#1806 Spokane or Bust - Part 1

Summary

Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode: #1806 Spokane or Bust – Part 1
Date: March 24, 2026
Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Cassie (mom of a 12-year-old with Type 1 Diabetes)

---

Episode Overview

This episode delves into Cassie’s family’s journey with her 12-year-old son's diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, exploring their experiences of access to care in a rural setting, Cassie's drive for meticulous glucose management, the challenges of “trying too hard” (per their endo), the realities of burnout, and the nuances of being both aspirational and forgiving as a caregiver. The conversation is layered with personal anecdotes, humor, and honest reflections, providing actionable insights for anyone living with or caring for someone with type 1 diabetes.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meet Cassie & Her Family (07:38 – 08:34)

• Cassie is a stay-at-home mom of three boys (ages 14, 12, 6). Her middle child was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in July 2024.
• The adjustment felt both rapid and natural:

  “It feels like forever—but also not. We’ve just settled into it.” (08:00 – Cassie)

• Her son is just coming out of a prolonged honeymoon phase, which means new management challenges.

2. Burnout and “Trying Too Hard” (08:57 – 14:16)

• Cassie worked hard to achieve and maintain an A1C in the fives for her son—prompting her endocrinologist to caution against “trying too hard.”
• She unpacks this tension:

  “I was basically told, ‘you're trying too hard. You don’t need to try this hard.’ I was like, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want me to.” (09:10 – Cassie)

• Despite the warning, Cassie feels passionate about maintaining control without burning out, using tools like the Juicebox Podcast A1C calculator and meticulously tracking her son's numbers.
• The family travels three hours to Spokane for endo visits due to lack of local pediatric endocrinology—something endured by 600+ families (11:10):

  “It’s the only game in town. Unless I want to go to Seattle, which is longer.” (11:50 – Cassie)

3. The Emotional Toll of Vigilance (14:16 – 19:19)

• Cassie admits to taking management “personally”:

  “If I didn’t nail something and his blood sugar was too high for too long, I would take it very personally. Like I had failed.” (14:16 – Cassie)

• Host Scott unpacks the nuance between being aspirational and avoiding blame/shame when things don’t go as planned:

  “When I share with somebody, ‘hey, you should give this a shot,’ I don’t expect them to feel like an abject failure if it doesn’t work every time.” (17:30 – Scott)

• Cassie found the podcast supportive, never shaming:

  “I always feel like you’re speaking directly to us...I’ve never gotten that [failure] vibe.” (19:56 – Cassie)

4. Diagnosis Journey: Missed Signs to DKA (22:36 – 35:13)

• Cassie recounts her son’s subtle symptoms—excessive thirst, weight loss, exhaustion, and unusual bedwetting—escalating rapidly into life-threatening DKA.

  “I could see his spine through his pajamas.” (27:37 – Cassie)

• Their rural community lacked immediate pediatric care; they ended up in the ER after home remedies and urgent care were exhausted.
• The ER staff immediately recognized new-onset type 1 diabetes and expedited care (32:10).

Notable Moment

• Cassie’s son, overhearing a previous family discussion about a distant step-relative with T1D, asked on the way to the hospital:

  “Do I have diabetes?” (31:41 – Cassie)

• The day before, they’d just discussed T1D for the first time over dinner.

5. Life Flight & Medical Logistics in Rural Areas (35:13 – 39:09)

• The local hospital refused to admit Cassie's son due to lack of an onsite endocrinologist; he was life-flighted three hours away to Spokane.
• Learning-on-the-fly tip: Get life flight insurance—adding it before the flight saved the family $10,000+ (36:01):

  “As long as you have it by the time of the flight, they bill your insurance, and then write off the rest.” (36:15 – Cassie)

• Cassie drove up by car after packing a bag—her husband stayed home with their other two boys.

6. In-Hospital Education & The Reality of ‘Forever’ (43:18 – 44:51)

• Cassie found the hospital diabetes education “so basic that it was easy to understand.”
• Reality set in at the first insulin shot:

  “So how long do we have to do this for?”
  “Oh…He has to do this for the rest of his life.” (44:49 – 44:51)

• Cassie reflects that she hadn’t truly grasped the permanence, despite reading the literature.

7. Family Reactions and Coping

• The siblings’ experience is notably different. Cassie’s oldest, upon his brother heading off in a helicopter, asks:

  “Hey, so can we go to the LEGO store today?” (42:39)

• Cassie gently navigates explaining the gravity to her children, modeling open communication but also everyday resilience.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Burnout:

  “He wanted to talk about burnout, and I think ‘you’re trying too hard, and it’s really not that serious, he’s still healthy, you’re doing a good job.’” (13:22 – Cassie, paraphrasing endo)

• On the Endo’s Caution:

  “Several times I was told, ‘You’re kind of getting into the weeds there.… You’re getting a little out there.’” (09:55)

• On the Rural Health System:

  “There are like 600 families down here that travel up to Spokane for care.” (11:24 – Cassie)

• Scott’s Humor on Housekeeping:

  “Cassie, clean the house and get the kids a pediatrician, okay?” (30:31)

• On Learning as a Marathon:

  “I definitely see diabetes as a marathon, not a sprint…there’s nothing wrong with being aspirational, but you also have to understand it may be a process.” (20:23 – Scott)

• Facing Diagnosis:

  “I was like, how long do we have to do this for? [Nurse:] ‘Oh...he has to do this for the rest of his life.’ And I was like, okay.” (44:49)

• Life-Flight Practicality:

  “If you don’t have life flight insurance, get it now or it’s going to be very expensive...It’s like 65 bucks.” (36:15 – Cassie)

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------| | 07:38 – 08:34 | Cassie introduces herself and her family | | 08:57 – 14:16 | Striving for tight control, discussing A1C, burnout, “trying too hard” | | 14:16 – 19:19 | The emotional pressure of diabetes management | | 22:36 – 27:37 | Early symptoms, missed warning signs | | 27:38 – 35:13 | ER trip, DKA, and diagnosis | | 35:13 – 39:09 | Life-flight logistics/insurance, rural medicine | | 42:39 – 43:23 | Sibling dynamics amidst the crisis | | 43:18 – 44:51 | Hospital education and realization of chronicity |

---

Tone & Style

The conversation is warm, candid, and often humorous—Scott’s style leans into gentle teasing and empathy, while Cassie’s storytelling is straightforward, self-aware, and authentic. Both acknowledge the daily difficulties without wallowing in them, making this episode both relatable and uplifting.

---

Summary Takeaways

• Managing diabetes is both an art and a science; emotion, aspiration, and realism must coexist.
• Rural families face major access hurdles, requiring substantial time, travel, and logistical gymnastics.
• Caregiver mental health and managing expectations are as vital as numbers on a chart.
• Community, practical tools, and humor are powerful resources in the diabetes journey.
• No one’s experience or pace is “wrong”—getting there at all is a victory.

---

Stay tuned for Part 2. For more community and practical resources, visit juiceboxpodcast.com.

Transcript

[A]

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

[B]

So my name is Cassie. I am a stay at home mom of three boys. They're 14, 12 and 6 and my 12 year old is our type one diabetic.

[A]

Have you tried the Small Sip series? They're curated takeaways from the Juice Box Podcast. Voted on by listeners as the most helpful insights for managing their diabetes. These bite sized pieces of wisdom cover essential topics like insulin timing, carb management and balancing highs and lows, making it easier for you to incorporate real life strategies into your daily routine. Dive deep, take a sip and discover what our community finds most valuable on the journey to better diabetes management. For more information on Small sips, go to juiceboxpodcast.com, click on the Word series in the menu. 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. 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. Today's podcast is sponsored by usmed usmed.com juicebox you can get your diabetes supplies from the same place that we do and I'm talking about Dexcom Libre, Omnipod, Tandem and so much more. Usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. Today's episode is also sponsored by the Eversense 365. The Eversense 365 has exceptional accuracy over one year and is the most accurate CGM in the low range that you can get. Eversensecgm.com juicebox the podcast is also sponsored today by Tandem Mobi, the impressively small insulin pump. Tandem MOBI features Tandem's newest algorithm, Control IQ plus technology. It's designed for greater discretion, more freedom and improved time and range. Learn more and get started [e-mail] Juicebox I just realized I'm going to record this. We'll introduce you later. Okay?

[B]

Okay, perfect.

[A]

So they have a row of bushes, a hedge, and they I'm going to guess that in the time I've lived here, in the 25 years that I've lived here, they've planted, chopped down, dug up and replanted this row of hedges. I want to say conservatively five times. So it's like 10 or 20, I don't know. They're not quite arborvitaes. They're nicer than that. They plant them at about six feet high, they grow up to a certain level, they start to top them. They cap them like they'll cut them to keep them at a height. And then eventually one day they just go out there, they cut them down into pieces, throw them away, dig up the stumps and then replant the same exact bush again.

[B]

Do they just love the process?

[A]

I think it's gotta be quelling some sort of a mental illness for them. Like, I don't know, I don't know

[B]

another way to put it. That's a selling point, though. Mature landscaping.

[A]

Well, guess what? It's been mature four times so far. And it's working on it for a mature four times, it's working on it for a fifth time. So there's a lot of that, there's a lot of, of planting growing, tending to, ripping down for no reason, replanting again, there's also. And the reason this came up, and by the way, everybody, this is. Are we going to say your name? Cassie. Yes, this is Cassie. We'll get to who she is in a second. She and I were talking before we started, but the reason I bring it up is because the older person that lives at the house, and as I described to Cassie before I hit record, she has to be 150 years old because I'm sure she was 100 years old when I moved in here 25 years ago. So, I mean, bent over, can't stand up straight anymore, doesn't look like she should be mobile, but still spends her entire summer on her hands and knees or bent at her waist, like folds herself in half to bend to the ground. I mean, I'm impressed by her flexibility every day of my life. With a pair of steel kitchen shears in her hand, oh my goodness, grabbing leaves, weeds, anything she doesn't like, one at a time and snipping them off.

[B]

She must also do yoga.

[A]

I mean, or her back is broken and it just doesn't matter because I'm not lying. Could be standing up straight, bent at the waist, hands on the ground, clip, clip, clip, clip. And then the, the creepiest part, and then you'll introduce yourself. The creepiest part is that there are times in the middle of the summer, sometimes as late at 3 o' clock in the morning, where it's just dead silent outside and you have the windows open and you hear this.

[B]

Oh, my goodness, stop. She's out there at three o' clock

[A]

in the morning clipping with the shears. And I have to tell you, I don't make fun of mental illness. I think it's terrible and I don't know what's wrong. I have had situations where I've been face to face with her and she's been like, hello, how are you? And I'm like, good, how are you? Do you not remember when you screamed and yelled at me six weeks ago? And then there's times where just for no reason, you'll just be pulling out of your driveway. I haven't seen her or laid eyes on her in months. And you know, you get to the end of the driveway, nice day, the windows are down, you put your hand up to wave and she just.

[B]

You.

[A]

And I'm like, oh, my God, what is happening?

[B]

Oh, dear.

[A]

Whoever buys this house, I imagine we'll have a landscaper come in and cut down, I'm guessing 65 to 70% of what's planted on it. Because they literally. It's like a walking garden. There's no actual space to be.

[B]

Oh, I see.

[A]

It's really that word.

[B]

Is that where the deer should go to die?

[A]

I mean, listen, if Snow White was over there right now having a full on relationship with seven smaller men, I wouldn't be surprised. It's a jungle forest. Now. Here's the high side. I can't see their house. Like, I'm not kidding.

[B]

That's how much landscaping there is.

[A]

I am not kidding. I can stand at my front door, look across the street from my house and I. If I didn't know there was a house there, I wouldn't be able to prove it.

[B]

Oh, dear.

[A]

Yeah. Wow. Clink, clink. The first time it happened, the kids were like, yo, we're gonna die. There's a murderer outside. There is a guy with a hook outside. He's sharpening the hook, he's coming for us. And then it took us a while to figure it out, but no kidding, it's her. And I'm not telling you, this happens one time. Like this happens consistently.

[B]

Yeah, for 25 years.

[A]

Yep, yep. You know, and, and to your point earlier, which we won't say out loud because it had something to do with somebody you're related to. Her property don't look any different than mine does. Like, it doesn't look any better or any worse or any different. Sure, yeah, it's awesome. Anyway, Cassie, do you have type one or does your kid have it what's going on?

[B]

My kid has it. Yeah.

[A]

Awesome. For you. Let's see. Let's. Let's learn about you for a second. Just introduce yourself, just briefly.

[B]

So my name is Cassie. I am a stay at home mom of three boys. They're 14, 12 and 6. And my 12 year old is our type one diabetic.

[A]

How long ago was he diagnosed?

[B]

He was diagnosed in July of 24, so about 18 months now.

[A]

Oh, it hasn't been that long at all.

[B]

No, it has. It feels like forever, but also not.

[A]

Tell me about that. What do you mean it feels like forever?

[B]

I just feel like we've settled into it enough that it just feels normal.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It's almost like we don't really remember him not having it.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah. Which I find interesting. I don't know. I guess I just feel like I don't remember how easy it was before we had to do all the extra stuff. But then at the same time, it still does feel very new. He's like in a prolonged honeymoon at this point. And so we're just now finally seeing it start to die off. It almost feels like we're learning all over again.

[A]

The honeymoon's dying off.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

All right.

[B]

So we'll have days where it is very obviously on the pancreas is helping. And then you go into like three or four days where it is not. And like, ratios are not working. Pump settings are not working. So this last several weeks, I feel like for us it's just been starting over again.

[A]

So is that feeling difficult or are you being able to adjust with it?

[B]

We're adjusting. It was a little difficult at first only because we've kept such good control. We managed to get his A1C down so far right off the bat. And that's kind of where my email came from was because I was basically told, you're trying too hard. Like you don't need to try this hard. And I was like, I don't know why you wouldn't want me to. Like, he's doing really well and he's happy. So it was a little frustrating because it's just like you don't want to lose the progress, I guess.

[A]

Pick through that for a second though. Who told you you were trying too hard?

[B]

That was our endo.

[A]

Your endo.

[B]

And he's wonderful. We love him so much. I am so thankful to be in the practice that we're in. He's really great and I think he was just kind of looking at it from a mental health standpoint. Honestly, like, he didn't want to see us burn out so quickly.

[A]

Were you going cuckoo?

[B]

I didn't feel like I was.

[A]

Do you think he thought you were?

[B]

Probably.

[A]

Is it because you spoke very quickly and your hair didn't look combed or what was the level of concern, do you think?

[B]

Well, so I think the level of concern was coming in with so many questions and ideas. So several times I was told, you're kind of getting into the weeds there. You're getting a little bit out there.

[A]

What's the weeds? Give me an example of like a bridge too far for the endo.

[B]

Oh, gosh. At the time, we were kind of just looking at a 1C in general. Like, I use your little calculator on your website a lot. Yeah, that's always on for us. By the way, if I check here, his 90 day average before we go in to the endo, his A1C always comes back exactly what the calculator says it's going to be.

[A]

You know, a listener made that for me years ago.

[B]

It's awesome. Yeah, no, it's great. Gosh, I wish I could remember what it was. I remember what office we were sitting in. So where we live, we actually travel three hours to go see our endo.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Yeah. So they'll come down and do satellite

[A]

clinics here off a mountain. What do you mean come down?

[B]

Come down from the northern part of Washington. So I'm in eastern Washington.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But southeast Washington, so we're a pretty big community down here. It's called the Tri Cities. We have to go up to Spokane to go see our endo. So our hospital network, all of the endos here, they don't have them here anymore. We had one that was about an hour and a half away. They didn't pay him enough and the practice was overloaded. He was the only one. This is what I was told anyway. And so he ended up leaving. So now everybody. They told me that There are like 600 families down here that travel up to Spokane for care.

[A]

Jeez.

[B]

Yeah, it's crazy.

[A]

So it's six hours round trip? Yes, It's a whole day.

[B]

It's a whole day. It turns into a whole day. And if we do have to go up there, that's exactly what it is. We usually schedule the appointments earlier. Him and I leave first thing in the morning. We get up there for the appointment, and then we basically just get back in the car and drive straight home.

[A]

But disappointment's so amazing. It's worth it. Or it's Just the only game in town.

[B]

It's the only game in town. Unless I want to go to Seattle, which is longer. Okay, yeah, yeah. But I do think it is worth it. I also think it's worth it. And like I said, they do satellite clinics down here, so there are times that we can get in with a satellite clinic, so they've got a little office space that they rent out. Like, two of the endos from the practice will come down and see people here.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

That's an option as well. Our last one was over Zoom because they had just seen him in the office, so they are pretty flexible with us. But I do remember sitting in the satellite clinic and him telling me, you're really getting into the weeds here. I feel like you're in the forest and you're just really focused on this one tree.

[A]

You said, dude, we're in Spokane. Of course we're in the forest. Calm down. Yeah, yeah. What did you think? Did you think you were like. When he said that? Were you like, no, I'm not.

[B]

No, that's exactly what I thought I was like, no, I'm not. How is that possible? And I think what happened was. So he had been diagnosed in July, and then I think his A1C was, like, 12. And then we saw them again. Obviously, we had education that we had to do, so we traveled up there several times. We saw them again in October, and I think he was down to, like, 6.4.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And then December, we saw them in the satellite clinic, and his A1C came back at 5.4.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And I cried.

[A]

You're like, I did it. I did the thing. It happened.

[B]

I did it. I did the thing. I did the thing. Right. But, yeah. So he. He wanted to talk about burnout, and I think you're trying too hard, and it's really not that serious. He is still healthy. You guys are doing a good job. Right?

[A]

He didn't say, congratulations, well done. How did you accomplish this?

[B]

No.

[A]

Why are you saying he's a good doctor? I don't understand. Are you Catholic?

[B]

No.

[A]

No. Because I just find sometimes Catholics like to say, everybody's great before they say something bad about them.

[B]

No, he is really good.

[A]

But what makes him good? I'm going to dig into this. What makes him good? If when you on your own figured out how to get an A1C in the fives, he said, don't do that.

[B]

And I don't think it was that. He didn't want us to do it. I think he just felt like we were trying too hard, too fast.

[A]

Well, I don't know what that means either.

[B]

I know, I know.

[A]

Like, do you feel overwhelmed by it?

[B]

I don't. I mean, I think there were times where I did a little bit.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I would take it very personally.

[A]

So, okay, we're getting to it.

[B]

If, like, if I didn't nail something and his blood sugar was too high for too long, I would take it very personally. Like I had failed.

[A]

How personally? Like, did you lash yourself in front of people or. Why would you settle for changing your CGM every few weeks when you can have 365 days of reliable glucose data? Today's episode is sponsored by the Eversense365. It is the only CGM with a tiny sensor that lasts a full year sitting comfortably under your skin with no more frequent sensor changes and essentially no compression lows for one year, you'll get your CGM data in real time on your phone, smartwatch, Android or iOS, even an Apple watch. Predictive high and low alerts let you know where your glucose is headed before it gets there. So there's no surprises, just confidence. And you can instantly share that data with your healthcare provider or your family. You're going to get one year of reliable data without all those sensor changes. That's the Eversense 365. Gentle on your skin, strong for your life. One sensor a year. That gives you one less thing to worry about. Head now to eversensecgm.com juicebox to get started, let's talk about the Tandem Moby Insulin pump from today's sponsor, Tandem Diabetes Care. Their newest algorithm, Control IQ technology and the new Tandem Moby pump all the offer you unique opportunities to have better control. It's the only system with Autobolus that helps with missed meals and preventing hyperglycemia, the only system with a dedicated sleep setting, and the only system with off or on body wear options. Tandemoby gives you more discretion, freedom and options for how to manage your diabetes. This is their best algorithm ever and they'd like you to check it [e-mail] Check out Juicebox when you get to my link, you're going to see integrations with Dexcom sensors and a ton of other information that's going to help you learn about Tandem's tiny pump that's big on control. Tandemdiabetes.com juicebox the Tandem mobi system is available for people ages 2 and up who want an automated delivery system to help them sleep better, wake up in range and Address high blood sugars with auto bolus. Did you lash yourself in front of people or.

[B]

No, no, no. But just I would be so upset. It would just put me into a spiral. And then it was just like bad mood central. And my husband's like, it's.

[A]

You're married?

[B]

Yeah, I am married. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Has he ever said, why don't you calm down, Cassie?

[B]

Well, no, I mean, not in that way, but he has said, this isn't about you. You didn't mess up. You're doing the best that you can. Like, you have the information. It just didn't work this time.

[A]

Okay?

[B]

It's not perfect every time. Like, diabetes isn't predictable in most senses. And so it's not. Like, just because it. Your pizza bolus worked this time doesn't mean it's going to work next time. I think it will, but we have had that experience.

[A]

No, no, of course, of course.

[B]

Yeah. Like where it has and then where it hasn't. But there are lots of things that we have figured out that we just nail every time, you know?

[A]

Yeah, Yeah. I am supremely aware of the idea that there's a difference between saying, like, this is how it could work and, and if you understand these things, it probably will work this way most of the time. Which is about what I believe about diabetes. Right. And the feeling that some people take away from it, that tells them that if I don't do it that way and it doesn't work every time that I'm failing, like, I don't have that feeling. So when I share with somebody, hey, you should give this a shot. I think if you understood this better, if you had your basil right, you know, maybe if you understood the fat impacts of this meal, maybe this would turn out better for you. I don't expect that. When I'm saying that, it's being heard by somebody who hears. And if it doesn't work out, you're an abject failure. But at the same time, I don't know another way to relate the idea. If you and I were standing at the precipice of a cliff and I said, cassie, listen, there's no other options here. We are going to have to try to jump over the cliff here. And I said, do you run as hard as you can and jump as late as possible without falling? Because if not, you are going to fall and hit your head and it's not going to be pleasant. If that was the truth, I don't think you'd want me to explain it to you by saying Just give it your best shot. And if you fall, it's okay.

[B]

Right?

[A]

At the same time, telling somebody that if you don't do this right, you might splat. Some people don't intersect well with that pressure. I don't know who's who, and I certainly can't. I don't want to give, like, a milquetoast presentation, but at the same time, I'm. I'm counting on all of you to be adults and go, like, okay, I didn't get it the first time, but I could try again without beating yourselves up. So I'm in a bad position is what I'm saying. And I'm wondering how you heard it. That's my question. Like, what did you hear coming from me? And did that lead to you feeling like you failed or no?

[B]

No, I wouldn't say so.

[A]

Okay, good. I don't want that. I don't want anybody to feel that way. I just know sometimes people do.

[B]

Yeah. No, no. If anything, like, I was telling my husband, he's at work, and so I had texted him, and I'm like, hey, the recording time got moved, so don't text me during that hour.

[A]

I'll be talking to Scott.

[B]

Right. I'm like, don't text me during that

[A]

hour if you cut your hand off at work. Hold your thought. Okay.

[B]

And he's like, I hope you're not nervous. It's going to be fine. And I was like, well, if anything, I just feel more emotional about it, and it's just because the podcast has helped so much.

[A]

About talking to me today.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. And so just. I think it was just kind of reviewing, like, where we've been right. Since diagnosis and so. And the things that we've accomplished. But no, like, you asking that question, I always feel like you're speaking directly to us or any of the guests, like, anybody that I've listened to, you know? And so it's really nice because I've never felt you give information, but you'll be a failure if you don't make it. Like, I've never felt that way. Like, I've never gotten that.

[A]

Yeah. I definitely see diabetes as a marathon, not a sprint.

[B]

Right, right.

[A]

At the same time, I think that giving expectations. There's nothing wrong with expectations. There's nothing wrong with being aspirational. But you also have to understand that it very well may be a process, and that process may go longer or shorter for some people. I've had people tell me directly, I listen to the Pro Tip series, and a month later, my A1C was in the sixes. Like, it just all made sense to me. And I've had somebody tell me that I listened to the pro tip series, and I didn't pull together for two years after that, but once I did, I realized, oh, I got that information there.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And who cares? I mean, I mean, I realize you want it to be faster, but as long as you get there, I don't think it matters what path you take.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, and that's nice to hear. For me, I am an instant gratification kind of person. And so if we have a problem, then I want to figure it out and just do it right every time.

[A]

Yeah. We'll keep you out of the casino.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So you don't get all caught up in that. The slot machines there.

[B]

Yeah. Yep.

[A]

I'm sorry. So he. Let's find out how he's diagnosed. What was the LED up to that, and was there any reason for you to think it might happen? 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 Islet pump from Beta Bio. 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]

No. So we didn't even really know what type 1 diabetes was. I feel like that's a lot of people.

[A]

Well, you live in the woods.

[B]

Yeah. And I didn't, like, we didn't even know anybody that had a type one kid. I didn't even know that we had them at our school. And there were like, five.

[A]

We had them. I like the way you said that.

[B]

We didn't even know we had a

[A]

place was littered with them. Scott and I didn't even know it.

[B]

They were everywhere. No. So he was. When was this the end of his fourth grade year. Looking back now, we can see symptoms starting like that last week of school. And I remember him saying to me, can you please remember to fill my water bottle today? I have been so thirsty. And I hate having to go inside to fill it because he was outside in a portable. So he'd have to get a pass, and then he'd have to walk to the main building, fill his bottle, and come back out. And I'm like, oh, yeah, absolutely. I had no idea how much water he was drinking at school. So that was like, the beginning of June. Over the next couple of weeks, he was starting to look thinner. He was really pale. He was using the bathroom more often, drinking tons of water. And so, like, the week right before he went into dka, I remember him waking me up. Like, he'd gotten in our freezer, and he was getting out ice in the middle of the night. And I was like, I don't understand what is going on with this kid? Why does he need ice? It's not even that hot yet. But he just was so thirsty.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so he had finally wet the bed, and he was so embarrassed, and I was like, well, bud, I don't know. He goes, mom, I just don't feel right. He had fallen asleep, like, middle of the day, just sitting up in his chair. He'd fallen asleep. And he's like, I just don't feel right. I'm not sure what's wrong with me. And he's like, in the bedwetting is weird. And I was like, yeah, for sure. But I mean, I don't know.

[A]

We're all in line with that one, brother.

[B]

Yeah, for sure. Like, at 10. That's weird. And I was like, well, if it continues, I'm going to have to take you to the doctor. We're going to have to figure something out. And he goes, no, I'd really like it if you'd make me a doctor's appointment. Can we go on Monday?

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

Yeah. And I was like, sure, yeah, we can go on Monday. That's fine. And this was probably Thursday.

[A]

Yeah. So you were like, let's see if we need to go to the doctor. And he was like, no, we should go to the doctor. Yeah, I'm in trouble. He knew he was in trouble.

[B]

Yeah. Which is interesting, because he doesn't want to go there. Right. And so I just thought it was interesting. He was so agreeable. And I'm like, okay, but, yeah, no, we can do that. And I said, well, we don't have A pediatrician right now, but I can take him to urgent care or something. And he's like, okay. We just kind of let it play out. And again, the next day he was feeling worse. We decided we were going to travel to another town to go to a little museum. They were doing a World War II reenactment thing. Our oldest is way into that stuff. And so we were going to go. He was really nauseous. And so he's like in the bathroom, dry heating. But also his stomach is super upset, so he doesn't know if he needs to go to the bathroom. Just chugging water. And so I was going to stay home and my husband was going to take the other two boys. And he's like, no, I don't want to miss out on the family day. I'm just going to push through it. So he slept on the hour car ride in the car. We drug him all over at this museum. It was outdoors and it was like 90 degrees and he's begging for water. I forgot to bring my water cup in. And I remember being so irritated with him. I'm like, I don't understand what your problem is. Like, now we're going to have to go all the way back out to the car. It's this long walk, and the poor kid looking back at pictures, he's just suffering.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, you just feel terrible. We go to a restaurant to eat after that. He orders food he can't eat. But he chugged three Cokes and then fell asleep in the booth.

[A]

In the booth, Yes. I got a little sleepy recording the podcast the other day. Don't tell anybody. My iron's a little low and I had to sit up straight. I was talking to somebody. She was really great. And I hope nobody hears it, like, thinks they know where it is.

[B]

You're, like, nodding off.

[A]

My Ferritin's, like, back down to seven. I'll talk about another episode. She's talking. I think her voice was just very relaxing.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

And I was like. I got way ahead of that. I was like, ooh. I just sat straight up, like, put my hands on the desk. I was like, stay here. But to fall asleep in the booth at a restaurant?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

I mean, when that happened, do you look at the. Did you bring the boy with you to the day out? The husband, was he there?

[B]

Oh, yeah, he was there.

[A]

You look at him and go, hey, this one's dying.

[B]

Yeah. We're like, oh, man, it was crazy. And so then the next day, it's Sunday, he just like, napped on and off all day. We go to Grandma's for dinner, and then the vomiting starts.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

He doesn't want to eat dinner. He doesn't have an appetite. He's laying on the sofa, and then he pukes on her floor.

[A]

And I'm like, thanks for having us over.

[B]

Awesome. Sorry, Grandma. Yeah. So she's like, oh, my gosh, you poor thing. I'm so sorry. And so it just was fluids. Well, it just continued, like, hourly. So I had been up with him all night long. I left our bedroom door open, so he was on the couch. He'd call for me if he needed help or whatever. And so I'm out there rubbing his back. So finally, at like 8:30, I get out of bed. I was so tired. And he's like, mom, I just feel really bad. I need you. And I was like, okay. So I get up, I go out there, and I could see his spine through his pajamas.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

And I was like, okay. And he's already really small as it is. He's in, like, the 12th percentile. So he's very short, very thin, which all of those things he hates. And so it was just very obvious he was ill. So I called my husband out and I'm like, hey, I need you to come look at him and tell me what you think. He was so pale. His cheeks were almost like this mottled purple. He just did not look right. And so my husband comes out and he goes, oh, my God, we have to take him to the hospital right now. There is something seriously wrong.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And I was like, what? And he's like, you have to get clothes on. We need to go now.

[A]

What's your husband do for a living?

[B]

He's a police officer.

[A]

Okay. And. And you are? Stay at home. But did you go to school or have any background, anything prior to that?

[B]

Prior? I didn't go to school. I went straight into dispatching 911. Dispatching. That's how we met.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

Yeah. So I did that for 10 years. And then after we had the first two, then I stayed home.

[A]

So it's not the only person who's ever been on the podcast to say that.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

I was a dispatcher and I met a cop that way.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I. Yeah.

[A]

Is that like Tinder for cops? The 911?

[B]

I don't know. I don't know. They would come in on their lunch breaks. We were in a really small community, so there weren't a lot of them on. So there'd be like two dispatchers, and then like, yeah, two from his agency and then two from another agency.

[A]

You're getting to a certain age. His eyes are both pointing in the same direction. Seems like a good bet, that kind of thing.

[B]

Yeah. I was 24. He's older. He was 31. Oh, yeah. So no, we would just, like, everybody would kind of have lunch together, right? And then eventually he just was like, hey, do you want to go?

[A]

Hey, would you like it if I ruined your life? Would you like me to ruin your life?

[B]

Right.

[A]

And I was like, I think I can. It comes with a house. What do you think?

[B]

Yeah. I was like, yeah, let's do that. And now here we are, 18 years later.

[A]

That's crazy. How'd you like me to give you three kids and something to clean, huh?

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

You're gonna love it.

[B]

And I'm not very good at it, Scott.

[A]

I'm not very good at it.

[B]

The house cleaning. I'm just the worst housekeeper.

[A]

Sucker.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Thanks for the kids. Sorry about the dirty house.

[A]

Yeah, there were better options. I just. I didn't want to say it at the time. So you go off to the hospital right then and there. Is that Friday? Because you said Thursday. You went to the museum. Was that Friday the next. Or is that Sunday?

[B]

No. So Thursday was when he told me he wanted to go to the doctor. Okay, this is now Monday morning.

[A]

How come you didn't go to the doctor Monday? You promised him Monday.

[B]

We did. To the er.

[A]

Did you have an appointment at the doctor later in that day?

[B]

No, we didn't. I was just going to take him into urgent care.

[A]

Oh. Oh, that's right. You don't have a pediatric.

[B]

We don't have a pediatrician. We still don't. And that's a whole. Not have a pd the area that we live in, that's a whole nother story. I mean, it's just so hard to even find one.

[A]

Cassie, clean the house and get the kids a pediatrician. Okay.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. I know. Yeah. So he wraps him up in a blanket, Right. And we basically go down there and, you know. Sweatpants. Right. The ER is like six blocks from us. It's super close, so I go in first because he's going to carry him inside at this point. Here's the really weird thing, and I don't. We see this differently. My husband's father is remarried. He has a granddaughter from that wife who has type one. So no blood relation at all, whatsoever.

[A]

Yeah, I got it.

[B]

She'd only been diagnosed about 18 months at this time.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

We had literally just discussed type 1 diabetes at dinner at grandma's house on Sunday, just the day before. Right. So he's great at listening. My son is. He's great at listening. So I'm sure he was eavesdropping on the conversation. And we're like, wow, that's so crazy. Like, we've never met a child with type 1 diabetes. I bet. That's so hard. Like, I don't even know what that looks like. So as we're taking him out to the car to go to the hospital, my husband's like, okay, but we, you know, something's wrong. We're going to take you, I swear. He asked, do I have diabetes?

[A]

Oh.

[B]

My husband's like, no. I think he said, do I have a serious disease? And I'm like, well, I don't know. It could be one or the other. I heard diabetes. And I was like, no, but of course you don't have diabetes. No, that's not even a thing. Like they're going to take care of you. So we get down to the error. I go in first and I let them know this is what he's here for. She gets up from the desk and, like, runs into triage and grabs the nurse and says, this little boy is coming in. You need to come see him right now. And I'm like, oh, my God, what is happening?

[A]

That's the lady at the desk, by the way. She's maybe not even a nurse. Right?

[B]

Right. Yes. And so she comes out and she's like, just come right in here. And she brings us straight into triage. My husband sits him in a chair. At this point, he can't keep his eyes open. His head's rolled over to the side. She wants to get height and weight, and I'm like, this is going to be impossible. We can't even get him to stand up. And she goes, okay, listen, I'm not diagnosing him, but I've worked in pediatrics long enough to know that this is new onset type 1 diabetes, so just be prepared. And I was like, I literally just told him he didn't have diabetes.

[A]

It was 10 minutes ago. I'm also not great at keeping the house. Like, let's not pile these things up right now, okay? I think people are looking at me.

[B]

I don't even know what this means. I know. It was so crazy. It was so crazy.

[A]

I thought you were going to say you thought you jinxed him by talking about it the week before.

[B]

Yeah, I.

[A]

Because I'M not superstitious. Well, you want to know something? I've never said this in the podcast before. I am not superstitious. My wife, I don't think is either. Although I think she might believe in ghosts. So it's. Who knows? But Arden's diagnosed in August. Couple of weeks in August. And for our anniversary, which is the beginning of August, Kelly and I went to, like, a nice restaurant, a place we had never been before, a place where they call the food stuff that you don't really know what it means, you know?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

So we ordered a few appetizers, and we ordered something called sweet bread, I think thinking it was bread, but it's not. Do you know what sweet bread is?

[B]

I don't.

[A]

It's pancreas. What? Yeah. And there was like a half a minute where I was like, did we, like, put bad mojo out into the world or something? Like, we steal the pancreas from an animal and then nature came and stole one from us, like, you know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I don't really think that, but I'm not going to lie to you. There was like a half a second I was like, I don't like the optics of this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. So anyway, you don't know sweet bread.

[B]

No.

[A]

Yeah, it's what it is. How to prepare and cook sweet bread preparation.

[B]

Craziest thing I've done is, like, beef tongue or bone marrow. That's about it.

[A]

Oh, I'm with you on that's weird. Sweet bread meat from the thymus and pancreas of cattle is prepared with this easy recipe for tender and tasty nuggets, coated in flour, then fried. That's allrecipes.com in case you want to go check it out.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

So when you started talking about that, I was like, I wonder if they think they, like, brought it into existence by talking about it. Thank God. You don't think that. Okay. All right.

[B]

No, not at all.

[A]

They clearly saved the kid. That's nice. What was his A1C? What was his blood sugar? Do you know?

[B]

I wish I knew what his blood sugar was when we got there. I don't think they ever told us. If they did, I didn't comprehend it. His A1C was 12, though.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

Yeah, it was 12. Yeah. So they got him back there and he basically just went to sleep, and then that was probably, oh, gosh, I don't know, sometime in the morning. He didn't really wake up again until like, 3:00am that night.

[A]

DK, obviously.

[B]

DK. Yeah. So he was in DK. They called our local hospital that has like a small picu. They asked him, well, do you want him? And they were like, no, we don't. We don't have an endocrinologist on staff. We don't want him. You need to send him away. So they told us to choose Seattle or Spokane. We went to Spokane.

[A]

Up the mountain.

[B]

That's right up the mountain. Yeah. And so. But they life flighted him up there.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And I think part of why I didn't. Some of that information I didn't get was because a nurse had come in. So because of my husband's job, he knows the ER doctors and nurses. So they knew him when we came in. So they were very generous with us with information. So they were like, hey, he's got a fly. And if you don't have life flight insurance, get it now or it's going to be very expensive. He just needs to have it before the time of the flight. So I was immediately on the phone getting life flight insurance. It's like 65 bucks.

[A]

Does the insurance company go, wait, why. Why do you want. Why do you want it right now?

[B]

I know. So, yeah. And you just get it through them. So what happens is, if you buy the insurance membership through Lifelite, then they bill your insurance, your insurance pays their portion, and then they just write off the rest of the bill.

[A]

The whole world's a scam, Cassie.

[B]

I know.

[A]

I just want to say.

[B]

But guess what? It's saved us a lot of money. It saved us 10 grand. The whole bill was like 65.

[A]

Oh, is that a thing? You think that's not just the Washington thing, right? Like, you should be able to like, boy, that's hard to pre plan for. But that's not a bad thing to have in that situation.

[B]

No, it's not. And I think the membership's gone up to 85. It's like an annual thing that you pay and then you just put your whole family on it. So anybody who lives in your household can be on your lifelight membership. I think it's a great thing to have a lot of people. I didn't realize how many people actually had it.

[A]

Air Med Care. Is that what it's called? Network Global?

[B]

Well, it just. It depends because, like, we have both in the state. We have both Lifelight and we have Airlift Northwest. So ours is through Airlift Northwest.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah. So it just depends on the provider. So you would have to kind of check into, like, if you were going to look into that.

[A]

Oh, there's a number of them. Yeah, there's a number of them. Life Flight Network, lifeflight.org I'm just gonna go lifelight.org just so I can have it. Air Medical, $85 annual membership from Life Flight. Fire Med Ground. Annual membership from fire med ground. Air plus fire med ground. This is like less than 200 bucks for all this. And there is something about Oregon here, Oregon Air Transport. Montana, Washington, Idaho, Hawaii. This is probably a bigger deal in places where stuff's more spread out, I guess, right?

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Because you can fall out my front door and go to four hospitals, right?

[B]

Yeah, we've got them here. I mean, our community is pretty big. Yeah, it's really weird. Like we're the size of a big city, but it's just a gigantic small town. So we just don't have a lot of the amenities that some of the other areas have. Yeah. So he was flown up there. I was supposed to be able to go with him. So I ran home to pack a bag because, like I said, we're only six blocks away. And then when I get back, then my husband breaks it to me. Oh, yeah, you don't get to fly with him. You have to drive up behind him.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because they have a training nurse on and the training nurse is in your seat. And I was like, that's rude.

[A]

It's okay. We'll meet you there. Did you and your husband drive together?

[B]

No. So he stayed here with the other two boys and I went up and so I think he landed up there around 2 in the afternoon. I was up there by 36 o' clock because I ended up coming home and showering. I was like, well, at least I. I can at least do that for myself. I'll shower.

[A]

Did you think he was in like, mortal danger or did you not have that feeling?

[B]

No, I didn't. We thought he had a stomach bug.

[A]

Wait, even when they're lifelighting him and they're telling you diabetes, you're not believing it? Or did you mean you thought he had a stomach bug prior to going to the hospital?

[B]

I guess I thought. We thought he had a stomach bug going to the hospital.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I didn't think he was in mortal danger, but I didn't. I guess I just didn't understand what it was. So then he's up there and he's in the picu, and thankfully he was only there overnight. I mean, a lot of kids stay a lot longer than him. He recovered very quickly.

[A]

That's good.

[B]

So he was admitted Monday. He was released Tuesday. They allowed us to go home Tuesday evening.

[A]

Okay. Did they fly him back or did you drive?

[B]

No, we drove back.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Did you shave your legs in the shower?

[B]

I did not.

[A]

Good. I think that's fine then. I think if you told me you shaved your legs, I'd be like, this lady wasn't really grasping the situation.

[B]

Nope, Nope. I sure did not. I did not.

[A]

I'm okay with that then, I guess.

[B]

Yep. No, I just went home and then I just changed into clean clothes. But then of course, by the time I got to the hospital, like, I was so, so sweaty anyway. I'm like, it doesn't even matter.

[A]

What's the point of all this?

[B]

What was the point of that anyway?

[A]

Do you have that feeling? Like I should prep myself before I go to the hospital? The shower weirds me out a little bit, Cassie. That's why I'm asking.

[B]

No, I just like I had. It was like the stress sweat thing, so I felt like I'd already slept overnight. I was in pajamas essentially. I felt so gross. I'm like, nobody's going to want to sit next to this person in a hospital room. Like, I need to at least be kind, polite.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And like just at least clean my body before I go. No, that's, that's. That was it. That was. I just did not want to smell sweaty.

[A]

My father in law has passed on now, but I'll tell this story real quickly. He had a heart attack. I think it's the only heart attack he ever had. But he had a heart attack. He's having a heart attack. His fingers were going numb from the heart attack. Like he put Neosporin on his fingers. That was what he did there. And then when he realized he probably had to go to the hospital, he would not let my mother in law take him to the hospital before he showered because, oh no, he doesn't leave the house without showering.

[B]

I see.

[A]

So I didn't know if it was that level of crazy or if it was something.

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay. You were just dirty. I gotcha. Okay.

[B]

And really, I mean, I was looking at it as well. He's already without me, so taking an extra 10 minutes really isn't going to make that big of a difference.

[A]

Plus you have two other kids. If something happens to him.

[B]

Yeah. And of course they didn't grasp the situation either. So it's like as soon as I walk back in the door, it all

[A]

resets for them a little bit. Right. They're like, you're Back.

[B]

Yeah. And they just don't get it. And they're like, well, where is he? And I'm like, well, you know, he's left. And of course, the helicopter flies right over our house as it leaves.

[A]

Really? Oh, you said it was close. That's right, yeah.

[B]

Yeah. So their flight path is right over the top of the house. So we see them come and go. Sometimes it's like five times a day, and sometimes it's not. And so, like, I had texted our oldest. I'm like, hey, your brother's helicopter's leaving if you want to look. Right. But then, of course, I walk in the house and he's like, hey, so can we go to the LEGO store today? And I'm like, okay, your brother, I'm trying to be as nice as possible here. I don't think you understand. Your brother has been taken in a helicopter to a hospital in Spokane because he's very, very, very ill. We cannot go to the Lego store today. We can't. And he's like, oh, wow. Gosh. Well, like, are you going to be home tonight?

[A]

And I'm like, no, I need that Thanos glove pretty badly.

[B]

So I'm like, no, we're not going to be home tonight. Your dad will be home tonight, but I'm not going to be home tonight.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So he stayed home. We could have asked Grandma to stay with the kids, but it just felt so confusing for them that he decided it would be fine if he stayed. And then he did drive up the next day. So he was up to us in the morning. We actually started education. They had come in right about 9 o', clock, and we were already sitting down with a diabetic educator. So we actually were on speakerphone. And so my husband's listening while he's driving up through the first education session.

[A]

Yeah. How did you find them? How was the in hospital education for you?

[B]

It was great. It was great. It was like, it was so simple. But a lot of the education that they used, gosh, I want to say it came from a children's hospital in Arizona, was the. Like, they had some YouTube videos that they had shown us that explained, like, what is a pancreas? How does it work? How does insulin work? How does blood sugar work? All these things. And so you watch these little clips as you went through the education, and it just felt so basic that it was easy to understand. I had started working through that overnight while he was sleeping. And then, you know, you're reading about insulin and you have to give insulin when they're eating and you know, so when they finally come in, he finally wakes up, he's hungry, and it's probably, I don't know, I think they let him eat at like 4:30 in the morning. And she's like, okay, well, we're gonna, we're gonna give the insulin. This is the carb ratio that the doctor has set. And of course, by the time I got there, the doctor had been in, but I missed them, so I didn't get to see them till the next morning. So it hadn't really been fully explained. So then she's going to give him his first shot of Humalog. And I was like, okay, so how long do we have to do this for? And she goes, oh, have you not seen the doctor yet? And I was like, no, I didn't get here until like 5:30. And she goes, yeah, okay, so he has to do this for the rest of his life. And I was like, okay.

[A]

You didn't know that at that moment, huh?

[B]

At that moment I didn't know that. Even from reading the literature, I hadn't grasped that yet. Yeah.

[A]

So, wow, that's really a lot. You know what I mean? Like, just a ton to be dropped on somebody all at once.

[B]

It was. Yeah, it is a lot. It's a lot.

[A]

And how do you feel like you made out in the weeks after? Like, and I'm talking about the first month or so. You've got the information that the hospital gave you. You're coming online from not understanding diabetes at all to. To your new understanding. Like, what was the first bit of it? Like, when did you realize that you needed to go find more information? 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 head. Now to tandomdiabetes.com juicebox and check out today's sponsor, Tandem Diabetes Care. I think you're going to find exactly what you're looking for at that link, including a way to sign up and get started with the Tandem MOBI system. This episode of the Juice Box podcast was sponsored by usmed usmed.com juicebox or call 888-721-1514. Get started today with us med links in the show notes links@juicebox podcast.com Are you tired of getting a rash from your CGM adhesive? Give the Eversense 365 a try. Eversensecgm.com juicebox beautiful silicone that they use. It changes every day. It keeps it fresh. Not only that, you only have to change the sensor once a year. So I mean, that's better. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the 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? How would you like to share a type 1 diabetes getaway like no other? Join me on Juice Cruise 2026. You may be asking, what is Juice Cruise? It's a week long cruise designed specifically for people and families living with type 1 diabetes. It's not just a vacation, it's a chance to relax, connect and feel understood in a way that is hard to find elsewhere. We're going to sail out of Miami and the cruise includes stops in Cococay, San Juan, St. Kitts and Nevis aboard the stunning Celebrity Beyond. This ship is chosen for its comfort, accessibility and exceptional amenities. You're going to enjoy a welcoming environment surrounded by others who get life with type 1 diabetes. I'm going to host diabetes focused conversations and meetups on the days at sea. There's thoughtfully designed spaces, incredible dining and modern amenities all throughout the Celebrity Beyond. Your kids can be supervised and there's teen programs so everyone gets time to recharge, not just the kids going on vacation, but maybe you get to kick back a little bit too. There's going to be zero judgment, real connections and a whole lot of sun and fun on Juice Cruise 2026. Please come with me. You're going to have a terrific time. You can learn more or set up your [e-mail] juicecruise get a hold of Suzanne at Cruise Planners. She will take care of everything. Links in the show Notes links@juicebox podcast.com have a podcast. Want it to sound fantastic? Wrongwayrecording.com.