we lost her dad as well. So she is. She. And she still does. She just takes everything in a stride. She is one incredible woman.

[A]

I. I'm lucky.

[B]

Can't sing a praise enough.

[A]

Yeah. How involved do you let your kids be with where you're at psychologically? Do you share that with them or who do you share that with?

[B]

They know now because they're an age, you know, my daughter is. She's going to be 21 in November. She's studying mental health nursing. So they know of my struggles. My son's 16 now. They knew that I had struggles. I don't think they knew the extent of. Just before I lost my second leg is when. That was when I felt worthless. There was a lot of tears, a lot of emotions. You know, it got to. We was living at her mum's at the time because it was waiting for our new house to be a new house. Our house to be ready for me to move into. And I just. It got to 1.1 night I'll just sat and was living at a mum's house and I was downstairs in a room on my own because I was fidgeting. I didn't sleep very well and. And I had them tablets in my hand and I just thought how easy would it be just to take these and not be here anymore.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And. And that. That was the big. That was the main struggle for me and I, you know I'm quite open about it. I've admitted to loads of people about it that I struggled at that time and I, I think what sort of dragged me out of it. There was two things was you know my partner and the kids that that was the big factor. My family. You know looking at photos. I'm in tears looking at photos thinking of what I'd leave behind. But what was I worth to them? That makes sense.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And I sort of. Sort of snapped myself out of it was to let them dart force. And I was in hospital. I ended up having to have another stint in hospital because of the infection before I had the leg amputated. And I bumped into this little boy who was staring at me outside. Was sitting outside the main hospital summertime, just having a drink and chatting. It was a group of us out there and this kid just kept staring at me and his dad craved us. I'm really sorry he's staring but he's. He's about to have his leg amputated. And I was like send him over. And we had a little chat. We had a little laugh talking about superheroes and that. And I see his dad a little bit later on and obviously his son was asleep and I said you know, how is he? And he's like I knew what he was going through. He was going through cancer and he was gonna have his leg amputated at the age of six. And I was like that, that was the big thing for me. I was like listen, 40 odd years old. I've had a good innings as, as I thought what have I got to complain about. That little boy is six years old.

[A]

Yeah. You found some perspective in his situation.

[B]

Yeah. And I see him two weeks later he was outside the front of the hospital with his leg amputated pulling wheelies. Look, well I couldn't even do them in my wheelchair. I was well impressed. And that was like right, you need to sort yourself out here. You know not there's a problem if you have them sort of down days. But that was something that pulled me through.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And give me the inspiration to sort of kick on. And so I ended up having my left leg amputated and within days of having that left leg amputated, it. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was the best I'd felt in like two or three years. You know, there was no infection in my body.

[A]

Right.

[B]

My blood sugars were good, my HBA1C was coming down, everything was moving in the right direction but unfortunately it cost me my legs to realise to sort my diabetes out, if that makes sense.

[A]

No, I understand. Actually, Danny, I think you very well may be the first person in 11 years to come on here and talk about amputations. I'm not sure how we made it this far actually, without somebody coming on and talking about it. I appreciate you doing this. It can't be easy to relive. Today's episode is sponsored by Medtronic Diabetes, who is making life with diabetes easier with the MiniMed 780G system. The MiniMed 780G automated insulin delivery system anticipates, adjusts and corrects every five minutes. Real world results show people achieving up to 80% time and range with recommended settings without increasing lows. But of course, individual results may vary. The 780G works around the clock so you can focus on what matters. Have you heard about Medtronic's Extended Infusion Set? It's the first and only infusion set labeled for up to a seven day wear. This feature is repeatedly asked for and Medtronic has delivered. 97% of people using the 780G reported that they could manage their diabetes without major disruptions of sleep. They felt more free to eat what they wanted and and they felt less stress with fewer alarms and alerts. You can't beat that. Learn more about how you can spend less time and effort managing your diabetes by visiting medtronicdiabetes.com juicebox the contour next Gen blood glucose meter is sponsoring this episode of the Juicebox podcast and it's entirely possible that it is less expensive in cash than you're paying right now for your meter through your insurance company. That's right. If you go to my link contour next.com juicebox, you're going to find links to Walmart, Amazon, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Kroger and Meijer. You could be paying more right now through your insurance for your test strips and meter than you would pay through my link for the Contour Next Gen and Contour Next Test strips in cash. What am I saying my link may be cheaper out of your pocket than you're paying right now, even with your insurance. And I don't know what meter you have right now. I can't say that. But what I can say for sure is that the Contour Next Gen meter is accurate, it is reliable and it is the meter that we've been using for years. Contour next.com juicebox and if you already have a contour meter and you're buying test strips, doing so through the Juicebox podcast link or will help to support the show.

[B]

You know, now I look at things and yeah, it's different days are a different challenge. You know, getting up early in the morning if I've got a hospital appointment just to be able to get at least one leg on so I can drive now. So this was the thing for me. I've done a canoe challenge last year where I canoed 26 miles and raised money for a charity that I work for now called Steel Bones and Amputee Charity. I'm a family mentor there now and I look after about 50 odd families, just checking in on them, making sure they, that they're okay if they need any help for housing forms and you know, benefits, stuff like that. So it gives me a purpose to turn what I've lost into a positive.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So yeah, I ended up doing this charity event which I was so keen to do, thank for charity because I hadn't done anything two, three years and I was always heavily involved doing certain things for charity. I've always put my hand up to do things, so I've done that. Then I come up with this crazy idea last August to drive across the states in a hand control car to talk about my story and talk to the younger diabetics. Not, you know, and I, I have had a few negative comments saying, oh, you're just trying to scare people. I'm not trying to scare someone. I'm trying to give them the realization of what happens if you don't look after it. If you go down that path of yeah, you know, you're not, you're not looking after, you are looking after tomorrow, but you're more preserving 10 to 15, 20 years time.

[A]

Yeah, your story is very valuable and incredibly worth telling. I can understand why somebody would, you know, you know, there's, there's people who respond and there's people who don't respond. I think most of the people I've spoken to would not respond well to being told when they were 12, 15, 20 years old, hey, one day you're going to lose your leg if you don't take this seriously. Right. Like, that's not. I don't think that that's a good way to get through to people. But a story like this, in hindsight, I mean, it's got to be valuable for people who are taking insulin. It just does. Like, you know, I don't think you're here trying to scare anybody. I think that you're here saying, look, you know, they say this to everybody, and it happened to me. And, you know, it happened to you. It could happen to somebody else. It certainly does. And I think having that knowledge is valuable. Like, I don't think you should leave this recording if you're listening to it right now. I'm being scared. But, you know, maybe take. I don't know, like, let Danny's experience be your, you know, your thing instead of having to get to where he had to get to to learn. He needed to know. I mean, just. You know what I mean? Like, ride on Danny's shoulders. He's. He's here offering the support to you. Just take it and try to leap forward a little bit. Because you're not the only one. Like the. The. Yeah, yeah. I mean, the way you described, you know, your life over the last hour, that. That's happening to everybody. Everybody feels like they can just do anything. I'm not going to get sick. This isn't going to happen to me. I can smoke cigarettes. I won't get lung cancer. Like, that's a very human feeling. Like, I. I've made the point in the past. I don't know where we'd be without that feeling.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, I think. I think you have to have that. Like, nothing's going to stop me. I can do anything. I think that's really valuable, right? Until it intersects with not taking enough insulin. And I have type 1 diabetes. That can no longer be the answer to that problem. It can't be. It doesn't matter. I can overcome this. You can't overcome that. You can take your insulin and then overcome whatever you want, but you can't overcome the need for the insulin, the right amount of it at the right time. That's breathing now, you know, that's every day. You gotta do it every day. So I appreciate you doing this. I'd like to hear more, actually. I'd love to know how long it took you to learn to walk, to learn to, like, how did you figure out how to get into a canoe and do that trip? What are you doing next?

[B]

Yeah, it Was great difficulty. It's great difficult. It was, it really was. I still can't work fully because I've had complications with sockets and stuff like that. Not, you know, the sockets not fitting properly. So I can walk slightly, but I have to do it aided at the moment. So it's difficult because obviously one's below the knee and one's above the knee.

[A]

So it changes your gate on either side.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. So I go to the gym a lot now. I'm at the gym, you know, get myself fit. You know, I've come up with this idea of driving across America, which I'm really looking forward to, but I'm. I've put it off once in May because I wasn't ready. If I'd have come over there, I wouldn't have been ready. Like physically, mentally. Yeah, mentally I'm strong enough to do anything in my head. I think I can do anything now. Yeah, like mentally strong. There's nothing that phases me. But physically, as you get older, a little bit older, it gets a little bit harder.

[A]

Yeah, I'm. Yeah, listen, I have my legs and I'm. I'm with you. I'm 54. There's things you go to do and you're like, that was not as easy as I remember it being the last time I did it.

[B]

No. Yeah, no, it's definitely not. So, yeah, instantly, you know, I'm back driving now. I drive on a hand control car, so I'm getting that independence back. You know, I've had to rely so much heavily on people. You know, like I said, a partner every time we've been away. You know, we've only been in the UK on holiday, we've had to drive, she's had to do all the driving, so that should be nice. This year now I'm driving. I don't let her drive at all.

[A]

Yeah, you can help. Not just how I can help handle it.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. You know, I can get my wheelchair in and out of my car quite comfortably now. I don't have to worry about that. You know, I am getting physically stronger and fitter. So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to come to the States this. And I'm hoping that after this it may get me some speaking opportunities across the States to tell my story to people. Even if it's just popping into a. A hospital clinic. Yeah, I, I don't know, you know, as well as fundraising, why does that.

[A]

Feel so important to you, to talk to people?

[B]

I don't want people making the same mistakes I did. You know, I'm from a generation where men didn't talk about their feelings, they didn't talk about their struggles. And I'm a bit advocate now for speaking up about things. If you're struggling, talk to somebody.

[A]

Right.

[B]

It may not be a, it may be your best friend, it may be a family member, it may be someone medical to talk to. But don't, don't suffer in silence like I did, you know, hiding away all my, my stuff and my struggles.

[A]

Yeah, you had opportunities along the way. Your father in law tried to help you like there were people. Yeah. It just took you a while to get to it. Can I ask, can I ask you put such a, an importance on, on your work and your ability to make money. What kind of a, an adjustment was it for that to go away?

[B]

That, that's, that was been the hardest thing because you know, I was earning. I wasn't, I'm not a millionaire, trust me, by long shot, but I was earning okay money. You know, I was able to do things, but from going from that down to literally pretty much zilch. It makes you realize the finer things in life, you know, there's nothing more important than your own health.

[A]

Yeah, it's easy to say. I, I don't know if it's as easy to believe and I don't know if it's as easy to enact. Make sure that you put it first. But I've shared this with my son before. I was like, everything is health. Like health is first and if it's not there then, then everything else suffers, you know, like it's, it's not just as easy as. You just can't ignore it. You know, it's, yeah. Got to be first and it's got to be, it might, it might have to be first, second and third. Like you have to make sure your health's in order. And it sucks, Mike, to have something like this, you know. Do you have other autoimmune issues or did you figure out like where in your extended family is there type 1?

[B]

I'm the only one, thankfully, I'm the only one in my family, Scott. Type one. I've ended up in the last couple of years as well developing Graves disease.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Thyroid. I've had no end. The laser surgery on my eyes to the point now where it's, it's. Now my blood Sugars and the HPA1C have come down. The eyes are getting better. They're never going to be perfect again. I still wear glasses, the driving and stuff like that, but I Can notice the difference when. From when my blood sugars were higher. I don't get these floaters in the eyes where you get the little black dots and stuff like that. I bet that was all due to poor control.

[A]

Yeah, well, that's. It's amazing that they can do that surgery now to help you kind of clear up those problems too. And now that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What are your goals for your diabetes nowadays? Like, what do you shoot for as far as range?

[B]

And I've literally just started on the T slim two days ago. So you've done a week in the uk, you do a week on saline first and still carry on mdi. But I'm on that at the moment and I've had a telephone consultation with the hospital the last yesterday and they said like the first two days your blood glucose readings have stayed around between the six and eight marks. So that's what.

[A]

Six is.

[B]

Like, what, like 108?

[A]

108 to 144.

[B]

Yeah. So I'll.

[A]

Danny, I haven't done this in a while but. Juiceboxpodcast.com forward/conversion and there's a nice little, little thing there where I just clicked on millimoles type 6 and it told me that's a 108. It's a. It's a nice little tool.

[B]

Yeah. I normally just use the calculator and times mine by 18. Or if I want to work your. The USA one out, it's divide by 18. But I only learned that on Tick Tock for a girl called Tatum. She told me that once, so I'd like to take credit for that. So, yeah, I do quite a bit on Tick Tock now. I've met some really. I've made some great connections in the States and the uk, but it was the States where I was trying to get the connections from a trip. Really?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that was the whole reason I started my TikTok. But it's. It's turned into something different from what I expected.

[A]

Getting a lot of good community there?

[B]

Yeah, massively.

[A]

That's awesome. What's your expectation when you make it to the us? Where are you going to start and where do you want to finish?

[B]

I want to start in New York.

[A]

And finish in San Francisco and drive across the country.

[B]

Yeah. So it works out about. I've got about. I've got a notepad full of ideas and I can't sleep. I have these crazy ideas. So I've got about three or four different routes set up, but now they're going to be changing because of the people I've met. I was like, oh, we'd love you to pass through and ask to meet. Yeah. So it's like, right, I need to work it out a little bit where everyone is but not to extend it, where I'm not seeing part of the country and doing some talks as well as meeting up people as well.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, I've sort of done it over four hours driving a day so it's going to take me about 23 days to cross.

[A]

That'd be. Nothing wrong with that, that. It sounds nice. You can make stops, talk to people, you know.

[B]

Yeah. And that's, that's what I want to do. I just want, I want people to learn from my mistakes. I don't want people going through what I've had to do 20 odd years later, try and fix that problem earlier. And you know, it is easier now with CGMs and pumps and stuff and, and CGMs in my eyes and a massive game changer. Oh, was, was, was the biggest game changer in my life.

[A]

Oh my gosh, I don't think I could possibly agree more. Used to say a lot and I'd be happy to say now, like if you gave me, you know, and if you said, look, you have, you have a chance here to keep either your pump or your CGM for your daughter. I'd hate to lose either of them. I certainly would. Especially with a ID systems which you're about to learn, Danny, about how great that tandem pump is going to be for you.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But if you had to give one away, putting that pump. Oh, the pump. You'd have to give the pump away. The cm.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The CGM is just what it brings to you as far as the, your understanding. It's unmatched really.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

If someone would have slapped, listen, I know they didn't exist, but if someone would have slapped a CGM on 25 year old you even for a week, you would have been like, oh, this is not going nearly the way I think it is. You were probably walking around, you were probably walking around with what, 300 blood sugars your whole life, which would be. What were you probably like. Do you think you were in the 30s, your blood sugar, the 20s.

[B]

20S.

[A]

Yeah. I mean that's, that's how you get to where you are.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. I mean in the last five years I've managed to get my HBA1C from like, I think it was 11.1 or something around 11.1. Between 11 and 13.1 in the last five years down to like 7.1.

[A]

Look at you. That's awesome. And for people in America that are listening, like a 20 blood sugar in Europe is like a high 300 into the, into the low four hundreds. It's a significant blood sugar. And, and you, I mean, besides the damage that was being done to your body, like, you'll never really know about how cloudy you were in your mind or maybe, you know, were you kind of snappy with people? Maybe sometimes, like all that stuff.

[B]

I, to have such a short fuse. Yeah, such a short fuse. And now I'm probably one of the most laid back people you'll ever meet in your life. I just don't care about certain things, you know, but this is one thing I'm really passionate about now is, is spreading awareness.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. You've gotten pretty far from having a handful of pills to where you are now in a short time.

[B]

Yeah. And that, that, that's the thing for me, I, I just, I genuinely just want to help others now. And I've never really, never really sort of thought about diabetes, about raising awareness where I could have been doing it a long time ago and even raising money for like, what I'm gonna do now. You know, I'm just giving pages up to about £600 at the moment. And that's going to go between Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D in the States.

[A]

Yeah. So I hope somebody steps up and hears this and, and supports you because, I mean, what an awesome thing it would be for you to drive across the country and stop at different clinics or, you know, have, have events along the way where you could, you know, tell your story to 50, 100 people or, or tell it at hospitals, to clinicians, you know, anything, like anybody who would benefit from it. I can't tell you how, how lucky I feel that I found a way to fund this thing that I'm doing because it really does take that money. Like, you know, look, look, nobody's working because they love working for the most part. Right. You were working to make money for your family and you can hear like a loving father in there trying to make money for his kids and provide. But now you, you have this new perspective and if somebody would come along and offer you that money that you made before, you'd get up every day and go out there and try to help other people avoid this problem and you'd be really successful at it too. But that's not a thing we pay people for.

[B]

No, it's not.

[A]

Yeah. And it should be, because in the end Danny, I don't get paid to help you tell your story or to give a place to people. You know, like, let's be honest with how all this works. Like, I get paid to bring in ears to hear ads. Like, that's how, that's how I make money. Now what I do with it is I try to, I try to shine a light on people and their, and their stories, but nobody, you know, if I, if I said today, like, I just want to make this podcast and I'm not going to worry anymore about saying the ads. Nobody would, nobody sending me money to do that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, you know, so. And I wish somebody would because especially for something like you, I mean, I'm trying to imagine you in a, you know, in a conversion van that says, you know, tandem diabetes on the side of it, and you're driving around the country, stopping at hospitals and telling your story. Like, I think that'd be awesome. You know what I mean?

[B]

I put charity proposals out to several of the big firms, you know, your tandems, because obviously I'm on a tandem pump. Novo Nordisk, Abbott, because I'm on the labor sensor. Dexcom.

[A]

Yeah, Abbott should buy. I like this. Abbott buys the van, Tandem sets up the, sets up the meet and greets across the country. Let me make the pitch for you here to libre into tandem and anybody else's devices that you're using. The cost to put Danny in a van that's decorated nicely, that goes across the country, put them, you know, make sure. I don't know if you got to put a handler with them or not because you got to make sure. I don't understand how the insurance of all this works. Right. And for you guys to set up stops where he spends a month crisscrossing the US Stopping at hospitals, telling his story, taking pictures. The money it would cost you would pay you back in social media alone. The video you'd get out of that and the images, you could live off of those for a year on your socials. I mean, it's a no brainer really. And if anybody hears that and thinks, look, I don't want to think it's a guy with no legs, that's not very upbeat. I think just the opposite. I think this guy's got, this guy's got perspective that, that other people don't have. Like you. You want, you want you out there telling that story. You know what I mean? Because it's.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, I'll be honest, I'm, I am a massive idiot. My sense of humor Gets me through a lot of stuff. And I. I do laugh about and I joke about a lot of things, but when it comes to talking about diabetes and raising that awareness, that is where I am very passionate about. I talked. I talked to L. It does type 1 Tuesdays on tick Tock. I talk to her frequently.

[A]

Elle's episode was today on my podcast, right?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I'm just about to watch it when I finish.

[A]

Yeah. Shooting Star, it's called.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. I've seen her share it on her story, so I will be watching that tonight.

[A]

Awesome. Yeah. I mean, listen, I'm not pressuring anybody, but I. I know what, I know what people's budgets look like. A van's not that expensive.

[B]

You know, I've priced it all up in roughly with flights, car hire. I'm not even worried about a hotel. I'll sleep in the car if I had to. I think it could cost about £5,000.

[A]

Oh, please.

[B]

That. Yeah, five, six thousand pounds.

[A]

I say we put you in a hotel and spend the extra money. But I mean, honestly, like, really, people have to think about it. Like, he could stop at. And you guys have the connections already at all these different hospitals. Like, you could set up places. Imagine, like if everybody came out at lunchtime and got to hear Danny's story, you know, and if you, I don't know, like, Danny, he's met people on TikTok, right? So, like, have them instead of him meeting these people at their homes, like, have it happen at a restaurant and invite local people. Maybe 10 or 20 people will show up with diabetes, you have a nice event, take some, you know, send a videographer along. Danny, I can't do everybody's job for them, but this is cheap and easy and it'll. It's going to draw a lot of good attention, which is what you're trying to do.

[B]

I think it is. So what these pharmaceutical companies and that lot make a year, I think it's a drop in the ocean. That's. That's something that they. They would write off in scrap. What I would cost. It would cost for me to do it.

[A]

I've been at this a while, Danny. The pharma companies aren't where you're going to get the interest. It's going to be devices. It's going to be devices that would be interested in something like this. Yeah, I think that would be amazing. I think it would be amazing if they worked it out. So you stop and saw, oh, my God, what's her name? She's been on my Podcast twice. Oh, I feel terrible. She races bicycles. She's paraplegic with type one.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

Oh, she's awesome. Kate. Kate. Brim, Brim. Kate, hold on a second. I'm going to, I'm going to get this. Yeah, Kate. Episode 819, I think, was her first episode. She's a quadriplegic with type one, and I think she wears a tandem pump. Like, I mean, let's find out where she is and the two of you get together. Awesome. Like, you know what I mean? Like, go out and meet people. Like, all right, Danny, listen, I've laid this out well. If somebody doesn't pick this up, it's their fault. But like, this is, like you said, it's not, it's not a very expensive thing. You're not asking to be paid a ton of money. You just want the trip covered. You're trying to, like, that's what I.

[B]

Mean, you know, for me to lay out that sort of money is unrealistic. And I think it's a valuable story to tell myself. You know, I'm not, I'm not a medical profession, but I'm a person that's been through diabetes for over 37 years now. Probably by the time this trip comes around, could be 30, 38 years.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Because realistically, you know, I had it booked in for this September. It's, it's getting closer and closer now and it, it's. I'm just getting nothing back. With all these companies that are contacted, you know, I've had a few no's from a few airlines and even one of the Enterprise rental car, when I reached out to them, asked me to remove there from their mailing list. So I, I've had a few knockbacks, but I will, I will carry on. I will, this will happen.

[A]

I mean, listen, it, I mean, I'm looking at this. You're telling me that if, you know, if, if one company threw in 10, 15 grand, the other company threw in 10, 15 grand. That's, that's a lot already. You know, that rents the vehicle, gets it wrapped, you know, for the company or for you even. Like, maybe they don't, maybe they don't want their name all over it. Maybe it's just for you and, and you know, when you get to the. Each event, it's, it's a little more. Listen, I, I'm not going to tell you it's easy. I've had stuff planned for this year. Like I pulled off cruise with 100 listeners this year. It was no small feat and yeah, I had a four city tour set up that was supposed to start soon that now has to get pushed off into 2026 because it's hard to put funding together for. And to your point, it's not a lot of money. And I have to tell you something, Danny, I'll draw a lot of people when I get where I'm at.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's still not, it's not a slam dunk. Like it's hard to. Because it's not just the money, it's also like, if I'm looking at it from their perspective, they're going to want to be involved and they might not have the time to be involved where, you know, you're going to be in a car. So maybe there's insurance issues, like, you know, like what happens if you have a medical issue while you're here? Who's going to take care of that? That's, that's the, the, the adult questions that start getting asked. It's not just. Yeah, yeah, it's not just about the money. If it was just about the money, then, you know, well, then, hell, like, we could probably raise, you know, I would imagine we could raise 6, $10,000 for you to pay for it. Like, you know, so I don't know that that would be impossible to do. You could probably crowdfund that money.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you got to do it.

[B]

You know, I've got my GoFundMe page and it's ticking along nicely, but I've not really pushed it, you know. And the little event I done last year that I raised £3,000 for, that one.

[A]

Lovely.

[B]

So I know, you know, whatever I raise, I want, I want that GoFundMe to stay for the charities. I don't want that going on. X, Y, Z. I want some of these companies to step up and say, yeah, I think this story could work. I think I'm going to give you.

[A]

My best piece of advice then based on the last 11 years I've been doing this. You make the thing on your own and then sell them ad space on it. Don't look for them, don't look for them to pay for it. Because the truth is is they'd pay you more for it if it was done and they didn't have to do anything.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Then. Because what you're asking them to do is you're asking them to pay for it, which is you saying, like, I think I could do a thing if I had money. And that makes them nervous, I would guess. Yeah, I would say, say to them, we're doing the thing. Here's the itinerary. It's paid for. This is a day it starts on. Would you like your name on this? That I think you could get somebody interested in? But he. But other. I think the other way probably feels to them like you're asking them to do it for you and they don't have time to do what they're doing.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I'm. I'm quite happy to do. Sort out an itinerary. You know, I want to be able to sit down and work out an exact date. I can do it and start date and end date and the cities that I want to stop in.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

While I cross, you know, like I say, I've got two or three different routes. One takes me down into Florida, which is really going to be off the beaten track, if I'm. If I'm honest, but I'll do it.

[A]

Okay, listen, I. That's my best advice is I'd put it together, plan it, pay for it, you know, and then contact these people. I'd start with the devices that you use, and I would get them all set. You know what I mean? And say, look, here's what's happening. Would you like to sponsor it? And that I bet you. I bet you you could at least get your money back and maybe put a couple dollars in your pocket, you know, so that it's not costing you money, too.

[B]

I'm not even interested in making money for myself. It's more. Whatever. Whatever isn't spent will. Will go straight back into the pot for the two charities.

[A]

I'm saying I don't want it to cost you money when it's over. You know what I mean? I wouldn't want to see you come home and be in the hole over it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Financially. All right. Danny, I have to tell you, this is awesome.

[B]

We're.

[A]

We're up on time. I'm gonna need to say goodbye, but I really appreciate you doing this with me. Can you tell people where they can follow you on. On Tick Tock?

[B]

So, on Tick Tock, I am under double amputee, diabetic. And on my Facebook and Instagram, it's Danny Spudsmith.

[A]

Okay. And are you in my Facebook group? You are, aren't you?

[B]

Yes, I am. Yeah, I post them there now and again.

[A]

Awesome. Okay. I really appreciate you taking the time to share this with me. It was. It was eye opening, actually. And. And the way you laid out your story was inspirational, actually. I. I thought this was going to be sadder. And it didn't feel that way to me. You made me sad one time. I forget when it was. I think it's when they called you and they said, we want to do the amputation tomorrow. I think I got upset then.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Listening to you talk about it. But, but otherwise, no, I think, I think this is a, you know, it's unfortunate, obviously, what had to happen for you to get to where you are, but I find it uplifting that you found that place and that you're healthy at this point now and, and you're there. This is probably, oddly enough, with your amputations, the healthiest you've been in 35 years.

[B]

Oh, massively.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Apart from, apart from the little belly. But we won't mention that.

[A]

Well, listen, that was probably going to happen one way or the other. We're all getting, we're all getting older.

[B]

So it's gravity, isn't it?

[A]

It might be. All right, Danny, hold on for me one second. This was awesome. I really appreciate this. Having an easy to use and accurate blood glucose meter is just one click away. Contournext.com juicebox that's right. Today's episode is sponsored by the Contour Next Gen blood glucose Meter. Thanks for tuning in today and thanks to Medtronic Diabetes for sponsoring this episode. We've been Talking about Medtronic's MiniMed 780G system today, an automated insulin delivery system that helps make diabetes management easier day and night. Whether it's their meal detection technology or where the Medtronic extended Infusion set, it all comes together to simplify life with diabetes. Go find out more at my link. Medtronicdiabetes.com juicebox thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juice Box 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? My Diabetes Pro Tip series is about cutting through the clutter of diabetes management to give you the straightforward, practical insights that truly make a difference. This series is all about mastering the fundamentals, whether it's the basics of insulin dosing, adjustments or everyday management strategies that will empower you to take control. I'm joined by Jenny Smith, who is a diabetes educator with over 35 years of personal experience, and we break down complex concepts into simple, actionable tips. The Diabetes Pro Tip series runs between episode 1000 and 1025 in your podcast player, or you can listen to [e-mail] by going up into the menu. If you're looking for community around type 1 diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast. Private Facebook group juicebox 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.