Podcasts about diabetes research institute

Il 4 marzo è la Giornata mondiale dell’obesità e proprio l’obesità è uno dei grandi problemi di sanità pubblica a livello mondiale. I numeri lo raccontano. Sono 4 milioni in Italia, 22 milioni in Europa, poco più di 1 miliardo nel mondo. E cresce di anno in anno il numero delle persone che soffrono di obesità. Tanto che si parla di una vera e propria pandemia ribattezzata globesità. Ne parliamo con il prof. Camillo Ricordi, Direttore del centro trapianto cellulare dell'Università di Miami e presso la stessa Università Direttore Emerito del Diabetes Research Institute, il più importante centro medico per la cura del diabete. È proprio dalla cura del diabete che arrivano i nuovi farmaci per la cura dell’obesità. Facciamo il punto con l’esperto.

It's In the News.. a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community. This week's top stories: New drug is looked at for T1D prevention, a new stem cell method is tested for beta cell transplanation without immunosuppresion drugs, the FDA okays the first fast-acting biosimilar insulin, Lilly lowers price of Zepbound, and more! Find out more about Moms' Night Out  Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Edgepark Medical Supplies Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures Learn more about AG1 from Athletic Greens  Drive research that matters through the T1D Exchange The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Twitter Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.com Episode transcription with links:   Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and every other Friday I bring you a short episode with the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now. XX New research in type 1 diabetes prevention launches. Nektar Therapeutics and TrialNet will evaluate a drug currently used for exzema for patients with new onset stage 3 type 1 diabetes The drug is RezPeg – that's a shortened version of the name (rezpegaldesleukin)   This will be a study of about 70 adults and children and will launch this year. The new study will use a mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT) to measure the efficacy of rezpegaldesleukin or placebo for preserving C-peptide area under the curve over a 12-month duration comprised of a 6-month treatment period and a 6-month follow-up. Secondary objectives include pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and additional disease assessments including HbA1c levels and patient insulin requirements. Rezpegaldesleukin is being developed as a self-administered injection for a number of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nektar-announces-clinical-trial-agreement-to-evaluate-rezpegaldesleukin-in-patients-with-new-onset-type-1-diabetes-mellitus-302383052.html XX NLS Pharmaceutics (NLSP) and Kadimastem announced successful completion of a pre-IND meeting with the FDA for iTOL-102, a potential diabetes treatment. iTOL-102 combines Kadimastem's IsletRx cells (stem cell-derived pancreatic islets) with iTolerance's immunomodulator iTOL-100, aiming to cure Type 1 Diabetes without requiring life-long immune suppression. The treatment was evaluated at the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine, where it demonstrated functional insulin release and disease reversal in animal models. Based on FDA feedback, the companies are updating plans for safety toxicology studies and First-in-Human clinical trials. IsletRx is a clinical-grade product comprising human pancreatic islet-like cells capable of secreting insulin, offering a scalable source of insulin-producing cells to address donor islet shortages. The technology can detect glucose levels and produce required amounts of insulin and glucagon.   XX FDA has signed off on a rapid-acting insulin biosimilar for the first time. The agency has given a thumbs up to Sanofi's Merilog (insulin-aspart-szjj) as the first biosimilar to Novo Nordisk's NovoLog for patients with diabetes. Merilog will be provided by prefilled pen in a 3 mL dose or in a multiple-dose 10 mL vial. It is for adults and pediatric patients age 6 and older.     NovoLog and Novo Nordisk's other rapid-acting insulin follow-on Fiasp are among the drugs subject to government price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act. The new prices will be enacted at the start of next year. In July 2021, the FDA approved Biocon and Viatris' Semglee (insulin glargine-yfgn) as the first biosimilar to Lantus. Five months later, the U.S. regulator endorsed Eli Lilly's version of the drug, called Rezvoglar (insulin glargine-aglr). https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/fda-signs-sanofis-biosimilar-first-novo-nordisks-rapid-acting-novolog XX Eli Lilly said Tuesday that it will offer more doses of its obesity drug Zepbound in vials and lower the prices of the doses it already sells, as the pharma giant seeks to draw patients away from cheap, compounded copies of weight loss medications. The company launched 7.5 mg and 10 mg vials of tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Zepbound, which typically cost $599 and $699, respectively. However, they are now available for $499 per month for patients paying without insurance. This applies to the first fill and all refills that are delivered every 45 days. Additionally, the company lowered the prices of the 2.5 mg and 5 mg vials to $349 and $499 per month, respectively. The company, which has seen a significant boost in profits from Zepbound and Mounjaro – essentially the same drug with different FDA-approved uses – announced that the new vials and pricing are exclusively available through the company's self-pay pharmacy, LillyDirect Self Pay Pharmacy Solutions. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-25/zepbound-cost-for-vials-cut-to-battle-cheaper-copycats XX Medicare spending on 10 diabetes drugs, including popular GLP-1s, more than quadrupled over a five-year period and could reach $102 billion next year, an analysis by Health and Human Services' inspector general found. The findings also come as the Trump administration weighs the fate of a Biden administration proposal that would require Medicare and Medicaid to cover GLP-1s for weight loss. The biggest spikes in usage were for Rybelsus, Novo Nordisk's once-daily GLP-1 tablet, and for the company's weekly injectable Ozempic, whose spending about doubled every year under review. https://www.axios.com/2025/02/25/medicare-spending-surge-diabetes-drugs XX Tandem Diabetes Care has secured a new FDA clearance for its insulin dose-calculating algorithm, opening up Control IQ for use in adults with Type 2 diabetes. The expanded label was based on data from a pivotal, randomized trial of more than 300 people with Type 2 diabetes, comparing its use to manual multiple daily injections. Tandem said it plans to present the study's results at the annual Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes meeting scheduled for next month in Amsterdam. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/tandem-diabetes-care-insulin-dosing-algorithm-nets-fda-clearance-type-2-diabetes XX Drugs approved for diabetes and obesity might be useful for the treatment of cognitive and mental health disorders, according to a new paper published in Nature Mental Health.   The study reviewed and integrated data from both preclinical and clinical studies to gather evidence on the possible effects of these drugs GLP1s and semaglutide  in conditions such as dementia, substance use disorders, psychotic disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, and eating disorders.     The study found promising but still preliminary evidence that GLP-1RAs could be beneficial over a range of cognitive and mental health disorders. These drugs have shown potential in improving cognition, reducing addictive behavior, and alleviating depression and anxiety. More data from robustly designed studies (i.e., randomized controlled trials) are needed to better understand GLP-1RAs' prospective efficacy and safety profile, especially with long-term use. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-diabetes-drugs-mental-health-treatment.html XX The FDA  issued draft guidance that includes recommendations to support the development and marketing of safe and effective AI-enabled The guidance, if finalized, would be the first guidance to provide comprehensive recommendations for AI-enabled devices throughout the total product lifecycle, providing developers with an accessible set of considerations that tie together design, development, maintenance, and documentation recommendations to help ensure the safety and effectiveness of AI-enabled devices. FDA is requesting public comment on this draft guidance by April 7. The agency also released draft guidance for the use of AI to support regulatory decision-making for drug and biological products. https://www.mddionline.com/artificial-intelligence/fda-issues-draft-guidance-for-ai-enabled-devices-seeks-public-feedback XX Congrats to Mila Clarke who some of you may know better as Hangry Woman on social. She has developed a great app called Glucose Guide and the Nutrition Assistant portion of that app went live this week. Glucose Guide is a web and mobile app that offers diabetes meal tracking, coaching, resources, recipes and community to those looking for help managing diabetes. MEAL AND BLOOD SUGAR TRACKING FEATURES.

Send us a textMichael J. Burton is the CEO of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation ( https://diabetesresearch.org/ ), a philanthropic organization which funds the Diabetes Research Institute, one of the largest and most comprehensive research centers dedicated to curing diabetes.A passionate nonprofit executive, Michael has more than 30 years of experience in leading high-impact philanthropic programs and cultivating strategic relationships to secure transformative funding. Prior to assuming the role of CEO at DRIF, Michael advanced the missions of some of the nation's most dynamic and trusted institutions including Princeton University, The Pew Charitable Trusts and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).Michael's accomplished nonprofit career includes significant contributions in the advancement of cancer research and care, most recently as President and CEO of Gateway for Cancer Research, a Chicago-based nonprofit engaged in funding early phase clinical research, where he began his tenure as Chief Development Officer. Prior to that, Michael served as Chief Development Officer and Executive Director of the Foundation at the AACR, the nation's oldest and largest organization dedicated to the prevention and cure of all cancers. Michael's 15 years of experience in the oncology sector also includes leading the development program at Fox Chase Cancer Center as Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer.Before working in the field of oncology, Michael had a distinguished career in higher education, most notably at the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as Special Assistant to the President during the tenure of Judith Rodin, the first female president of an Ivy League institution; and at Temple University, where he held the title of Assistant Dean and lead the development program at the Fox School of Business. Before entering higher education, Michael served as Legislative and Press Assistant to the late Congressman Tom Lantos, the only survivor of the Holocaust ever elected to Congress. Michael is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications and a Master's degree in Public Administration. Prof. Dr. Matthias von Herrath, MD is the Scientific Director of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and Stacy Joy Goodman Chair at the University of Miami School of Medicine ( https://med.miami.edu/faculty/matthias-georg-von-herrath ) where he is leading the DRI mission to conduct and accelerate research to delay, prevent and ultimately find a cure for type 1 diabetes.  He is widely recognized for his groundbreaking work in understanding the molecular mechanisms of T1D, an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, and developing novel therapies for this disease. Prof. Dr. von Herrath served as a Professor and Director for the Type 1 Diabetes Research Center at La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, and also currently serves as Vice President and Senior Medical Officer at Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company, where he is responsible for overseeing the company's research and development efforts in diabetes care.Prof. Dr. von Herrath earned his medical degree in 1988 from Freiburg Medical School, where he also completed a Ph.D. equivalent thesis on biochemistry. His postdoctoral training included an intensive care residency at Diakonie Hospital, Freiburg.#DiabetesResearchInstituteFoundation #T1D #Insulin #IsletCellTransplant #Regeneration #Immunomodulation #Immunoregulation #Autoimmune #UniversityOfMiami #Philanthropy #NovoNordisk #Instacart  #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #PodcSupport the show

Ad oggi si stima che nel mondo 537 milioni di persone siano colpiti da diabete, con una previsione che indica un ulteriore aumento fino a 783 milioni entro il 2045. Una malattia dai grandi numeri che rappresenta una vera e propria sfida. E di cura e diagnosi parliamo a Obiettivo Salute risveglio con il prof. Camillo Ricordi, Direttore del centro trapianto cellulare dell'Università di Miami e presso la stessa Università Direttore Emerito del Diabetes Research Institute, il più importante centro medico per la cura del diabete. Con l'esperto focus sui recettori GLP-1, una nuova classe di molecole, che studiati inizialmente per il diabete, negli ultimi anni si sono dimostrati efficaci anche in caso di altre patologie come obesità, malattie renali e cardiovascolari

Today I'm joined by Michael Burton, the CEO of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) to discuss what finding a cure for type one diabetes currently looks like. We go over the differences between his time in cancer research vs. diabetes research, managing expectations of a cure and problematic outlooks, what makes DRI's research unique, staying encouraged by the successes, and more.Time Stamps:  (03:55) Michael's Background & Getting to DRI (10:18) Similarities & Differences Between Diabetes & Cancer Research(13:50) What Surprised Him About Working Within Diabetes Community (19:00) Lauren Shares Her Personal Story with DRI (20:57) Managing Expectations of a Cure (22:02) What Makes DRI Unique (27:02) Priorities & Focus of Growth (32:00) Matias: Their New Scientific Director(35:15) How to Best Support DRI & Transparency (41:20) How to Stay Encouraged While Waiting For a Cure What to do now:Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop when new episodes drop.Learn more about our 1:1 coaching programs HERE.  Sign Up for the DRI Newsletter HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

Anteris Technologies Ltd (ASX:AVR, OTC:AMEUF) CEO Wayne Paterson sits down with Jonathan Jackson in the Proactive studio to discuss how the company and its technology partner v2vmedtech, inc have reached the concept lock stage on the first phase of development for the next generation Transcatheter Edge to Edge Repair (TEER) system for mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation. The two structural heart companies are developing the new TEER system for patients with mitral and tricuspid valve disease, where damaged valves cause blood to leak between the ventricles and atriums of the heart. TEER is becoming the primary intervention for this disease but current systems have limitations affecting procedural outcomes or patient eligibility. Anteris's new VClip™ aims to address these needs and provide better patient outcomes. Paterson noted how Dr Vinayak Bapat, v2vmedtech's chief medical officer, highlighted the importance of the concept lock as proof of concept data, noting rapid progress due to collaboration with engineers and leading interventional cardiologists. Approximately 2.5% of the US population has valvular heart disease, with significant mortality rates. The Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute estimates up to 600,000 Australians were living with heart valve disease in 2021, with many undiagnosed. This is a major milestone for advancing VClip™ towards a first-in-human study. Anteris is also developing DurAVR™, a transcatheter heart valve for treating aortic stenosis, designed with bioengineered tissue to mimic a healthy aortic valve's performance. #ProactiveInvestors #AnterisTechnologies #ASX #OTC #v2vmedtech, #TEER, #ValveRegurgitation, #MitralValve, #TricuspidValve, #HeartDisease, #VClip, #MedicalInnovation, #Cardiology, #HeartValveDisease, #Healthcare, #Bioengineering, #CardiacSurgery, #Transcatheter, #AorticStenosis, #DurAVR, #ValvularHeartDisease, #MedicalResearch, #InterventionalCardiology #invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

Peter Friedfeld was diagnosed with T1D on Valentine's Day at age 55. In the years since his unexpected thrust into life with type 1 diabetes, he's developed deep self-compassion through yoga, mindfulness, and meditation. Join us this episode to hear more about his late-adulthood diagnosis, his work with DiabetesSangha and the Diabetes Research Institute, and how to bring more mindfulness into your relationship with T1D.What to do next... Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Join the Half-Dead Pancreas Club Follow the Pod on Instagram Follow Colleen on Instagram Follow Jessie on Instagram Follow us on TikTok

Secondo uno studio della Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Cina le persone che seguono il digiuno intermittente 16:8, che prevede di concentrare tutti i pasti della giornata in una finestra di 8 ore, avrebbero un maggior rischio cardiovascolare. La ricerca non è ancora stata sottoposta a revisione né pubblicata su alcuna rivista scientifica, ma ha avuto una grande risonanza mediatica. A Obiettivo Salute risveglio facciamo il punto con il prof. Camillo Ricordi, Direttore del centro trapianto cellulare dell'Università di Miami e presso la stessa Università Direttore Emerito del Diabetes Research Institute, il più importante centro medico per la cura del diabete.

Secondo le stime di EpiCentro - Istituto Superiore di Sanità entro il 2050 la percentuale di anziani raddoppierà, passando dall'11% al 22% della popolazione totale. In questo contesto, l'Italia negli ultimi 50 anni ha visto un invecchiamento della popolazione italiana tra i più rapidi fra i Paesi sviluppati e si stima che nel 2050 la quota di ultra 65enni raggiungerà il 35,9% della popolazione totale. La ricerca punta a togliere alla longevità il peso della vecchiaia e gli sforzi sono orientati a eliminare il decadimento fisico e mentale. Di questo parliamo a Obiettivo Salute in tavola con il prof. Camillo Ricordi, Direttore del centro trapianto cellulare dell'Università di Miami e presso la stessa Università Direttore Emerito del Diabetes Research Institute, il più importante centro medico per la cura del diabete, la dr.ssa MariaGiovanna Gatti, medico, scrittrice e psicoterapeuta psicosomatica e il prof. Giovanni Scapagnini, Ordinario di Nutrizione Umana all’Università degli Studi del Molise e vicepresidente SINUT Società Italiana Nutraceutica e grande esperto di longevità.

My guest today was welcomed into her thirties by being told she had T1D. Join me for a fun conversation with Risely graduate, Haley Diamond as she shares her diagnosis, her three step approach to getting help, finding support and knowledge in unexpected places, and how she boldly shared her diabetes in the corporate space. You'll even catch Haley and I singing to a Miley Cyrus song, so please enjoy this encouraging, uplifting episode. Time Stamps:  (07:11) Experimenting with insulin while doing HIIT workouts and reclaiming her rise(09:37) Getting diagnosed at 30, information overload, and isolation after diagnosis (11:30) Approaching her diabetes as a “Junior Project Manager” and falling into the online rabbit hole of fixes(14:29) Her 3 steps for being vulnerable and asking for help(19:05) On finding consistent knowledge and depth of community (21:26) Finding joy again in food & exercise (22:54) Miley Cyrus song inspo & your numbers as feedback versus a grade(25:50) Vets learning from the rookies and rookies learning from the vets(27:40) Having support from those in the non-diabetic community too(30:52) Her diagnosis story and how unrelated pain got her diagnosed (37:15) The road to learning insulin (41:25) Reflecting back on her journey, where she's at now, & little joys(44:13) Her boldness in sharing on LinkedInWhat to do now: Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop. Learn more and apply for the January 2024 Decide and Conquer Bootcamp HERE. Link to sign up for Diabetes Research Institute newsletter - HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

A pioneer and an icon in diabetes research, Camillo Ricordi, M.D., is the Professor of Surgery, Director of Cell Transplant Center and Director Emeritus of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Florida (UM-DRI). He joins Cell & Gene: The Podcast's Erin Harris to discuss the biggest and most troubling challenges facing the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). They also discuss the future of cell and organ transplantation in treating T1D as well as the latest innovations in biopreservation. 

Here's a sobering fact: more than 75% of the population in America over the age of 65 has not one, but two degenerative diseases. The rise in chronic illness is affecting nearly every family in America. However, today's guest challenges the idea that we must accept this as a natural part of the aging process. Dr. Camillo Ricordi, a distinguished scientist, author, and pioneer in the field of regenerative medicine, joins us. Throughout his remarkable career, he has made countless contributions to advancing cellular and organ transplantation, particularly in the treatment of diabetes, thereby revolutionizing medical practices and offering hope to countless patients worldwide. Having been born and raised in northern Italy, his professional journey and research endeavours have led him to several universities and medical centers across the U.S., and eventually to Florida, where he founded the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami. Now, with his groundbreaking new book, "The Health Span Code - How to Reverse Your Biological Age", Dr. Ricordi shifts his focus towards addressing one of the most severe pandemics we face: an unhealthy lifespan. The traditional notion of life expectancy is outdated. What we need to focus on is the quality of life we can expect as we age. His book delves into the captivating science behind biological aging and the factors that can accelerate it. A significant portion of our discussion will center around a major contributor to this decline: the body's inability to manage sugar effectively, which sets us on the path of metabolic dysfunction, often leading to diabetes. Uncontrolled sugar intake can have a detrimental effect on a healthy lifespan. However, there are proactive steps we can all take to slow down, and even reverse, this process. I have known Camillo for nearly 40 years, as we are connected through marriage. It is both a pleasure and an honor to introduce him to our listeners. For more podcasts, visit www.kathysmith.com/podcast

In questo audio il prezioso incontro con Cristian Secchi scienziato robotica e Sara Farnetti nutrizionista. L'intervista è in Contemporaneamente di Mariantonietta Firmani, il podcast pensato per Artribune.In Contemporaneamente podcast trovate incontri tematici con autorevoli interpreti del contemporaneo tra arte e scienza, letteratura, storia, filosofia, architettura, cinema e molto altro. Per approfondire questioni auliche ma anche cogenti e futuribili. Dialoghi straniati per accedere a nuove letture e possibili consapevolezze dei meccanismi correnti: tra locale e globale, tra individuo e società, tra pensiero maschile e pensiero femminile, per costruire una visione ampia, profonda ed oggettiva della realtà. Con Cristian Secchi e Sara Farnetti parliamo di cibo e motori, robot e logica ormonale, meccanizzazione industriale e programmazione di organi per proteggere la giovinezza cellulare. È un incontro illuminante, denso di scelte e prospettive, un po' avvincenti un po' inquietanti. Da un lato lo scienziato racconta di possibilità straordinarie per le città e le società del futuro, purché l'umano resti al centro di ogni evoluzione. Dall'altro la nutrizionista parla del corpo come sistema complesso che risponde a tante dinamiche, dove gusti, aromi e sapori, attivano circonvoluzioni cerebrali, stimolando apprendimento. Conoscenza, multidisciplinarità e ricerca delle cause, sono necessità fondamentali per un futuro migliore, e molto altro.ASCOLTA L'INTERVISTA!! GUARDA IL VIDEO!! https://youtu.be/MqonX61oQcs BREVI NOTE BIOGRAFICHE DEGLI AUTORI Cristian Secchi, ordinario di Robotica all'Università di Modena Reggio Emilia, dove consegue il dottorato in Ingegneria dell'Informazione, dopo la laurea in Ingegneria Informatica all'Università di Bologna. La sua tesi di dottorato sui sistemi robotici per l'interazione è la migliore in Europa, finalista al Georges Giralt PhD Award. Poi, ha partecipato al progetto CROW (Coordination of AGVs in Automatic Warehouses), finalista per il 2010 EURON/EUROP Technology Transfer Award. La sua ricerca verte su robotica collaborativa e robotica medica. Per l'Università di Modena Reggio Emilia è responsabile di ricerca sulla robotica del Laboratorio ARSControl, ed è responsabile di ROBOMORE, il Gruppo transdisciplinare sulla robotica. Inoltre ha partecipato e coordinato svariati progetti europei sui temi della robotica collaborativa e robotica chirurgica, tra cui TIREBOT (FP7 ECHORD), ROSSINI e SARAS (H2020). Infine, è stato Associate Editor per IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine e per IEEE Transactions on Robotics. Sara Farnetti specialista in Medicina Interna con Ph.D in Fisiopatologia della Nutrizione e del Metabolismo all'Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Roma. Visiting Professor presso il Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller, School of Medicine, dove si occupa della prevenzione e cura della Sindrome Metabolica e delle malattie ad essa correlate.Attivamente impegnata e leader nella ricerca nel campo della Medicina di Precisone, è ideatrice e teorica della Nutrizione Funzionale, per la quale riceve il Ph.D Honoris Causa in Scienze Chimiche e Tecnologie Farmaceutiche e Nutraceutica-Alimentari all'Università degli studi di Messina. La Nutrizione Funzionale studia l'effetto dei cibi sul metabolismo umano, l'equilibrio ormonale, l'espressione genica e l'infiammazione. È anche grande divulgatrice in dibattiti scientifici e mediatici, a livello nazionale e internazionale, collabora con quotidiani e periodici, trasmissioni televisive RAI e radiofoniche. Inoltre è autrice di numerose pubblicazioni scientifiche e divulgative circa i temi della prevenzione primaria, la nutrizione funzionale, la salute circolare. Ha pubblicato i bestsellers “Tutto quello che sai sul cibo è falso” , “Mai Più a Dieta” e “ Ricette Funzionali” .

This episode's wonderful and brilliant guest is Dr. Norma Kenyon from the Diabetes Research Institute in Miami Florida and today's topic is one that every parent of a child living with type 1 diabetes wants to know more about… What is being done to find a cure for type one and how close are we? This was a rather emotional one for me to record because this is the heart of it, isn't it? This is what my daughter has clung to ever since diagnosis day when that well-meaning nurse told her that a cure is right around the corner. I am so excited for you to hear Dr. Kenyon explain what I am going to call the scientifically miraculous things that have been taking place in her lab and in the clinical trials to find a biological cure for type one diabetes. Enjoy the show and PLEASE check out the links below to learn more about the DRI and how you can support the DRI Foundation. Let me tall you, if my money is going anywhere it's going here! Learn More about the Diabetes Research Institute by clicking HERE! Find the movie, Glory Enough for All by clicking HERE! Support the showFollow the show on Instagram @sugarmamaspodcastCome join the Facebook Group!Visit the Sugar Mama's Podcast WebsiteDonate to the show through Buy Me a Coffee!

In this episode, Chris Fraker and Allison Bayer join us to discuss the role of Natural Killer (NK) cells in context of T1D. Ask the Expert is a ~30 minute digital cafe experience where scientists and grad students can meet and exchange with thought leaders in the field of type 1 diabetes. Link below to sign up for a seat in the cafe! https://thesugarscience.org/ask-the-expert/

Al Levine spoke with Volunteer & Diabetes Advocate Bob Parant about the Team DRI Bike Ride taking place on September 17th at Cedar Creek Park as well as the best ways to treat diabetes.

In this week's episode, I'm doing something a little outside the box here because I'm joined by the co-founders of Reversing T2D, Diana Licalzi Maldonado and Jose Tejero. Diana and Jose specialize in type two diabetes and pre-diabetes. Over the past year, we've built such an organic relationship over the similarities between managing type one and managing type two. Diana is a Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator with a Masters in Nutrition. Jose is an Exercise Physiologist with a degree in Exercise Science. This is a great episode to send to any family or friends who are pre-diabetic or type two, and a great episode if you are type one and trying to work on increasing your insulin sensitivity. In this episode we discuss… How insulin resistance plays a role in your blood sugar controlHow to know if you're insulin resistantThings that you can do to improve your insulin sensitivityThe biggest misconceptions around nutrition and exercise for better blood, sugar management Weight, gut health, plant-based eating and so much moreIf you are struggling to lower your A1C and improve your blood sugar control in a sustainable way, Jose, Diana and myself are teaming up to put on a FREE masterclass for people with type one diabetes that you are not going to want to miss! If you got a lot out of this episode and want to learn more about increasing your insulin sensitivity for a lower A1C, this class is for you. Register for free HERE. Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. Learn more about their upcoming Bike Ride event HERE. RESOURCES FOR YOU: For ways to lower your A1C starting now HEREFor nutrition strategies and meal plan HEREFor reducing highs and lows during exercise HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan.

Today's episode is very special because it marks our 20th episode of the podcast! Each week since we've started the show I've truly looked forward to recording these episodes and love that we're learning, growing, and rising above our diabetes together as a community. I couldn't do this without you! This 20th episode is centered around YOU. I answer questions that I've received lately on Instagram about A1C and blood sugar specifically. The Risely team and I also put together a GIVEAWAY! One person is going to have the chance to win an epic package of: Variety pack of Koia's plant-based protein lineBanza Chickpea Pasta Frio Insulin Cooler Pack Risely's Diabetic Health JournalAll you have to do to enter is: Rate and review the Reclaim Your Rise podcast on Apple PodcastsSend a screenshot of your review to hello@riselyhealth.com OR you can send it to me at @lauren_bongiorno OR @riselyhealth on Instagram with “Reclaim Your Rise Podcast Giveaway” Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise!Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. You can learn more about DRI and their work here.RESOURCES FOR YOU:Register for the A1C and Insulin Sensitivity Masterclass HEREFor nutrition strategies and meal plan HEREFor reducing highs and lows during exercise HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

This week, I'm excited to have Jess Bonilla back on the show to share her pregnancy journey with us. Jess is a Nationally Certified Health Coach and the Director of Coaching at Risely. She was the very first co-host on the pod (listen to episode 2 if you haven't already). You may have heard that T1D makes pregnancy high-risk or have felt fearful of being pregnant with diabetes. If you are thinking about motherhood in the near future and want to hear more about Jess's pregnancy journey with diabetes, you will want to listen to this one. In this episode, Jess talks about… Her exploration of having a hospital birth versus a home birth Insulin changes that she experienced throughout her three trimesters and how she navigated anxiety with high blood sugarsHer life-changing tip for those on a pump And so much more! Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. Stay up to date on all the DRI news, by becoming a DRI Insider here. New DRIF Newsletter subscribers will receive an exclusive Diabetic Health Journal discount! RESOURCES FOR YOU: For ways to lower your A1C starting now HEREFor nutrition strategies and meal plan HEREFor reducing highs and lows during exercise HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

In this episode for moms, dads, and caregivers of T1D kids, I'm joined by Cheryl, our first parent client alumni to come on the podcast live! Cheryl and her husband, Sean went through our group coaching program for parents in the summer of 2021. Their son Owen, was diagnosed with T1D at the age of two. In this episode, I catch up with Cheryl and hear about how her family of four is doing since the program wrapped. Get ready because this episode is jam-packed!We discuss…  How Owen's A1C went from a 6.8 to a 5.9 with 80% time in rangeCheryl's strategies for smoothing out overnight numbers, preventing and reducing highs in the morning Focusing on the long-term benefit of managing type one diabetes in a sustainable way Normalizing T1D for your children and so much more! Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. Learn more about DRI and their work here.RESOURCES FOR YOU:Grab this free download! Blood Sugar Hacks Guide for Parents of T1D Kids HERE.Get personalized support + action plan with a Family Intensive Coaching Session HERE.Learn about our Family Group Coaching Program HERE. Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan.

In this week's episode, I'm joined by Bridget Wood to discuss forming a healthy relationship with food as T1Ds. We dive into our own personal histories with food, struggles with perfectionism, and our relationship with food now. Bridget is a licensed dietician, nutritionist, and CDCES based in Nevada who has been living with type one diabetes since she was a senior in high school. In this episode, we talk about… Questioning our beliefs surrounding food and T1DFinding that fine line between having in-range blood sugars and preventing future complications not just on a physical level, but also on a mental levelChasing straight line CGM graph lines and if that is even attainableThe importance of competent cultural care with type one diabetes and foodI am so excited to share this talk with Bridget because I feel that it's important to hear from diabetes healthcare professionals who live with type one diabetes themselves. Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. Learn more about their upcoming Bike Ride event HERE RESOURCES FOR YOU: For ways to lower your A1C starting now HEREFor nutrition strategies and meal plan HEREFor reducing highs and lows during exercise HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan.

In today's episode, I'm boiling down everything I've observed in 7 years of coaching people impacted by T1D into one essential takeaway.In my experience, there is this ONE thing that is at the base of every T1D transformation, no matter who the person is, when they were diagnosed, or what their story is. I've seen it for myself and I've witnessed it for every single one of our clients here at Risely. Today, I'm sharing the number one thing that YOU can do to lower your A1C. If you're waking up every day frustrated and feeling like you're not getting any closer to creating positive change in your life or with your diabetes, then this episode is for you! Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. Learn more about their upcoming Bike Ride event HERE RESOURCES FOR YOU: For ways to lower your A1C starting now HEREFor nutrition strategies and meal plan HEREFor reducing highs and lows during exercise HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

In this week's bi-weekly episode focused on parents and caregivers of children with type one diabetes, Risely's Family Program head coach Trista Johnson returns to the podcast to answer the top 10 questions we get from parents of T1D kids. We talk about… How to identify and understand a pattern with your child's blood sugars, even when their bodies are ever changing How to treat lows while reducing rebound highsHow to navigate your own self-care as a caregiverHow to get your child to actually care more about their blood sugars… and so much more! Make sure to listen to the end of the episode where I share more about our Group Coaching Program for Parents of T1D Kids that kicks off on July 6th. We weren't going to run this program until the fall, but there's been a high demand for it, so we are ramping up for a summer program that we're very excited to offer! Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. Learn more about their upcoming Bike Ride event HERE. RESOURCES FOR YOU:Grab this free download! Blood Sugar Hacks Guide for Parents of T1D Kids HERE.Get personalized support + action plan with a Family Intensive Coaching Session HERE.Learn about our Family Group Coaching Program HERE. Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

Coming to you today with a special life update episode! I recorded this podcast the Monday after my bachelorette party so I could give you all the details of the weekend and how I celebrated - T1D style. I am seriously so grateful for being at a place with my type one diabetes that I can actually enjoy all these wedding festivities without diabetes getting in the way.⁣ This weekend was a quintessential storm of ALL the factors that make it hard to be in control including…Zero routineEating all day and eating late night Alcohol (Hello champagne and tequila!) Long days with lots of heatLimited sleepWas it my best 72 hours of numbers? No way! But I managed a 151 average with only 1 low so that felt like a big win!⁣ Next up, bridal shower and wedding

In this week's episode, I'm joined by a very special guest, the CEO of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, Sean Kramer. DRI is the largest and most comprehensive research center solely dedicated to curing diabetes. As the chief executive officer, Sean oversees the strategic and operational responsibilities of the company and drives the mission to provide the Diabetes Research Institute with the funds needed to discover a cure.  Sean brings more than two decades of fundraising success and experience to DRI. And, as a fourth-generation diabetic and a father to three girls, Sean is very passionate about working collaboratively to create a world without diabetes.In this episode, you'll hear Sean talk about… What his first 90 days as CEO looked like (he started his role at DRI just weeks before the onset of the pandemic) The powerful research being done right now that is getting us closer to a cureHis suggestions for avoiding “hope fatigue” The number one thing you should implement as a person, living with diabetes in order to set yourself up to be a candidate to receive the cure when it does come Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. Check out Lauren's Instagram Reel with DRI CEO, Sean Kramer here. To join DRI in their mission to a cure, you can do so here.RESOURCES FOR YOU: For nutrition strategies and meal plan HEREFor reducing highs and lows during exercise HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

It's “In the News…” Got a few minutes? Get caught up! Top stories this week: racial disparities in treatment for kids with type 1, new study looks at oral insulin for type 2, nanoparticles tested to prevent diabetes and why is there a Squishmallow toy being marketed as having T1D? That and a lot more. Full transcript and links to sources below. Learn more about the T1D Exchange  Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. we go live on social media first and then All sources linked up at diabetes dash connections dot com when this airs as a podcast. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Our top story, Black children with type 1 diabetes experience disparities in health outcomes compared with other racial and ethnic groups with similar neighborhood opportunity profiles. That's according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open. This was a very big study – more than 70-thousand patient encounters under the age of 21 from 2009 to 2018. They looked at something called the Child Opportunity Index. This It combines data from neighborhood-level indicators, like good schools, parks and playgrounds, clear air and safe housing. They found that the probability of readmission within a year was significantly higher among Black children with a very low COI category versus Hispanic children and White children at the same COI category. These researchers say doctors and educators need to be aware and include interventions that target racial disparities. https://www.physiciansweekly.com/outcomes-worse-for-children-with-type-1-diabetes-who-are-black XX New research suggests the people of certain racial ethnic groups should be screened for diabetes at lower body mass index than white people. A recommendation that contradicts recent guidelines from the United States Preventive Services Task Force. At a time when a lot of medicine is trying to rid itself of race-based tools this could be tricky.. but these researchers say that using a one-size-fits-all approach to screening, when diabetes is two to four times more prevalent and more deadly in Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans, is likely to result in underdiagnosis of the disease, and widen health gaps. https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/09/race-ethnicity-bmi-diabetes-screening/ XX New partnership between JDRF, Yale University and a company called NexImmune. That company has something called Artificial Immune Modulation nanoparticles and the idea here is to if that could work with Teplizumab to delay or prevent type 1. Teplizumab is already being tested as a prevention method and is back in front of the FDA. NexImmune says it's wider plan is to use the body's own T-cells to generate a specific immune response to prevent not just diabetes but other auto immune conditions and even cancer. https://www.jdrf.org/press-releases/neximmune-yale-and-jdrf-enter-into-600k-research-partnership-for-type-1-diabetes/ XX Oramed Pharmaceuticals announced this week that it has enrolled 100% of the patients in the world's first Phase 3 study of oral insulin This is being looked at just for type 2 right now. The primary endpoint of the study is to compare the efficacy of ORMD-0801 to placebo in improving glycemic control, with a secondary endpoint of assessing the change from baseline in fasting plasma glucose at 26 weeks. They hope to announce results in January of 2023. https://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Article/2022/05/05/Oramed-hits-oral-insulin-clinical-trial-milestone XX New partnership between two diabetes heavy weights. The Diabetes Research Institute, DRI Foundation Canada (DRIFCAN) and Alberta Diabetes Institute (ADI) have announced a research partnership The CEO of DRI says "Type 1 diabetes knows no borders or boundaries; nor should the research to find a cure. There's a lot of research funded by these groups, included islet and stem cell transplantation. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/diabetes-research-institute-foundation-joins-193300513.html XX Right back to the news in a moment but first we've got a new sponsor. As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX Insulet's CEO is stepping down.. Shacey Petrovic has been in the role since 2019 and says she's stepping down June first for amily reasons. Petrovec will stay on as an advisor for the next year to aid in the transition and support the company's launch of the Omnipod 5. She'll replaced by Jim Hollingshead, who's been on Insulet's Board for the last three years. He's been the president of ResMed – a company that focuses on advances in sleep medicine- for the last 12 years. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/insulet-swap-ceos-amid-omnipod-5-insulin-pump-roll-out XX I feel like I haven't done a newscast in a few weeks without mentioning model Lila Moss. After being on the cover of UK Vogue and making headlines at the Met Gala, she's now showing off her Libre and Omnipod In a new Fendi and Versace ad campaign https://pagesix.com/2022/05/11/lila-moss-wears-diabetes-monitor-in-fendi-versace-ad-campaign/ XX Got an update for you on T1D The Movie. We talked about this a few months ago – Star Trek actor Noah Averbach Katz is producing a short film with type 1 at the center. He started a kick starter campaign and got a wonderful response from the start trek community which, along with the diabetes community, fully funded the project. I got an update that he is starting filming this week. He also says if you backed the project at the level where you'd get a token of appreciation, they're working on those too.. more to come. XX Interesting find on the toy front. I had never heard of Squishmallows but people say the stuffed toys are soothing while others say it's just a scam and there's nothing inherently special about the plush toys. Either way, one of the limited edition plushies is being marketed as having type 1 diabetes. There's nothing on the toy itself to show that it might use diabetes technology – this is just listed in the toy description on line. I'm trying to find out the story behind this so letme know if you know atying! XX On this week's long format episode, you'll hear about the Mental Health Plus diabetes conference.. the organizers said every conference has one session on mental health – we really need more. So they did it. Love that! Next week, as I mentioned, Dexcom's Chief Technical Officer on the G7, some interesting new info.. and I asked him all of your questions. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.  

Coming to you today with a special BONUS episode! I followed my intuition one morning and recorded this very raw, unplanned episode because this topic is something I am personally facing right now, which made me think others might be going through something similar. In today's show, I open up about my past experiences with stress, including…

Have you ever been curious about what health coaching is? Today's episode is dedicated to answering that question in depth. You will learn… What health coaching provides that's different from the medical fieldHow a health coach can supplement traditional health careWhy health coaching is such a game changer for T1D management You will hear empowering client stories from the Risely team that demonstrate the power of health coaching. Additionally, I'll share with you five top reasons why health coaching should be considered a critical element of care for people and families impacted by T1D. Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. You can learn more about DRI and their work here.RESOURCES FOR YOU: Learn more and apply to the Decide and Conquer Group Coaching Bootcamp HEREFor nutrition strategies and meal plan click  HEREFor reducing highs and lows during exercise click  HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

In this week's bi-weekly episode focused on parents and caregivers of kids with type one diabetes, I'm joined by Trista Johnson.A nationally board-certified health coach on the Risely team, Trista cares deeply about helping parents and kids feel competent, capable, and calm living with type one diabetes. Trista was diagnosed at the age of four, and her work as an educator and learning specialist naturally led her into the role as head coach in our family group coaching programs. She loves to meet families wherever they're at on their journey and support them in achieving personalized success with T1D. In this episode, we'll discuss the top three challenges that we see in adults with T1D that often stem from a childhood diagnosis and provide tips and tricks on how to get ahead of those challenges with your child early on.Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise!Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. You can learn more about DRI and their work here.RESOURCES FOR YOU:Grab this free download! Blood Sugar Hacks Guide for Parents of T1D Kids HERE.Get personalized support + action plan with a Family Intensive Coaching Session HERE.Learn about our Family Group Coaching Program HERE. Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

In this week's episode, I'm joined by Jehan Arafa Tappe to discuss navigating shame and vulnerability with type one diabetes. Jehan was diagnosed with T1D at ten years old and is now a coach on the Risely team. For a long time, Jehan would put on a happy face for family and friends when in reality, she was suffering on the inside and was struggling with her relationship with diabetes. In this episode, she shares the story of a secret that she's held onto for 23 years that she only recently told her husband about. Other takeaways that you're going to hear in the episode: 1. The underlying issues we hear from clients that need to be addressed in order tomove forward in their T1D journey. 2. How diabetes coaching works and helps you get to the root of those issues.3. Straightforward tips to implement into your routine to get low-hanging fruit wins.Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. You can learn more about DRI and their work here.RESOURCES FOR YOU: Learn more and apply to the Decide and Conquer Group Coaching Bootcamp HEREFor a blood sugar reset HEREFor reducing highs and lows during exercise HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

Today's episode is an extra fun one because it's a collaboration with all of you listeners! I opened up a Q+A on Instagram and chose 6 questions to dive into on the podcast.We get into topics like: Taking the textbook information you're told and customizing it to your bodyRelationship with food and weight loss as a T1DCommunicating your needs with your support systemExercise and knowing your body's patternsSpontaneity and blood sugar managementResetting with T1D after prolonged periods of out of range numbersHit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.Thank you to the Reclaim Your Rise podcast sponsor Diabetes Research Institute. You can learn more about DRI and their work here and donate hereRESOURCES FOR YOU: Learn more and apply to the Decide and Conquer Group Coaching Bootcamp HEREFor a blood sugar reset HEREFor reducing highs and lows during exercise HEREDisclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

Sean Kramer is the Chief Executive Officer of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, the largest and most comprehensive research center dedicated to curing diabetes. Sean oversees the strategic and operational responsibilities of the company and drives his mission to provide the Diabetes Research Institute with the funds needed to cure diabetes. Sean brings more than two decades of fundraising success and experience in achieving outstanding results for capital campaigns and other major development initiatives. As a fourth-generation type 1 diabetic, Sean has dedicated his career to creating a world without diabetes, focusing specifically on cure-focused research and preventative care.

Guarire chi è malato e prevenire nuove diagnosi: questi sono i due grandi obiettivi della ricerca. Francesca Ulivi, giornalista, divulgatrice e direttrice comunicazione di Fondazione Italiana Diabete e diabetica di tipo 1, dedica la sua vita alla raccolta fondi da destinare alla ricerca. Il dottor Lorenzo Piemonti, direttore del Diabetes Research Institute dell'Ospedale San Raffaele di Milano, tira le fila illustrando quali sono le prospettive aperte e cosa possiamo aspettarci nei prossimi anni.

Kevin Covais was one of the youngest contestants on American Idol; he was just 16 when he made his debut during season 5. He'll share some behind the scenes stories including managing low blood sugar during a live performance. Diagnosed with T1D at age 11, Kevin has been working steadily as an actor. We'll talk about working in Hollywood with diabetes – and what that's been like during COVID, more about American Idol, and how Kevin found himself mentoring other kids with type 1. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Get the App and listen to Diabetes Connections wherever you go! Episode Transcription below Click here for iPhone      Click here for Android   Stacey Simms 0:00 Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dario Health. Manage your blood glucose levels increase your possibilities by Gvoke Hypopen the first premixed auto injector for very low blood sugar, and by Dexcom take control of your diabetes and live life to the fullest with Dexcom. Announcer 0:20 This is Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. Stacey Simms 0:26 This week, actor Kevin Covais was one of the youngest contestants on American Idol back in season five, he'll share some behind the scenes stories, including managing low blood sugar during a live performance. Kevin Covais 0:38 And I'm singing and I just like, I can't wait for this thing to be over. I can't wait to stop singing and get the critiques from the judges that I'm not even gonna really listen to you because I got to get off the stage and I got to get some juice or I gotta get some tablets. I gotta take care of this. Stacey Simms 0:49 He was fine. And since Idol , Kevin has been working steadily as an actor. We'll talk about working in Hollywood with diabetes and during COVID more about American Idol, and how Kevin found himself mentoring other kids with type one. He has advice for parents too. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Welcome to another week of the show, always is so glad to have you here. Hi, I'm your host Stacey Simms. We aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. And my guest this week is Kevin Covais, diagnosed with type one just as he turned 11. Kevin is best known for American Idol as you heard in the tease there and the Disney Channel show Good Luck Charlie, where he played the character Victor. He is a steadily working actor with roles in Transformers and this is us, the rookie, NCIS Los Angeles and more. I put some pictures of Kevin in the Diabetes Connections Facebook groups, you can kind of see him on set. And he is appearing in the new Netflix series on the verge, which is out this month. I thought it would be fun to just play a little clip of Season Five of American Idol where Kevin appeared and this was back in 2006. As I said he was one of the very youngest contestants. So here's a little bit of him from back then. (Kevin sings) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc5ec3te75I Stacey Simms 2:44 used to watch idol all the time. And as I confessed to Kevin, it has been a while. But what a big show, right? And you'll hear Kevin during the interview mentioned Elliott Yamin who was also on season five and also lives with type one. I got to meet Elliot a couple of years ago at a touched by type one conference he is still performing writing music. He's now a dad, I'll put a link to Elliot stuff in the show notes as well. That of course will have tons of information about Kevin, but I just thought that was really interesting because to me, I don't know it seems like yesterday but of course 2006 was the year that my son was diagnosed, Benny was diagnosed right before he turned two. He is now almost 17 which is I mean, we've lived with diabetes. Now I've been part of this community for 15 years in just a couple of weeks. So 2006 kind of was a long time ago and kind of seems like yesterday to me. Alright, Kevin's interview coming up in just a moment. But first Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Gvoke Hypopen and our endo always told us that if you use insulin you need to have emergency glucagon on hand as well. Low blood sugars are one thing we're usually able to treat those with fast acting glucose tabs or juice but a very low blood sugar can be very frightening which is why I'm so glad there's a different option for emergency glucagon it is Gvoke Hypopen. Gvoke Hypopen is pre mixed and ready to go with no visible needle. You pull off the red cap push the yellow end onto bare skin and hold it for five seconds. That's it. Find out more go to Diabetes connections.com and click on the Gvoke logo. Gvoke shouldn't be used in patients with pheochromocytoma or insulinoma visit Gvoke glucagon.com slash risk. Kevin, welcome to the show. I'm really glad to talk to you. Thanks for making some time for me. Kevin Covais 4:26 Stacey. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to find we've been talking about this for a while I'm so I'm so happy to finally join the program. It's great. Stacey Simms 4:33 Awesome. Yeah, it's great that we finally connected Gosh, so much to talk about. We connected everyone We see each other every year add friends for life. Yeah. And I was so happy we were able to do that this year. We'll kind of see what happens going ahead. But before we get into all of that, do you mind if we just kind of take a step back and look back? I mean you haven't been on the show before and I'd love to kind of revisit the early days of Kevin Kevin Covais 4:59 Spacey. I would be disappointed if we didn't do that. So let's, let's dive in. Let's do it. Yes, please. Stacey Simms 5:04 As I was asking that I was thinking about American Idol but I should probably go back further. You were diagnosed when you were you were a kid. You were not even 11 years old yet, right? Yeah, it Kevin Covais 5:13 was just prior to my 11th birthday symptoms leading up. Yeah, my birthday is at the end of May. And I just remember that entire month of May so vividly. You know, obviously, you think back to childhood and, you know, memories here memories there. But that month just stands out in my mind so vividly. Symptoms throughout the month, parents wandering out what's going on with Kev? what's what's happening, you know, maybe an infection this that bring me into the doctor, several days prior to my 11th birthday to get the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Yeah. Stacey Simms 5:41 Did you spend your birthday in the hospital? Kevin Covais 5:43 I think it was. So it was it was several days after my birthday. So yeah, it was the entire month leading up to the birthday. And then it was, yeah, right. At the start of June, I was putting so this was several days after my 11th birthday that I was in the hospital. And just you know, you hear the doctor tell you and your kid and I, you know, I immediately I broke down and cried. I didn't know, I didn't know what I was dealing with. I you know, you hear the word diabetes and you know, your mind escapes, you starts running around all these different things. And then he you know, the doctor, you know, kindly explained to me, now this is something you're going to be able to manage your life. It's obviously going to be a great deal of work. But this is something you live with and something you manage. And then from there, I learned everything over the course of the next week and being in the hospital and getting treated. Yeah, it was. It was a month like no other though. Yeah, that's for sure. Yeah. Stacey Simms 6:27 So your kid, you're diagnosed at a time when frankly, it's the as I recall that time that early 2000s. It's the time right before everything really started changing. Absolutely. As I look at I mean, Ben, he was diagnosed in 2006. They were like, we've got this amazing thing called Lantus. That's just been approved for kids. Yeah, you know, and now everything seems so different with the technology. What was the first kind of technology or routine that you were on? Gosh, you Kevin Covais 6:54 got me thinking back to the pre Lantus days of time? Yeah, it's it's wild. For me. Taking the injections, taking the daily injections, I will go ahead and say I'm not currently on the pump, that I am one of these those rare rare people that uh, that takes daily injections. I have a CGM. But that's, that's my preferred way of doing it have been doing it that way for years. But yeah, starting out being diagnosed taking human and human log each and every day. Yeah. And those pre Lantus days. And, you know, they think back to those syringes before you have the pens and the newer technology and the things that make it so easy now, so, so accessible, and thinking back to a time before, you know, we had some of those advancements, it was definitely interesting at the start for those first couple of years. Stacey Simms 7:35 Well, is that the kind of and I say technology to encompass whatever you're using shots? Oh, of course. Yeah. So when you're talking humulin, you have a log, did you have to kind of eat on a set schedule? Or were you okay to kind of inject when you want it to eat, Kevin Covais 7:51 you know, that really came with adulthood, that sort of injecting when I wanted to eat and the accessibility I remember, as a kid, it was, it was the preference of my doctors to have that set routine. I remember going in and you have a regimented schedule of three meals, several snacks, a snack at an after school snack at roughly 3pm. And, and one prior to bed 9pm at night. And yeah, that was for a while. It's obviously insulin matching. Exactly what you're what you're ingesting exactly what you're eating and set times. It was all very regimented. For me those first couple years of my life. Yeah. Something. I bet. I bet it's a trip to think back on it really is. Yeah, Stacey Simms 8:30 it must be I mean, I just think, you know, it's there's no easy age to be diagnosed with diabetes. But 11 you're just starting out that like, tiptoeing into independence. Yes. Middle School. Do you remember? Did your parents kind of give you a long rope? Were they very protective? I don't want to be too personal. Kevin Covais 8:48 Please, please. They were unbelievable. I'm so blessed to have the mother and the father that I do. And the support system that I do, I think they handled it differently. I think, with my mother, I think not that there was more trust, I think, was maybe a little longer rope and trusting me to do the things I think my father was, you know, very concerned at times, but you know, rightfully concerned about, you know, what I was taking and this and that. So there were I think there were several different schools of parenting going on. But together, they complemented each other so well. And it was I just knew that they were always there for me during those frustrating moments, those highs, those lows, quite literally, obviously, where it's just they were there All the while, but just like an amazing support system site. I think they went about it slightly differently. But we're, you know, managed to still be on the same page because, you know, nobody handles You know, one set situation quite the same. So, I was just incredibly fortunate. We just got informed, it's like we figured out what it was and there was a moment of kind of bowing our heads and being frustrated being sad. And then we were like, Alright, what do we do about this and got in the hospital and took care of and met up with all the doctors and got assigned the endocrinologist and and took it from there. Yeah, Stacey Simms 9:53 your parents must have given you a long rope because five years later, you auditioned for American Idol right when you're 16 Kevin Covais 9:59 I was a baby I mean, I'm still a baby. I'm just an older baby. I'm still probably just as immature. But now I'm in my 30s so I don't really get away with as much. I I was 16 years old SJC when I did the show, I can't believe I did it at all. And I can't believe I did it when I was when I didn't know any more. I was just a child. Yeah. It's so Stacey Simms 10:17 funny. So okay, so you're my son's age. Kevin Covais 10:23 And your son's a child. I'm sure he's way more mature than I was. Stacey Simms 10:28 But, you know, you did let him just go. You know, he took an international trip for a month but he was with you. But he was with a bunch of people who, you know, we're we felt very safe with of course, what was the deal with American Idol because you didn't just go to one city, right? I mean, audition different cities take us kind of through what happened. Kevin Covais 10:45 It was just the journey of a lifetime at 16. I audition in New York. I'm from from Levittown, New York, Long Island, New York, and I audition up in Boston, I turned 16. And as I tell the story, my mom and I would watch idol from the Kelly Clarkson days. I ultimately was on season five. But you know, Kelly Clarkson wins the show, season one, my mom and I, it's must see TV. We tune in every week to watch the show. And my father was never a big fan. And I was a singer, around the same time that I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 11. That's kind of when I joined the chorus and developed a love for singing and acting in the school plays and whatnot. And he'd walked through the room and we'd be watching idol. And I would tell him, I said, you know, one day I'm going to do this show. And he's like, yeah, okay, we'll see. And I turned 16. And again, just to echo how incredibly supportive my parents have always been, they've always been by my side, I turned 16. I go up to Boston to audition for the show. When there were no tri state area auditions in the Greater New York area. They take me up to Boston, they take me up to Gillette Stadium where the New England Patriots play, they're having massive auditions. 15 tents set up on a field, a judge at each tent and forward a time that bringing us down and they say Sing, sing, sing, sing, you sing a little bit of a song, they cut you off whenever they feel like you either make it or they send you to the exits, we see a herd of people go into the exits. And I was one of the lucky few that day who they said you know what, we're gonna give you another audition, we'll come back and see the executive producers, so on and so forth all the way up to the main judges in the city of Boston, I see the original three of Simon cow, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson. And eventually I make my way out to Hollywood. I get past that round, and made it to Hollywood. It was my first time ever on the west coast. I get to go and I'm one of maybe 180 people auditioning out in Hollywood to try to get on those live shows where ultimately I landed and Gosh, got to somehow got to the top 12 my seats I don't even know I don't even it was honestly Stacy, it was all blur. I don't even know how I did it. I don't know. I mean, I remember it. But it was just such a roller coaster and such an emotional ride in such an exciting ride my lights? Yeah. Stacey Simms 12:39 When I'm researching to talk to you, you know, going through the American Idol season five and kind of looking at what was written around that time. There's no mention of you having diabetes? Kevin Covais 12:50 No, no, you hiding it. Stacey Simms 12:57 Right back to Kevin finishing that thought. But first Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dario health. And one of the things that makes diabetes management difficult for us that really annoys me and Benny isn't actually the big picture stuff. It's all the little tasks adding up. Are you sick of running out of strips, do you need some direction or encouragement going forward with your diabetes management, with visibility into your trends help you on your wellness journey? The Dario diabetes success plan offers all of that and more. No more waiting in line at the pharmacy no more searching online for answers. No more wondering about how you're doing with your blood sugar levels, find out more go to my dario.com forward slash diabetes dash connections. Now back to Kevin talking about why he didn't share his type one with the American Idol audience. Kevin Covais 13:46 Absolutely not hiding it. This is how little I just knew about I just wasn't aware of anything. I was so green to the experience that like now as an actor of 10 plus years as a mainly transition to acting at this point, which I'm sure we'll get to a bit in a little bit. I didn't think about it from a perspective of Oh, wow, what a stage to raise awareness for this thing. I was on the show. I made it to the top 12. And one of my best friends from the show is Elliot Yamin, fellow type one, and you know, great guy, great personality and just just a heck of a voice. Oh my god, the guy can sing the doors off the place. He's unbelievable. And we auditioned in Boston together. I was so nervous until my final few weeks performing live on the show. I just think I went in and I would do the interviews and I would do this and I would do that. And it wouldn't even occur to me like man, you should really bring this up. I wasn't hiding it. I wasn't ashamed. I think for me, it was just such a normal part of my life that I'd been accustomed to for five years. And I was like, Oh, yeah, well, I'm you know, I'm no different than anyone else. I'm just dealing with my type 1 diabetes, you know, all the while. And it's it's a regret not from a sense because again, I wasn't hiding it. It's a regret because I realized how big that platform was and Oh man, I should have said something. And it was and it wasn't until after the fact that I was like oh wow, there's like a lot of opportunity here and when I you know start to do very As events for the jdrf are really dive into work with the Diabetes Research Institute several years thereafter. It wasn't until that point, when I kind of got older. I was like, Man, this is an incredible opportunity to raise awareness. And, you know, use your platform. And I wish I could go back and tell 16 year old Kevin that I really wish I could. Stacey Simms 15:16 Well, I wasn't even thinking of it in terms of advocacy, which is a terrific point that you make, but I was thinking about it as your 16. And, you know, to say, Well, I need extra help, or I need you to know that. Although you weren't beeping at the time, you probably didn't have a CGM. No, not yet. Right. You might not just you know, and I think and I can totally understand that, because that's how my son is, you know, he'll tell people to be safe, you know, spending the night and we're not there. And he'll say, Here's to this and that, but he's not gonna say, hey, by the way, just as dropping into the conversation, yeah. I don't think a lot of 16 year olds who are let's just say it like that, I think. And you've already kind of mentioned it, it just seems like it was such a normal part of who you were. I think that's very commendable. I think that's great. Kevin Covais 16:01 Thanks. Yeah, I'd like to think so as well. I'll tell you, every staff member on idol, the producer, the up to the producers, up to the big time people behind the show, they knew I had type one. I always made it a point to you know, school teachers, obviously, you're telling them okay, hey, look, if I need to go to the nurse, this is why I'm not. I'm not trying to get out of taking this exam. It's because I have a legitimate low right now. So the people in my life I was telling, it never occurred to me when the cameras started rolling to bring it up, because it just didn't occur to me. I was like, Oh, yeah, no, I'm telling the people that are directly affected in my life about this. It didn't, it didn't even dawn on me to inform the audience about Stacey Simms 16:36 it. Did you have any issues on Idol with diabetes? And I did, Kevin Covais 16:40 yeah. There's a story that stands out. I don't mean to laugh. It's just some hilarious stories. When we were laughing. We This is how we do it. This is how we deal sometimes, you know, you know, you know better than anyone as to why it's, it wasn't an issue, up until the live shows. Really, I think, for me, it was always Okay, we're testing constantly, we're making sure we're correcting prior to getting up for big performances, or whatever I got to perform during Hollywood week, I'm making sure I'm good to go in preparation for those performances. It wasn't until the third live show there were three weeks of semi finals on the show. And I get up there on the third week, and I'm waiting in the wings to be the next one up and I I know where my blood sugar is, you know, without the CGM. I'm one of the lucky ones who can, you know, 21 years of this thing I can tell where I am. If I'm running high in the two hundreds, I feel lousy, and I know it. I know where I'm at. If I'm low, and I have the shakes, and you know, you feel a little disoriented. I know that too. And I could feel myself dropping and dropping quickly. But I'm up on stage and it's live television. So I go up and I perform I perform. Don McLean's stories of Vincent starry, Starry Night old ballad that one of my favorites, Josh Groban read it, and in more recent years, and I'm singing, and I just like, I can't wait for this thing to be over. I can't wait to stop singing and get the critiques from the judges that I'm not even gonna really listen to because I got to get off the stage and I got to get some juice or I gotta get some tablets. I gotta take care of this. It was the most surreal thing to be experiencing that in that moment. I got through it. And the performance wasn't terrible. I think it was, I think was one of my better ones. So I was on for five weeks. And I I put it up in the maybe on the top two or three of them. And yeah, but that did happen on live television, which was just the most surreal thing. Yeah. Stacey Simms 18:18 Wow. When you got off the stage Did you like eat everything? Oh, yeah. Kevin Covais 18:22 I went to town state. Oh, yeah. Are you kidding me? I was like, Yeah, let's go. I was just, it was bizarre. It was just a bizarre, but it was just a wild, wild thing to experience. And that's kind of telling for anyone who deals with this is that you can prepare to the best of your abilities. And that you know, that unexpected lower high could still come about, you just have to do your best but there's no there was no shame. I didn't feel any shame after that. I know. Look, we're all human. And this is this is a normal part of the day in and day out experience. It's just so unique that to be in the position that I was in to have experienced that at that moment was very unique. Yeah, yeah, that's Stacey Simms 18:57 interesting, too. That I forgot. Elliot. Yeah, I mean, was the same season. Kevin Covais 19:00 Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Oh, man. He was I was rooting for him after I eventually got bounced and got kicked out. You know, after I got eliminated from the show. I was I couldn't get kicked off now. I was a good kid. After I got eliminated from the show. I was I was rooting for Elliot anyway not I mean, obviously the bond we shared as as he was a fellow type one and we you know, related and became fast friends over that, but I just thought he had the best voice that of anyone that sees and I thought his voice was you know, another league but it was a it was a heck of a year and a heck of a ride for it really was Stacey Simms 19:30 Do you still forgive me? I don't know if it's even on the air. Do you still watch Kevin Covais 19:33 idol please? It is not really Oh, no, it's been going on a while sometimes it's like sometimes you gotta know when to let go. I like emotionally said goodbye to the show. I think it was about five or six years ago now when when Fox had its last airing of the show. So I kind of had my emotional goodbye with the show. Then I had a bunch of friends over to my place and we watched it and we were you know we're they were laughing about stuff. Remember in my time on the show years ago, we had a we had a grand time and then you Goes via Idol s off the air and then ABC is picking it up. Because you know, why not? Why not pick it up? And they've had some successes with the ABC run and some some very talented people on the show but I think there's just there's so many options now so many things to watch. You got the voice you got to America's Got Talent, things of that nature. It's tough. It's tough to keep up with all of them now stuck to keep up. Yeah. Stacey Simms 20:20 So right. So after idol, you change from being a singer to acting? What What happened? Like, what were some of your first jobs. I know you were at the Disney Channel, and you've been guest starring spots. So if you could tell me, like when you started? Kevin Covais 20:32 Yeah, I saw I finish idol. And I'm really honest about these things. I thought, going into the Idol experience as everyone does. I want to be a recording artist, I want to make records and I want to do this. And my love for music. And my love for singing is never escaped. It's really I'm just being honest, it's more of a hobby. At this point. It's more of something for me. And if I record something, it's more for me or potentially to work, collaborate with friends or right with fellow musician, friends. But I got into the acting I remember I got done with idol and I got management back, I found representation back home in New York, there was a real interest, I think people really found me to be a bit of a character on the show. And in a good way, not a bad way, of course. And that led to auditions. And I started going out in my first movie was a real silly kind of raunchy comedy, I wouldn't recommend anyone listening to this podcast, watch it, it was a movie called college. It was with a Nickelodeon star by the name of Drake Bell and various other funny people. And, you know, really funny people in the cast. And we had a blast making it. And this was my first taste of a film. And I came to know that Deb Hagen, our director on that project, she was at home with her family reading the script of this movie, she'd just been assigned as the director. And she's watching idol with her family and I'm on the show. And she's reading the script. And there's this you know, kind of nerdy character named Morris super this kid with, you know, part of gold sweet kid, but you know, just kind of reserved and whatnot. She's reading the character, and she's looking at me on the TV, and she's like, Man, this kid would be, I want this kid to play this role. And I never knew this and takes a while to make a movie. And about a year later, I within that year, I get done with Idol I go back home, I'm doing my senior year of high school now, because I did Idol as a junior in high school. I'm back in Levittown, New York, I'm back at Island trees, high school over there. And, and I'm doing self tape auditions, I get a manager at home who starts sending me out for acting, saying there'd be quite a bit of interest if I were to pursue this. And I put myself down for this movie college and put a self tape down and I got the roll, I got the roll, which offers self tape, which is like, You're so lucky to get that it's a rarity. And I was very fortunate. And I had a fun time making that one. And then that led to a bunch of other opportunities got to work with Lindsay Lohan on a on a television movie called labor pains, which was a blast, a really stacked comedic cast. And that one, you know, that's silly movie, but a lot of fun. And then since then, the big one was good luck, Charlie, for me got to be on the Disney Channel and work on eight episodes of good luck, Charlie, in the early 2010s. And, and then from there, just a slew of fun guest stars. And I've just I love it. I love every minute of it. I don't know how it all came about. I think for me, I always love to act adjust as much as I love to sing. But I never I wasn't savvy enough at the time of doing idol at 16. Again, I was so green, I didn't even think like oh, you can use this idol platform to maybe swing a few meetings or this or that and try to try to get your way into acting. I don't even think like that. If again, if it was today, if I was doing that in my 20s or if I was doing that today in my early 30s. Like obviously I would have had that mindset but you know, I didn't know I didn't know anything like that. So but just so fortunate that it came about and I love it. I love being on set. I love playing these characters escaping into these fun people that are nothing like me. It's fun. Stacey Simms 23:35 Yeah. And you've been you know, you continually work I mean, yeah, it's as you said their guest starring roles and you know, but they seem so fun. You were This is us. 68 whiskey, you know, the Yeah, I think the last thing I saw was NCIS LA or Los Angeles. I saw you did like a theme during COVID. How is production been? Have you been able to do anything? That's Kevin Covais 23:57 You know what? That's a great question. My last two roles, which as you previously mentioned it NCIS Los Angeles I got to do a again small role but part but a scene with with great actors and Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J the leads of the show. And that was just so trippy because you know, you grew up watching lol and then you get to do a scene with them. I like that. It's like I've done this for over 10 years and you still get in those situations and you play it cool, but it's like I'm working with frickin Oh, cool. J This is not. But that was interesting. I'll tell you as it pertains to COVID they were coming off a hiatus to show and this was I believe this was their first episode of production back since COVID. I don't think I'm making that up. We go and we film at the Paramount lot you know the famous Paramount live in Los Angeles and and they took so many precautions. It's unbelievable. When you have a small you know, co star role such as myself, they give you a tiny little trailer whatnot. And everything's placed outside the trailer, your wardrobe, your sides like there. Nobody's coming into your trailer. It was a whole new world. Obviously you're wearing a mask the entirety of the time. You're filming just a little funny story, my character is wearing like some sort of alligator costume. He's like a sign spinner on the corner of the street or whatever, who they take in for interrogation at the NCIS headquarters in LA. And so they take me in and I'm still wearing this thing. And for the purpose of the scene, I have the first line and I'm wearing a mask during rehearsal we get in and obviously, you're not shaking hands with anyone, you're just meeting you're there for a day. It's a quick day, and I'm wearing a mask in this like weird out, you know, this weird, like lizard costume or whatnot. And then when they they start rolling, they're like, Okay, everybody take your masks off. Kevin, you can take the mask off. I'm like, okay, so I, I don't know what's going on. I'm just following their lead. I take the mask off. And I'm like, Where do I put this thing? I don't pocket somewhere in a lizard costume. I just like kind of stick it under my button, keep going with the scene. And then they call action and I run a scene with a local j was nuts. It was crazy. I was like, but it's a whole new world, you know. So they take the precautions, but then they call to action and you're back in a fictitious world that apparently doesn't have COVID-19 in it. And it was just bizarre. I was fortunate I had a small role A few weeks later on a show that is yet to be released a show with Elizabeth Shue called on the verge which I believe is upcoming on Netflix. And I didn't get to shoot a scene with her unfortunately, because she's amazing. But I had a really fun scene as a whole as like a funny, wholefoods worker, and I got to shoot on on that set. And again, they're taking all the precautions, you know, no contact and you're getting COVID tested every other day, because they need assurances that everyone on that sets safe. Everyone on that said this was pre vaccination. This was at the end of last year when I worked at magic, so nobody been vaccinated. Yep, you have to have assurances that nobody is has tested positive for covid. Otherwise, you got to shut the whole thing down. It was wild. But you know, it's a whole new world out there. And we got to be we got to be safe. And we got to be cautious, especially those of us with pre existing conditions, like type one. Yeah. Stacey Simms 26:47 All right. So we're gonna list in the show notes. We're gonna put your IMDb so people can figure out that they've already seen you a bunch of times. Yeah. You know, like, my husband. And this is? Well, it's not really embarrassing, but my husband is a big Transformers fan. Like all the Transformers movie. So I know you've been in those. So now I got to go back and like freeze frame and find you. Kevin Covais 27:07 Yeah, I just did one of the transformers. I had a funny, memorable scene with I think memorable with Mark Wahlberg and he would have been the fourth one. So it was I can't even keep track of it. He would know. I don't know. It was called Transformers Age of Extinction. Oh, yeah. The Stacey Simms 27:22 one with the dinosaur. Yeah, there's Kevin Covais 27:24 been five total, I believe. Yes, there's dinosaurs. Because Why not? Because anything goes in the transformers. You notice out? Yeah. And I think Shiloh buff did the first three. And then Mark Wahlberg took over as the lead for the next couple. And I was in the fourth one. And yeah, that was nuts. I had, it was that was such a surreal experience to Stacey Simms 27:42 get working on a big, big, big budget. That was the hugest gi crazy. I mean, it must have been wild. Kevin Covais 27:48 That was the hugest thing getting to shoot a scene with Mark Wahlberg and being directed by the very, very animated Michael Bay who was was cool to me, but it was just like it was I felt like pinch. I was like, how am I here right now? How did I get here? Like working on this with like, huge names like This is nuts. Yeah, heck of a time. It was a lot of fun. That's awesome. Stacey Simms 28:07 Well, I first met you ever saw you it friends for life? Yeah. You were a special guest one year. I don't think we met the first year that I saw you speak. And then you know, you've you've basically Kevin, they kind of they really adopted you. You were on staff. They did. Tell me a little bit about how you found the folks at friends for life, which I'm sure as you're listening, you're familiar with. They talk about it all the time. But the largest family diabetes conference in probably in the world at this point. Kevin Covais 28:33 Amazing. And the amazing work that they do over children with diabetes. Yeah, I was like you said I was kind of a stray dog who they like led into the house. They're like, Alright, well, let's domesticate this guy. And maybe he can become a part of this. I'm so blessed. One of my, you know, dearest friends, is Tom Kalia from the Diabetes Research Institute diabetes dad, as he's known. And Tom is one of the sweetest most generous guys I ever met. And I did American Idol, not to take it back to Idol . But I did idol and he reached out to my father because I was still a kid at the time. And he was a fellow long Islander and said, You know, I take part in this conference, and they do amazing work. And I would love to bring Kevin down. I had the summer free. I didn't make the American Idol tour. So I had this summer for and, and he asked to if I would come down to perform at the banquet for the 2006 friends for life conference in Orlando, Florida. And I was very excited. But I didn't know what I was getting into. I didn't know what this conference was. I didn't know that such an amazing organization existed. So I go down and I sing You Raise Me Up which was the Joshua again to bring up Josh Groban. The song that I sang on idol audition with and I sing it and it was just amazing. I had such an incredible time. And I learned more about this, what this conference was and learn of the support system that people had. And I think I was just so naive. I didn't realize that something like this even existed. And it just opened up my eyes. It opened up my eyes to how many people care about people in this world that I knew, you know, to an extent you know, around home in New York, you know, when I met these People when I met Jeff Hitchcock, when I met Laura, and all these amazing Lord bility, and all these amazing people at the conference, I was instantly just felt like family, I would go back several years thereafter, I think, in 2009, and then again, maybe around 2012 2013 as a special guest. And I kept going back as a special guest. And it was fun, because initially, I was there as kind of a guest who was promoting Idol and then, and then a younger generation of the kids that would go, I'd get to be a special guest and talk about good luck, Charlie on the Disney Channel. And that was a great fun, but then I would go and I would take part in in the conference a little bit. And then I would just kind of find myself walking around and saying hi to people and popping into the, you know, the exhibition room and popping into sports Central and playing basketball, the kids and I was like, I want to do more here, I want to do more. I got in touch with Laura. And they ended up asking me the next year like we've had just a special guest, would you want to come back and be a staff member here? And I was like, absolutely. Like I just wanted to, I wanted a bigger role. And they were so gracious as to offer me one. And now I'm just like part of the gang, which is always more fun for me anyway, because I never feel important. I never feel special. Like it's just like, I'm just one of the gang. I'm just like you. I'm just like this kid who has it. I'm just like this, you know, it's unbelievable getting to go there. Every year, they asked me to be on the team staff. And I think this past summer, yeah, was my fourth, fourth year on the team staff and I just want to go back every year, every year, they'll have me I want to go back out. Stacey Simms 31:15 It is amazing when you don't have that community connection, and then you find it, we were kind of by ourselves. I live near Charlotte, but I don't live in Charlotte. And it seems like everybody I knew with type one with kids with type one lived further away from me. And then in 2010, children with diabetes brought a conference to Charlotte, amazing. They used to have these regional focus on technology conferences, and I went, and that was where I realized, oh my gosh, there's all these other people. There's this community, and it really inspired me to get more connected. And now I'm so lucky, we have people not, you know, you hate to have more people diagnosed, but we have four people in my area, we have, you know, more connections. So I hear you, but working with the teams, as you said, Yes, I think that's a pretty hard group. What do you do? How do you kind of get through them or talk to them? Kevin Covais 32:01 It can be it can be I love it. Personally, I think I'd be more nervous to work with the younger kids, just in terms of not just holding their attention or whatnot, I think back to being 16. And I think back to the time I did I don't it's such a vulnerable time in your life. I think that more than anything else is that teenagers might act out or whatnot. But it's just stemming from insecurities or feelings of vulnerability, but a vulnerability about certain things in their life. And it's like, you just kind of have to, you know, give them a pass for that and try to break through the best you can. I mean, that's what I do. I you know, I never grew up a camp counselor. I never did any of that. So when I go to this thing, I look to friends of mine who were in the team group. Now, some of my best friends now who are on the team staff with me that I've met at the conference throughout the years. And I watched them do and I'm like trying to take notes because some of them are really good. And I'm like, yeah, it's tough. But it's tough to break through sometimes I think, yeah. Stacey Simms 32:50 I'd be curious to as a parent of a team, I don't know, one parent of a kid with type one of a teenager with type one who says, Oh, my kid is perfect. Right? They're doing such a great job. I'm so happy with all of their marriage course. You know. And I, I'm wondering if there's any advice that you have as being somebody who is closer to being 16 than I am? Certainly, and who has worked with these kids, you know, what can we as parents do to support them? Kevin Covais 33:15 That's an incredible question. I think I was naive, going into all this to see not that I didn't have struggles, but to have a support system at home like I did, where I think my parents, they were always aware of what's going on in my life. But I think it's such a give and take where obviously, my father, my mother spend 24 hours a day worrying about me as a kid with my diabetes, but not letting it show all the time and giving your child the space to sort of operate and trusting them in a way take off the training wheels and trust them to make their own decisions. Obviously, if if they need you, you're there. But also give them space, but don't smother them. I guess I it's a tough road. You know, I'm not a parent. So I'm not one to really comment on it. I can only approach it from that former teen perspective with my parents was I think my parents always did an amazing job on idol as well. I saw stage parents on idol I saw, you know, parents who were like, oh, you're gonna sing this song you're gonna do that. My folks always said to me, you know, Kevin, we're here for you. We love you. If you need help with something, let us know. But this is your thing. Obviously, you can't maybe take such a lacks approach in a certain way with diabetes, but it's informing your child to the best of your abilities always being present, always being there, but also letting them breathe and make their own decisions. I think if you can find that balance, it's really important because you see kids who don't necessarily have that are unique kids and I was naive. I thought everyone was like me who had and I thought everyone was like, you know had their ups and their downs and but good days and bad. But sometimes it's a rough road. And I I'd open my eyes to that just like going to the conference and just like going around and meeting people who have it. It's Yeah, it's not easy though. That's for sure. Stacey Simms 34:47 Before I let you go, Kevin, your type 1 diabetes if I've got my math right, is about to turn 21. Oh, yeah. Kevin Covais 34:54 Yeah, it's about Yeah. I could go out and go to the bars. type one. Yeah, I won't. But Stacey Simms 35:02 I'm certainly not going to ask you to, you know, to sum everything up and tell us what you've learned or you know, anything like that. But I am curious, you know, you now as I said, you use a CGM, you use it, you still have injections, you use multiple daily injections, but it's different insulin. You know, things have come a long way you found the community to support you. Anything you would tell your 11 year old self, about my guts done, you know what you've been through, Kevin Covais 35:26 I'd say Congrats. I mean, it's been a wild ride. And like, I haven't done things perfectly, and nobody's perfect. I think you got to give yourself a break. I think I've spent a lot of times kind of hard on myself from like a career perspective, as a singer, as an actor. And especially with my type one, it's easy to be hard on yourself, it's easy to, I think we go through these like ups and downs with this with this thing that we live with every day of our lives. And I can recall, like low points of like a really bad low or, you know, episodes that we all sort of experienced with this thing from time to time. I recall, like the immediate thing you feel is ashamed, ashamed that you allowed it to get to that point, I think if I could tell my younger self something, it's like, don't be ashamed. This is a part of the ride. Some days are amazing, some day stink, it's just a fact. No one's gonna be perfect. 19 you know, 100% of the time, it's just not it's not possible. So I think I would tell my younger self, I would say congratulations on achieving some of the stuff you've done, but also like, where to go, just, you know, get getting through it. And getting through this grind, you know? Yeah, I do know that. You know what, you know. So well. Yeah. Yeah. Stacey Simms 36:28 I know it as a parent, which is different story. But that's fabulous. too. Kevin Covais 36:32 Huge way to know it. Yeah. Well, Kevin, thank you so much. But it just thank you for having me. Yeah. Oh, it's Stacey Simms 36:37 been wonderful to talk to you. I hope you'll come back. Keep us posted. Let us look for you. I will Yeah. And hopefully time will go fast. And we'll see you next summer friends for life. Kevin Covais 36:47 That'd be amazing. Thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate it. You're listening to Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. Stacey Simms 37:01 More information about Kevin and links to what he's doing now. And links to some performances from idol back at season five at Diabetes connections.com. Every episode from 2020 on has a transcription with it as well. I'm trying to go back and fill in the blanks on the previous episodes, but boy, there are a lot of them. So I'm doing the best I can. But you can always find the information that you need. Hopefully, for each episode, they're at Diabetes connections.com and pop in the Facebook group. If you have any particular questions for me, you can always reach me at Stacey at Diabetes connections.com and Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dexcom. And I was watching only murders in the building the other night. Are you watching this show? It's on Hulu. So not everybody gets that. But it's such a fun and interesting comedy. It's not quite as funny and silly as I thought it was gonna be. And that's not a bad thing with Steve Martin and Martin Short and Selena Gomez. And the reason I started watching it no surprise is because they have a podcast and some of the podcasting stuff is very silly. But it's fine. I love it. It's not really too far fetched. Let's just put it that way. And it's just a good show. But I got way off the subject. We were watching this I was watching by myself actually, when I got a Dexcom alert, and Benny was upstairs. He was playing video games or doing whatever he's doing upstairs. And you know, I was just thinking about how we had blood sugar checks on a timer, we had a schedule. I'm sure a lot of you did this too. Before CGM. We would check doing the finger stick the same time every day at home and at school. And whenever extra we needed to. It's amazing to think about how much our diabetes management has changed with share and follow. I mean, it didn't stop the show to get up and check him. I knew what was going on, I could decide whether to text him or if I needed to go upstairs and help them out using the share and follow apps have helped us talk less about diabetes, which I never thought what happened with a teenager, and he loves that part to trust me. That's what's so great about the Dexcom system. I think for the caregiver, the spouse, the friend, you can help the person with diabetes manage in the way that works for your individual situation. Internet connectivity is required to access Dexcom follow, separate follow up required, learn more, go to Diabetes connections.com and click on the Dexcom logo. Quick look ahead and a bit of a change in the schedule. I was set to go like many of you to the children with diabetes conference happening in White Plains, New York, the weekend of October 9, but they have moved that to a virtual conference. And I totally understand you know, you've got lots of kids uncertain situation with delta. So that will be in November. Now it is a virtual event. I will put information in the show notes. You can find out more about that we did virtual with them. Gosh, really all of 2020 of course, and it's a lot of fun. I think they do a great job. And one of the cool things they figured out early at friends for life and children with diabetes. You know children's diabetes is the organization friends for life is the event. They figured out how to help people socialize outside of the speeches and the reports and the talking which are all great. The presentations, I think are very valuable. But for me, the socializing is a huge part of why I enjoy these things. conferences, and they have these little virtual hallways where parents can drop in kids can drop in teenagers, young adults, that kind of thing. So worth checking out just for that. I'm disappointed, obviously, that we're not in person. But I'm still going to New York because this conference is 15 minutes from where my sister lives. And I haven't seen her in ages. So I'm going to go see her and hang out. And hopefully, Melissa, if you're listening, and I'm sure you're not, we're going to all the places where we ate in high school that weekend, so be prepared. We're going to Maria's pizza, we're going to diner, we're gonna make a list. So we grew up not too far from where she lives now. So that should be a lot of fun Later in the month, I'm going to be in Scottsdale, Arizona for she podcasts, which is a terrific female podcasting conference, as you would imagine, I'm really excited about that. And look, we'll just have to wait and see how these things go. Because certainly, events are touching go at this point, diabetes events, people are much more cautious and rightfully so. So we'll wait and see. But hey, that doesn't mean that we can't hang out. We can socialize. My Local Group is doing stuff online. I'm happy to come and speak to your group, virtually. I've still got my book to clinic program. I am working on Book Two. I am so excited. So still a lot going on. But man, I know I can't wait to read. We're gonna get back to normal. I don't know. But I'd like to get back to something else. Something we're socialized more. We hug more with each other more. Hang in there. Oh, my goodness. Thank you to my editor John Bukenas from auto editing solutions. Thank you so much for listening. I've got in the news every Wednesday live on Facebook, and then we turn that into an audio podcast episode every Friday. So please come back and join me for that. I'm Stacey Simms. I'll see you in a couple of days until then be kind to yourself. Benny: Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacey Simms Media. All rights reserved. All wrongs avenged

Without a doubt, Diabetes is one of the biggest health problems in the world. It affects 1 out of 10 people in the US, caused by a myriad of reasons and is currently incurable.  Diabetes Research Institute Foundation seeks to end the diabetes pandemic by researching for a cure.   Find out how you can help end one of the most prevalent diseases in the world.  Want to support the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation? https://www.diabetesresearch.org/ Find the episode on Great.com: https://great.com/great-talks-with/diabetes-research-institute/

Chris Stocker is a well-known voice from the early Diabetes Online Community, launching his blog about life with type 1 diabetes called Life of a Diabetic in 2007. In 2019, he stepped back a bit from the DOC with good reason: his daughter, four years old at the time, had just been diagnosed as well. Now, two years later, Chris is jumping back into the online community via Instagram and a YouTube channel. He talks to Stacey about what it's been like for his family to adjust to their new situation. He also has a great message for any men who live with T1D. In Tell Me Something Good, one of the scientists behind one of the COVID vaccine.. is one of us! And some new books are our for the littlest ones of us.. The Adventures of Captain Lantus Little Shots for Little Tots When I Go Low: A Diabetes Picture Book  Friends for Life information  This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Get the App and listen to Diabetes Connections wherever you go! Click here for iPhone      Click here for Android     Stacey Simms  0:00 Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dario Health – manage your blood glucose levels increase your possibilities by Gvoke Hypopen, the first premixed auto injector for very low blood sugar and by Dexcom take control of your diabetes and live life to the fullest with Dexcom   Announcer  0:21 This is Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms.   Stacey Simms  0:27 This week a well known voice in the early diabetes online community stepped back for a bit stopping his blog and his brand new podcast when his daughter at age four was diagnosed with type one herself.   Chris Stocker  0:39 Do you want to help me do it? Do you want to help me I you know decorate my infusion sets and things like that. So we shared those common bonds and that's how we looked at it from the day of diagnosis was Hey, you're like daddy now.   Stacey Simms  0:51 It's been two years since Chris Stocker’s  daughter's diagnosis, and he's jumping back into the online community. Chris shares his story as a dad of a child with T1Dwho lives with it himself in Tell me something good. One of the scientists behind one of the COVID vaccines is one of us and some new books for the littlest ones of us. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Welcome to another week of the show. We aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with an emphasis on people who use insulin aim host Stacey Simms, my son Benny was diagnosed with type one right before he turned to more than 14 years ago. My husband lives with type two diabetes. You know, I started blogging just after Benny's diagnosis. And that blog, which I eventually called off the dial led me to the DOC the diabetes online community at that time, and this is 2007. When I started, it was basically blogs and some online chat rooms. And you know, gradually social media exploded and everything changed to what it is now shorter posts, influencers, more podcasts, that sort of thing. The Twitter chat remains DSMA on Wednesdays, if you're not familiar with that, that is a 10 year old now more than 10 year old chat on Twitter, I'll put a link in the show notes, but it's just hashtag DSMA Wednesday evenings at 9pm. Eastern for anybody in the diabetes community we'd like to give it a plug it's not separated by type or if you're a parent or a person with type one. And that's one of the ways that I first remember meeting Chris stocker and it was great to talk to him this week for so many reasons, but it really brought me right back to those early days. You know, when we had diabetes blog we can you know, to feel like we're finding all these really to me amazing, cool people in my computer, which depending on your age, either sounds ridiculous or you know, right on you, you know what I'm talking about. But before we get to Chris, I do want to share a Twitter post that I was tagged in this is self serving, but I just I have to share it. A gentleman named Hugh Stimson retweeted my episode release about Lily and Ypsomed and my conversation with with Mike Mason from Lilly diabetes all about that. And he wrote, “I wish political journalists asked follow up questions, the way Stacey Simms asks health device executives follow up questions.” Whew. Thank you so much for writing that. It's hard to describe what that means to me. And and compliments are always nice. But that right there is why I started the show back in 2015. I would listen to podcasts. And I'd be yelling back at the hosts, I'd be asking my own questions. I'd be like, follow up on that. He didn't ask. You know, look, radio people are interesting. And well, I am really glad to be built like this. It is an odd thing sometimes. But I'm glad it came in handy. I'm glad it helped. And I'm really glad that you feel like I'm doing a service by asking those questions and trying, you know, sometimes we don't get answers, but you got to ask. So thanks again. I really appreciate it. All right, Chris Stocker  in just a moment. But first, Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dario health. And you know, one of the things that makes diabetes management difficult for us. It just really annoys me and annoys Benny, it isn't actually the big picture stuff. It is all the little tasks adding up, you know, are you sick or running out of strips? Do you need some direction or encouragement going forward with your diabetes management with visibility into your trends help you on your wellness journey? The Dario diabetes success plan offers all of that and more. No more waiting in line at the pharmacy. No more searching online for answers. No more wondering about how you're doing with your blood sugar levels, find out more go to mydario.com forward slash Diabetes Connections. Chris Stocker’s  blog back in the day was called life of a diabetic and he wrote about everything from his diagnosis as a college student in 2009. To Day in the Life stuff to product reviews to what dragged him down and made him mad and what lifted him up. When his oldest daughter was diagnosed just before she turned four. Chris felt like he had to pull back and face this challenge before venturing back online in such a public way. But he never really left the community. And I think dads and men with type one as you listen, there is really great advice here for you in terms of support and asking for help. Chris, welcome to the show. I'm excited to talk to you. I feel like we have talked before, but it's only been on Twitter and Social Media. Thanks for jumping on.   Chris Stocker  5:19 No problem. I'm definitely happy and honored to be a guest here.   Stacey Simms  5:24 Well, you're a podcast pro and a YouTube Pro. So this should be fun. But we do have a lot to talk about. Let's just start at the beginning for you. Because your diagnosis story happened when you were in college. Right? You were 19. Tell us about that.   Chris Stocker  5:35 Yeah. So I was I was a freshman in college, I was playing football at King's College up in Wilkes Barre, and the season was over. And I just was I was working out I was losing a ton of weight. I was drinking a lot of Gatorade and water. So I was urinating quite frequently. And I just thought I was losing weight because I was working out. And then this one night, I didn't have an appetite. I started getting sick all day long. And I ended up in the emergency room with 858 blood sugar.   Stacey Simms  6:05 What year was that? If you don't mind me asking.   Chris Stocker  6:07 That was in 2000. Wow. 2004.   Stacey Simms  6:10 What was the diagnosis process? Like? Did they you as a young adult like that? Did they believe you had type one? Was it an okay, diagnosis?   Chris Stocker  6:17 Yeah, it was. I honestly don't remember too much of it. Because I was kind of in in like a foggy state. My mom has worked at a hospital for almost 40 years. She took me to her hospital. So of course, we got the VIP treatment went right into the ER. And, you know, they took labs, and immediately The doctor came in and was like, You have type 1 diabetes. So there was no real question or debating anything whatsoever. Then I remember seeing the on site endocrinologist, probably I think it was that night. This was probably around 2am. So yeah, there was no discussion ever about whether it was type one or or another type of diabetes.   Stacey Simms  6:56 And what did they start you want? You immediately put on? I think 2004 elantas was around for adults, but not necessarily for kids. Like what what was your beginning entry into diabetes tree?   Chris Stocker  7:07 Yes, my very first night home, I can remember almost exactly the ratios and everything. I was taking 14 units Atlantis at night, the carb ratio was about 51 to 5015 to one. And that was Yeah, I was on lantis. And I think I started on probably either human log or no blog at that time. I can't remember that. But I didn't know anything about pumps or was never even brought up to me at that point in 2004. Either.   Unknown Speaker  7:36 Did you go back to college,   Chris Stocker  7:37 I I was not able to go back to King's College at that time. So I stayed home for a year I went to community college. And then I got this bright, awesome idea that I wanted to go to college away from Pennsylvania. And so I decided to go to Boca Raton, Florida and finish up school at Florida Atlantic University. So not only was I only a year or so maybe a year and a half, after diagnosis, I was then telling my mom that I was going about 1200 miles away to go to college. So it was definitely a rough conversation to have with her for sure.   Stacey Simms  8:15 Okay, well, it is sometime later, let's say right, it's, you know, we know you did pretty well in college, I assume. Can you give us parents the reassurance that you know, you You did? Okay, and that was the right move for you?   Chris Stocker  8:27 Yes, I mean, it definitely forced me to really grow up pretty quickly. I mean, I was 20 by the time I went there, but I was a little bit more mature than a lot of my, you know, my roommates and a lot of my classmates, because I was managing this disease pretty much by myself. I had no family, no friends down there. So it was really it was on me, I was in constant communication with my diabetes educator up here in Pennsylvania. So I was able to communicate via email with them quite often. So you know, there were some times where I had some pretty high blood sugars. I did actually end up at the ER one night, because I was getting my insulin through the school on campus pharmacy, which was not open on the weekends. And I thought that I could go from Saturday afternoon till Monday morning with just about 10 units of insulin which I use in one meal. So I actually ended up in the ER, I had met my girlfriend who's now my wife down there. And this was all new to her too. And she ended up taking me to the hospital and think I was probably up in the five 600 range. And then that was an interesting phone call to my mother as well. Who at that time, then flew down and did the motherly thing and came down and spent a few days down there with me.   Stacey Simms  9:49 I'm wondering though, I mean, my kids, my daughter's in college far away. Then he is a sophomore in high school and we're starting to talk about college and I've told him you know, you can go wherever you want. I'd love for him to stay next year. We're at least in this state, but I doubt that he will. I'm curious looking back What made you want to go so far away? I mean, do you feel I don't wanna put words your mouth I wonder like, did you want to prove something to yourself? Did you just love that school always wanted to go to Florida like why from there's so many great schools in that Pennsylvania northeast corner?   Chris Stocker  10:16 The weather? Yeah. Yeah. So I was playing football. I played football my whole life. I was playing football, I kings, I actually left the football team because I had no energy. I couldn't I didn't want to work out anymore. Later to find out that that was diabetes related. And I just said, You know what, like, I don't wanna play football anymore. I just want to go somewhere that's totally different than than where I grew up. I love Pennsylvania. I'm actually back here now. But I wanted to go somewhere totally different. And I started looking at colleges. I'd always wanted to go to UNC Greensboro. I don't know why, but I always wanted to go there. And I started looking online. And one day I was watching a tennis tournament, and Andy Roddick was my favorite tennis player and it popped up that he lived in Boca Raton. So I went on the internet, looked up colleges in Boca Raton, I found Florida Atlantic and I fell in love with their website. So I always used to joke that I have Andy Roddick to thank for meeting my wife. Even though I've never met Andy Roddick, and Andy Radek has no idea who I am.   Stacey Simms  11:22 Well, you wouldn't be the first to go to college because somebody either lived in that town or went to that town that you admired. But that's a great story. I love it. I want to talk about the diabetes online community, you were a very big part of this. You still are. But there was this time when there were so many bloggers and we were all just finding each other on Twitter. But I at first like to skip ahead in your story to when your daughter was diagnosed. I think that's such a fear of so many people I know who are adults with type one. But it does happen of course and you do deal with it. Do you mind sharing her story too. When was she diagnosed?   Chris Stocker  11:56 She was we're actually coming up on her two years, in about a week and a half year so she was diagnosed on February 12 2019 in the middle of a snowstorm. And that was when we decided to take her to the ER was when we had about eight inches of snow on the ground.   Stacey Simms  12:19 Right back to Chris in just a moment Diabetes Connections is brought to you by g Bo hypo pin. And almost everyone who takes insulin has experienced a low blood sugar. And that can be scary. A very low blood sugar is really scary. And that's where GMO hypo pen comes in. It's the first auto injector to treat very low blood sugar Jeeva hypo pen is pre mixed and it is ready to go with no visible needle. That means it's easy to use in usability studies, 99% of people were able to give g vote correctly. I'm so glad to have something new, find out more go to Diabetes connections.com and click on the G book logo. g Vox shouldn't be used in patients with pheochromocytoma or insulinoma. Visit chivo glucagon.com slash brisk. Now back to my conversation with Chris about the night his daughter was diagnosed. Had you suspected I mean I, you know I don't wanna get too personal. But   Chris Stocker  13:14 the signs were there. And I feel that I had maybe been living in denial for a little bit. It is something that I had thought about every single day from the day my wife told me she was pregnant, that that what if scenario and it was something that I talked about a little bit, but I didn't talk about it a lot because I felt too vulnerable, I guess. So I shared that because I knew I would not be the only one that had those feelings. But when I would see her, she was potty trained. So she was waking up probably three or four times a night asking for water and having to go to the bathroom. And I really started to see a change in how frequently she was going to the bathroom. And then that kind of was going on for you know, a couple of nights. And then just one night, I just had a gut feeling. And I said well let's pull out my meter. Let's check her so you know, of course, she didn't want that to happen. And you know, I can remember just looking at the meter. The number was in the 250s but I just remember looking at the meter and then just knowing and just knew and just being just crushed. So it was it was something that I had kind of mentally prepared for but it's just one of those things I don't think you're ever prepared. You know you think you might be but it's just you know, it was just a crushing feeling. But then the dad and the type one in me kind of just said hey, it is what it is. We just got to do it. And you know we took it to the hospital. I'm amazed by how she handled the entire thing. It was just unbelievable being in a in an ambulance to go from the ER on hospital to the pediatric unit at another hospital. I mean she loved that still talks about it to this day. Really   Stacey Simms  14:57 what did she do what she did like she was feeling Okay, and she was excited.   Chris Stocker  15:01 Yes. So she didn't really know what was going on exactly our local hospital, which was, you know, a few blocks away, they didn't have a pediatric unit. So it's a system hospital. So they just, you know, put her and my wife in the ambulance and took them to the hospital that had a pediatric unit for her. So she got to watch TV pretty much all day long. She got to play with toys in there. So it was different, you know, getting getting those first round the labs done and putting her into the burrito as they called, it was probably her only bad memory of the entire process. So she definitely still talks about those days, even, you know, she was a month away from turning four. What is the burrito? So sorry, later down on the table to draw labs and freaking out? Yeah, so they kind of, you know, they put like a weighted almost like a weighted blanket over her to kind of strap or in and they just called it a burrito, I guess to make it sound not so terrifying.   Stacey Simms  16:00 How long did you stay in the hospital? And then what did you have to do? I assume you know, your you and your wife are pretty well educated about diabetes. So I don't know that you needed much of that. But it's different when it's your child,   Chris Stocker  16:09 I would assume? Yeah, it's totally different. And we were in the hospital for about two and a half, maybe three days, I do know that they kind of rushed us through the process. Because when we first went there, I basically just said, Hey, listen, I have type one. I know what it's like, you know, I know what to do. But I don't have a child with it. So I know I need to, you know, relearn some things, and things are going to be a little different. But the, you know, the staff there and the whole diabetes team was very helpful. And really, they directed most of the education, most of the conversations towards my wife, which was something that we kind of asked them to do, because I really, you know, my wife had lived with me for 14 years before that. But my diabetes was kind of just my own diabetes, I didn't ask her to take an active part and help managing if she knew if I was low to give me Skittles, she knew if I was high, I needed some more insulin, but she knew that I counted while I was supposed to be counting cards, but she knew the basics, but really, she needed to start, you know, learning. What is basal? And what is this? And what is that? So a lot of that education was geared towards her. And I think it was, you know, very helpful, not just for her, but also for me, as somebody that was living with it for at that time, I guess it was 15 years, then that there was like a refresher course that I that I needed. Because I was in my I was in my my own habits. I'm in my own ways. And it was it was really good to kind of take a step back and relook at how you know, what is diabetes one on one, you know, what is the right way to kind of do some of these things.   Stacey Simms  17:48 I'm picturing that, you know, your daughter has watched you do this, even if you haven't been doing it in front of her the whole time and everything that this is now something that while that's not great, but she can share with her father,   Chris Stocker  17:59 absolutely. 100%. And that's exactly how I looked at it was, how can I make this easier for her and just like a parent with anything, my initial instincts were, what can I do to make this better for my child, and it was just instantly that put on a smile for her show her that my diabetes is not a burden on me, it's not something that I don't like doing. So I made sure that when I had to check my sugar, or she, we were going to check our sugar, I would do mine also. And you know, now we share some of those same things. So it's like, oh, when when I have to change out my CGM, you know, my sensors is, do you want to help me do it? Do you want to help me, you know, decorate my my infusion sets and things like that. So we share those common bonds. And that's how we looked at it from the day of diagnosis, as well as Hey, you're like, Daddy, now you and Daddy, we both have diabetes. And my niece was actually diagnosed about two years before my daughter. So that was a whole whole nother thing of trying to you know, help my brother and my sister in law with with dealing with that diagnosis. So, you know, now she shared that with her cousin as well. So it was kind of something that, you know, with her daddy having in it, her cousin having it that that she was able to not. And also she didn't at that time really even know what it meant to have diabetes. She just she thought it was just cool that now she has daddy. So it was definitely the way that we decided to kind of take is to be able to share that bond with her. And that's what we have in common.   Stacey Simms  19:23 Do you use the same technology as each other?   Chris Stocker  19:25 We do. We do. Now, we did it at the time, but the same CGM and we both use the same insulin pumps,   Stacey Simms  19:32 you don't have to answer this but you know when you say to your your daughter and this is what I think we would all want to say to a newly diagnosed child right? It's not going to be a burden. You can do this it's okay to have diabetes. And I think for me as the adult with my son ignorance was a little bit of bliss, right? You know, you can do this it's gonna be okay and it's not gonna stop you. You can play sports, you know, you can. Now they can fly planes, right? You can you can do what you want to do. But for somebody with type one who's lived with it for as long as you have Do you know that it is a burden? Sometimes you know that it is really hard. And I know this is not something you're gonna take, you're now, you know, almost six year old decided to Hey, by the way, you know, I mean these are conversations from they're much older,   Chris Stocker  20:10 we've had some conversations I mean, as much of a conversation as you can have with an almost six year old about living a life with diabetes. So we really kind of talked about it in Scituate, you know, take today, for example, it's been snowing for almost three days, we were out in the snow. And I can I already know, as soon as we go to that, in that snow, she's going low, it's just 100% guaranteed every single time. So we had to stop playing in the snow. So we could drink juice. And you know, she doesn't want to stop playing. So we try to you know, just let her know that, hey, just because you know, the other kids in the neighborhood happen, you know, they're still out playing and whatnot, we just need to take a little extra precaution steps here and just sit down and have a juice and you know, we frame it that day, they don't get to have a juice right now, right? You're the one having giggles and juice. So you know, but it's just you know, so we use those kind of, it usually comes up during Lowe's, where we may say like, hey, let's let's settle down for a little bit. Let's not run around or play rough right? Now let's just sit down. And, you know, we'll play a play game of checkers or something just sitting on the couch. So we kind of have those conversations with her, like why she has to sometimes stop doing what she's doing, she can get right back into it. But we might need to take 10 1520 minutes here or there to just settle down a little bit, have a little snack or juice or something like that. But I think about how I'm going to have additional conversations with her in the future. And I've gone back and forth, you know, talking in the mirror how I'm going to handle it, it's probably going to be one of those situations where I have a great plan going in, and it's just not going to go anywhere near how I play it.   Stacey Simms  21:50 Um, I do want to ask you a few more questions about your children because you have another child as well. But let's take a couple of minutes and talk about the diabetes online community from a few years back, if you're a longtime listener of the show, you know, we started this in 2015, which was probably the beginning of the end of the like the hybrid if we were to check blogging and that kind of thing. And the whole, you know, I guess what some people would call the Oh g diabetes people, you know, maybe that's when it peaked my non scientific method here. But you were, you know, you were right in there and all of those conversations, and I'd love to know, how did you find the online community? What was your first entry.   Chris Stocker  22:26 So I first started blogging or even finding out about blogs back in 2009, I was working for a, I was interning actually at a diabetes supply company. And they said, Hey, we want to start a blog. So I started to write blogs for the company. And then I was like, Okay, this is I kind of enjoyed this. And then I started finding other type one, blogs. And I thought, you know what, I have so much that I want to say, and I felt that I didn't have anybody to talk to about it. Because I didn't know anybody with diabetes, I went to high school with the kid. But I knew we drink Gatorade at halftime of football games. But that was it, we had water in a Gatorade, that was all I knew about diabetes. So I just started writing things that were in my mind that I think I just wanted to get off my chest, I just started writing about them. And I didn't even care that nobody was reading it, I just wanted a place to be able to just share my thoughts. And it just helped me just help my mind mentally just be able to get it out on to you know, typing on the keyboard and just reading it. So that's kind of how I started. And then I can't remember getting my first comment, I got a comment on a post, it was probably after about six months of writing daily. And so I mean, I can't do the math that fast. I mean, I, I was well into 100 posts before my very first comment, and somebody said, Wow, I was going through this exact same thing. And your feedback here really changed my mindset on it. And I'm going to try this and you know, make changes in my life and whatnot. And I just thought, wow, I just changed somebody's life. Like I just changed how somebody thinks about something simply by me just typing on a computer. And then it just that was kind of that first, like, I'm actually helping other people by just getting out the words that are bothering me. And then it just kind of took off. From there. I just started writing daily and just I started meeting other people. You mentioned previously speaking to people on Twitter and a little bit of Facebook back then, but just meeting a ton of different people online, and just writing and writing and writing and writing and just sharing my story. And it was just, you know, I was never very edited in my blog post. And even my wife would always say, Did you know that you spelled this wrong? Or you said this? Like No, because I type and I wrote the way that I speak and it came out that way and it was just how, you know it was I didn't have a you know, a very like a very edited style. And it just kind of, you know, people kind of just connected with it and it was just Every time I would get a new comment or a new share or something it felt it just felt motivating to know that I was helping people by getting those stories out there.   Stacey Simms  25:08 It is funny. That's one of the reasons why I love podcasting, because there is no editor for my grammar or my spelling. And I have transcripts now. And those are very difficult for me because I usually we clean up the diabetes language because my transcription software doesn't speak diabetes very well. But I'm not correcting the grammar and the spelling from pot. Yeah, it's really, really interesting. And I'm going to link up your your blog if that's okay. Because I think a lot of those older posts in itself, a lot of residents, I mean, I blogged as well. It's starting in 22,007. And I think two people read that blog, but I've kept it up. Well, I just like you I got so much more out of it right. For me, it was perfect for me, I got I got a lot of help, just mental health assistance for writing it almost like a diary. But it has been in the last couple of years, people have found the goalposts and it's helpful because diabetes issues change, but not really, right technology changes things, but not really,   Chris Stocker  26:03 you know, I still get notifications of comments on posts that I wrote back in 2010 2011. And one of the areas and this kind of circles back to my daughter's diagnosis is that I wrote maybe, I think I wrote two posts total about my fears of one day having a child B die, those with diabetes. And to this day, those are still some of my most, you know, most read posts and most commented posts and people to this day still comment or send me emails like, hey, how did you go about this? Or how did you deal with this? And, and it's just, you know, those are things that I wrote, five, six years ago before I even knew I was having a child. And it's still relevant today as well.   Stacey Simms  26:43 Well, you're dipping your toe back into social media with, you know, YouTube videos, you're on Instagram, are you podcasting again,   Chris Stocker  26:49 I, I am not as of now, but I'm not saying that I'm not going to. It's funny, I did start a podcast, and I recorded two episodes. And my daughter was then diagnosed. So I kind of stopped. You know, I   Stacey Simms  27:05 mentioned that when I started this podcast in 2015, it seemed to be kind of like, I don't know, for sure. But from my experience, it was like this high point of activity online for certain a certain group of people. And a lot of those folks have kind of moved on or paused and come back. And, you know, I wonder too, if there isn't just a natural life to some of this old natural burnout to some diabetes stuff. And you've been very open about those kinds of things. Can you share that part?   Chris Stocker  27:31 Yeah, absolutely. So once my daughter was diagnosed, kind of everything just kind of went on Paul's it was this is our focus. Right now, this is everything that we want to focus all of our efforts on that I was actually going back to, I was getting my real estate license at that time, as well. So there was a lot, a lot going on at that time. And once I decided to start getting back into writing, I sat at the computer probably 20 different times to start writing about my daughter being diagnosed. And I was just filled with diabetes just all day long, whether it was I was managing my own diabetes, and my alerts were going off, and then it was time to check my daughter's blood sugar and then give her insulin and do her calculation, then do my calculation. And it was just too much that at the end of the day, or the the start of the day, I just didn't want to, I didn't want to think about diabetes anymore. I didn't want to write about it, I just kind of wanted to manage it. And that was it. And I definitely felt a disconnect from the diabetes community. Because I just kind of just left I just I shut down. And I just didn't want to be involved with anything. I didn't want to see posts, I didn't, I didn't want to read people's posts, I didn't want to watch videos, I didn't want to listen to anything, I just wanted to kind of just deal with that. And and it was just, it was a lot at once. And that's kind of what shut everything down for almost a year and a half. And then I started to write again a little bit, and they kind of came back to me where it was, I can remember the exact moment I was writing a blog post and my low alert went off and within five minutes, my daughter's low alert went off. And then my Omni pod alerted me that I had a low reservoir. And my daughter's went off about 15 minutes later that hers was being changed that night. So we were both having a low both theater pots change that same night. And I think that I actually had to change out my CGM that night as well and it was just a complete overload and I said are stopping again and I can't deal with this I need a mental break from from diabetes and I need to be at my strongest in order to be that you know role model and example to my daughter and I felt that let her see me get frustrated with with an alert or an alarm and and be like oh, I have to change that tonight or hi we have to do this or I'll have to drink a juice. I tried to never let her see that and never let her see that. There may be some frustrations that come with living Diabetes,   Stacey Simms  30:01 I'm hesitating, Chris, because Far be it from me to armchair psychologize anybody, but I want to plant this in your brain. And I agree six years old is not the time to do that. But I hope as she gets older, you do allow her to see some of those frustrations. And again, I'm not your doctor, or psychologist, right? I think if you were my dad,   Unknown Speaker  30:22 I hope this really is not at a place, I'm such a nosy person. Mom, I   Stacey Simms  30:27 become that we're my dad, to share those experiences, you know, when somebody shares the bad as well as the good, it just makes your bed feel not so bad. So when she's like, 10 1112, you know, those are the times when you guys I know, I know, it's in your future that you're going to share all of that, and she's gonna appreciate it so much. But I I agree, because I remember with Benny, you know, at six years old, you're just, you know, it's like, you know, you gotta brush your teeth. So you don't, you know, you don't get carried away. Everything's fun.   Chris Stocker  30:55 Yeah, I mean, it's, you know, it's a struggle at times, just to every three days, when a new pod has to go on, you know, she has to be watching either a cartoon or using the iPad, some some type of distraction. Now, we don't plan on doing that forever. And we've already kind of slowed that down a bit of what we let her do to kind of distract her from it. But I know that that's going to change in the future. And those are definitely, you know, some conversations that I would definitely have with her about the frustrations and stuff. But I think my thought process behind it is that if she sees that I'm getting frustrated of having to put on a new ami pot or put on a new Dexcom that she's going to think that it's so you know that she's going to put up by force who and and it's just something that I know will come one day, but I'm just trying to push it off as far as far   Stacey Simms  31:44 and I think you're very wise, because I will share with you that Danny ran away from insets. He had to bid pump his whole life. And you know, every three days, you're teaching the inset, and we tried everything Chris, we did, you know, numbing cream and ice cubes and rewards and he ran away from them. It was a struggle until about age eight or nine. And then it amazingly got better. And now he does everything himself for the past, I want to say three or four years even. And it's and then some kids start doing everything themselves very early. Right. I think when you're diagnosed tiny the trend that I noticed anecdotally is that it takes them longer just to be completely independent, because that's how they've been taught. So I don't take that iPad away before she's ready. She'll let you know when she's ready.   Unknown Speaker  32:26 You're right,   Stacey Simms  32:27 she will, it'll be fine. And I will tell you one funny story. I don't know if I'll keep this in because I'm talking too much in this interview. But we were laughing the other day because I used to let Benny say what we called potty words when he changed his incident. So right, we put it on and he could be like, oh poop or whatever. And I said to him in the kitchen the other night, he came down to change. And I said do you want to yell some potty words? And we were hysterical of the thought of thinking of my preschooler yelling real curse words, like Could you imagine if you know what he thinks of potty words today, so you can fill in the blank on that.   Chris Stocker  32:58 I like that. I like that idea. Actually, she will probably enjoy.   Stacey Simms  33:03 I think we would all like to yell some potty words when we're doing stuff.   Unknown Speaker  33:06 Absolutely.   Stacey Simms  33:07 Let me ask you about your your second child because your wife was pregnant, which had to be so stressful when your daughter was diagnosed during that time. And you had, as you've said, you'd already been nervous about any of your children being diagnosed. Again, I feel like I'm being very nosy. But What went through your mind at that time.   Chris Stocker  33:25 So initially, I mean, my initial thought was the stress that was going to be put on my wife and her being pregnant at that time, and making sure that she was okay with it, and trying to comfort her as much as possible and try to take away as much of the stress that I could possibly do, you know, from a mother, and, you know, knowing that she was pregnant, we knew there were chances. And it was just a decision and conversations we had throughout our relationship. And before we were married, we're gonna have kids no matter what it's what we want to do, and we're not going to let the thought or the chance of something stop us from doing anything. And that's kind of our, our thought process in life in general. So we knew that we were going to, you know, have wanted to have a second child. And we actually were scheduled to find out whether we were having another daughter or not. On February 13, I think and my daughter was diagnosed on the 12th. So it was actually in the same hospital. My wife left and went, you know, down the hall and oh, my God on the elevator and went like two floors down. And, you know, she did what she had to do there and then so we were you know, planning on having this big celebration to find out if we were you know what we were having and next thing you know, we're we're in the hospital for a totally different reason.   Stacey Simms  34:48 I gotta be honest to Chris, I love talking to dads of kids with type one because we hear so much from moms, right, so many of the bloggers and the writers and podcasters like me Moms. So let me ask you as a dad, now not as just a person with type one, but as a dad of a child of type one. What advice would you give newly diagnosed families, I mean, you're almost you're two years into this. Now you know what worked.   Chris Stocker  35:12 I would say that just being open, especially with you know, your spouse about how you may be feeling about it, I think a lot of times that the reason why we don't hear dads speak out too much is because they want to be the backbone, they want to be the strong one they want to, to not show that they're upset and show their feelings. And for me, I've been open with my wife, me and my wife, we've had conversations, we've cried together about it, we've talked about things that I let her know, my fears that I may have over things about it, it has helped tremendously, because there are times where I just say, like, Hey, listen, I need a break tonight, I can't do this, I've had a bad diabetes day, I'm stressed out by this, I'm just getting upset about it, I need a break. And that open communication has really helped us become an amazing team. And quite honestly, my wife almost entirely manages my daughter's diabetes. At this point, I cannot express like how grateful and like, just proud and I'm amazed by how my wife has taken this on and have she just tackled this head on. And I mean, she's pretty much almost managing my diabetes at this point, telling me how many carbs are in my meals and this and that. So going back to being the dad is that I just think that it's okay to you know, you just have to be okay with having those uncomfortable and vulnerable conversations and, and just know that it's for the better good, like, let your guard down, let it out, it's going to help that you don't have to just be you know, the strong one, you know, every single day in every single situation where it is okay to just let your fears out. And if you need to talk to somebody, talk to somebody find somebody that you know, you may have something in common with and just get it out and talk it out. And it feels so much better. Even having diabetes for 1415 years before she was diagnosed, I reached out to other dads have type one kids that I knew from meeting in the community and had, you know, conversations with them, like, what do I do from here? Like, I know how to manage mine, but like, What do I do? How do I do this? How do I tell her this? How do I explain this, and that helped me tremendously. And that's part of that community feeling and knowing that, you know, for all those years, I was, you know, putting into the community to be able to reach out when I was the one in in need of help. And it was great to have that community there to let me know, like, You got this.   Stacey Simms  37:40 I'm curious, if anything in the last two years with your daughter has surprised you any of your reactions to things or anything that she's done, you know, you were not six years old or four years old, when you were diagnosed, did anything surprise you about her diagnosis or your experiences with it or your reaction?   Chris Stocker  37:57 I am not kind of glued to the Dexcom as much as my wife is. And my wife is with my daughter a lot more during the day than than I am as well. But one thing that my daughter does is she knows that if she's going to be you know, she's playing upstairs in her room, she needs to now take her phone with her or her Dexcom actually with her and she will let us know. I think she was only diagnosed for maybe three or four months, the first time where she said to me, daddy, my knees feel wobbly. And my initial reaction was, first of all, how do you know what the word wobbly means. And second of all, let's get the meter out. And let's check real quick. And I can remember we were in target which another place no matter every time I go in there, it ends up in a low, but we are in target and she said her knees felt wobbly. We checked her she was 41. And I just remember picking her up and sprinting to the front of the store and just finding the first juice I can find and just said just start drinking and I remember her asking about paying for it or something. I'm like drinking it don't you don't have to worry about that. I'll figure that out. Just start drinking. So that was probably a surprising moment to me of her letting me and this was before she had Dexcom. So that was very kind of surprising moment to me that she used the word wobbly and she knew that she fell off. So now she does that quite often now where she she says I feel low. She'll Look at her Dexcom and just randomly I'll just hear her scream out 125 or something. Okay, I guess that's what her number is so low that she she has taken that on as you know, she's kind of proud, not kind of she's extremely proud to have diabetes. You know, she in her classes. She talks tells people that she has diabetes and whatnot. So she definitely surprised me of how proud she is to wear it. That's awesome. That means you guys are doing an awesome job as parents. That's something we actually did kind of talk to her about that she doesn't ever have to be ashamed or, you know, she doesn't have to be scared to tell somebody that she has diabetes. In fact, you know, because my philosophy has always been I want to tell you that I have it because in case something Goes go wrong. I want somebody around me to know   Stacey Simms  40:04 this before I let you go, you have been posting you know more on Instagram and you're really getting back into it. And I noticed you posted a lot about your daughter and her reaction to the virtual friends for life conference. And I, I was part of that. And I gotta tell you, I wasn't sure what to expect me this isn't a commercial for friends for life, even though we love them. But I was stunned at how good it was to connect even virtual with people. You know, we're all stuck at home, we can't get out to meet up. But I loved that conference, did your daughter have fun? There was so much for kids.   Chris Stocker  40:35 She had an amazing time. I mean, she still talks about it almost every day. To this day, she talks about the different events that were going on, she talked about playing bingo with with the guy from Toy Story. She talked about the all the animals that are Parker Ranger that was there. And I mean, she loved it, she loved seeing other kids and hearing other people talk about it. And we were planning on going, you know, this year in 2022 it so it was something that she already knew was going to happen. And you know, the day was over, she was she started crying. She was so sad. She couldn't wait till the next one. And it was just, it was a you know, it was life changing to her because, you know, she had only known me and her cousin that had and a few other people that she had met that had diabetes, but to be opened up to this world of all these other kids that were living with it and we're all sharing their different CGM and their different pumps and seeing a different perspective other than just her life and you know, my life with it was just absolutely amazing for her to experience that even virtually, it was just amazing how smooth it went. And and all the activities that were there for the kids. Yeah,   Stacey Simms  41:50 I mean, I gotta be honest with you, I didn't put a lot of time because I figured, well, you know, I'll do my speech. And I'll watch one or two, the research updates. I was hanging out in the social hallways, you know, with my mom, friends, it was great. I was I thought it was a very well done. And so we'll put a plug in because they've got the march one coming up. And we put a link in the show notes. Is there anything else Chris that you wanted to push people to or to you know, to put all your links to follow or anything that you've got coming up that you wanted me to make sure to mention,   Chris Stocker  42:14 people can follow me on on Instagram, it's just life of a diabetic, it is a newer account, because I am trying to keep it separate it from a personal Instagram account that I had previously. And it's just just to keep things simple and clean. I've just kind of started a new one. And I am putting out weekly YouTube videos now so they can check that out, you know, with the link in the in the show notes, but I just hope that you know, I can continue to help people and share my story and also my daughter's story. And as long as it helps one person, I feel that all the work and effort that goes into it is well worth it. That's awesome.   Stacey Simms  42:51 Well, no doubt you'll be helping other parents and other adults with type one. Chris, I can't thank you enough for coming on. It was so much fun to talk to after connecting online for all these years. I really appreciate it.   Chris Stocker  43:00 Absolutely. I appreciate you having me on.   Unknown Speaker  43:07 You're listening to Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms.   Stacey Simms  43:13 More information including Chris's YouTube channel and his Instagram and all that good stuff will be in the shownotes. And that is always on the episode homepage as well. So if you're listening in an app and it doesn't show you what you want, just go to Diabetes connections.com and find the episode should be very easy to do. I should let you know he mentioned it went by quickly when he was talking about friends for life. He mentioned the Toy Story guy playing Bingo. what he's talking about there is john Ratzenberger who people might remember as Cliff Klavan from Cheers, but who has been a voice of a character in every Pixar movie, his son lives with type one. And Tom Karlya who's a very big part of friends for life, and also the Diabetes Research Institute. He knows him through his work through the DRI together. So Tom brought john to friends for life this year, which is really, really cool. And as I mentioned, they have another event coming up in March and I will put a link in the show notes on that. Tell me something good in just a moment. But first Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dexcom. And we started with Dexcom back in the olden days before there was share. I think we had Dexcom for two years, almost two years before Cher was added as a feature. So you know, we know using Sharon follow makes a big difference. To this day Benny and I set parameters about when I'm going to call him how long to wait, you know, that kind of thing. It really helps us talk and worry about diabetes less. It helps if I need to troubleshoot with him. I love this you can see what's happening over the last 24 hours and not just at one moment in time. The alerts and alarms that we set help us from keeping the highs from getting too high and jump on lows before they're a big issue. Internet connectivity is required to access separate Dexcom follow up. To learn more, go to Diabetes connections.com and click on the Dexcom logo. Our first tell me something good story is one I wish I had jumped on myself. But I read about it at diabetes mine and Mike Hoskins always does great work over there. And I had to share it with you. Dr. Drew Weissman at the University of Pennsylvania is one of two key researchers behind the science used to develop the first COVID-19 vaccines. And he lives with type 1 diabetes. He was diagnosed more than 50 years ago, he didn't announce that he had type one, you know what he was in the news for this vaccine. But apparently some eagle-eyed folks by the photo of him getting his own COVID vaccine shot and they saw that he had an insulin pump on and I'm looking at the photo, as I'm telling you this, he's getting the Pfizer vaccine. And you can see it looks like a Medtronic pump on his waist. I will link up the story from diabetes mine, which is a great conversation with him, including photos, and Great job guys getting that done. Maybe we can grab Dr. Weisman and get him on the show. Our other bit of good news comes in the form of more books for very little ones with type 1 diabetes. We've had folks on the show before who are authors of children's books, which I think are a really vital part of young children's care when it comes to type one. I know reading books like this to Benny, and bring these books to preschool and kindergarten and really willing to elementary school helped give us friends a good understanding. And you know, just seeing yourself in a book is a wonderful, wonderful thing. So I just want to mention a couple that are newer out there. The Adventures of Captain Lantus is one that I have seen a lot of this focuses on seven year old Maxs, who has type 1 diabetes, and it's kind of a fantastical adventure, because everyone in beta town has type 1 diabetes. So this is a real fantasy story and very cute stuff. Brandy in our Facebook group in Diabetes Connections, the group published her T1D toddler book, it's called Little shots for little tots. And it is also very cute looking. And one that I think is actually a pretty important one is called when I go low, a type 1 diabetes picture book. This is by ginger Vieira. And Michael Lawson. And we have talked to both of those folks on the show about other books that they have put out there. But this is a book that I wish I'd had when Benny was younger. The other ones are great stories and always fun. But this teaches about when a child is low, what does that feel like? What How do you articulate it? You know, what should you know about it, it's a great way to get young people with diabetes to talk about what low blood sugar feels like, and to help explain to their friends and friends, families and kids at school and that kind of thing. So I will put the links to all of these guys. They're all on Amazon. And I'm sure they all have their own author pages as well. But there are so many great books about diabetes right now, if you've got tips, or you'd like to hear more, I had thought about in the past doing book reviews, but I don't have the time. So if that's something you're interested in, let me know, we could have an ongoing segment or something. I'm gonna be looking for new Tell me something good stories in our community. So please keep an eye out for that. I love to ask in the Facebook group. And you can always give me your good stuff. Before I let you go quick reminder, if you are a podcast person, if you are thinking of starting one, if you have one, I have a podcast course it has nothing to do with diabetes. This is all about podcasting, and learning about podcast sponsorship in an ethical way, in a way that makes sense for small businesses. You know, I'm not Amazon podcasts here, or Wondry, or Spotify. This is about independent podcasters who want to serve their communities and make some money, enough money to cover the costs of the podcast or perhaps make a living at it. So I've launched a new course there's a free webinar coming up, I'll put all the information in the show notes. And if you're just here for diabetes, which of course I think 99% of you are we have another classic episode coming up later this week, we're going to be talking about spare arose. But this isn't any spare a rose, informative interview. This is my very first game show that I did here on Diabetes Connections and it features some very familiar names, some very silly stuff, and a couple of mistakes along the way that we left in. So that should be fun, and that should be out on Thursday. Thank you so much to my editor John Buckenas from audio editing solutions. Thank you so much for listening. Until next time, I'm Stacey Simms. Be kind to yourself.   Benny  49:21 Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacey Simms Media. All rights reserved. All wrongs avenged

It's hard to mimic the pancreas, despite the stellar treatment technology available to type 1 diabetics. Researchers like Juan Domínguez-Bendala are working hard on a cure for type 1 diabetes pathogenesis and, simultaneously, for even more hands-off treatment options. Listen and learn What various avenues toward beta cell repair and transplants researchers are working on, How these approaches work alongside existing pancreatic cells and islet function by introducing new beta cells and insulin production, and How soon the transplant technology will be available for clinical use and what challenges to a cure still exist. Juan Domínguez-Bendala is Director of Stem Cell Development Research and an associate professor of surgery at the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. The primary goal of his researcher is to cure type 1 diabetes, and he addresses these efforts as well as exciting steps forward in a transplant therapy. The auto-immune cause of the disease means a cure must address two issues: immune modulation and regeneration of beta cells, which produce insulin. Therefore, advanced therapies also must address these two issues, but in a less permanent way. He describes some roads different researchers have taken to get as close as possible to curative hypotheses and how the therapies takes advantage of those findings.  Unlike beta cells in type 2 diabetes, type 1 patients have had their beta cells attacked and killed by their immune system. His lab is using induced pluripotent stems cells, where they are taken from skin, reprogrammed to go back in time, and then redifferentiated into, in this case, beta cells. They then put these cells into a protective case about the size of a credit card and implant just below the skin. Patients would ideally only need to return every 6 months for a new implantation. They are also working on a way to induce cell growth inside a patient's body by introducing a medicine that would cause beta cell regeneration naturally. They've identified a protein in our blood that makes beta stem cells proliferate, giving rise to new beta cells. Listen in for exciting leaps ahead for better type 1 diabetes treatment and the careful approach toward a final cure. For more, see the Diabetes Research Institute.  Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Last month's episode focused on the incredible twists and turns that resulted in Dr. Frederick Banting’s discovery of insulin in the early 1920s. Today, we’ll hear more from our expert panelists.Dr. Jay Skyler of the Diabetes Research Institute shares anecdotes from the early days of his medical career running a summer camp for children with diabetes and updates us on the search for a cure for diabetes. Toby Smithson, a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes care and education specialist, shares more of her deeply personal story of living with Type 1 diabetes from the age of eight. We’ll also hear from Dr. H. Franklin Bunn. He is the co-discoverer of the hemoglobin A1C measurement—a breakthrough that was instrumental in developing the test now routinely used to diagnose diabetes, prediabetes, and to monitor blood sugar.We hope you enjoy this episode.

PkmnMstrz Podcast 64 Recording Date: November 3, 2020 Release Date: November 5, 2020 November Community Days, Spotlight Hours, and the return of the bird of the ocean. Have you even heard of the Specialist Cup? What about Team Regicide? Make sure to tune into our Flying Cup live stream and help support the Diabetes Research Institute. https://pokemonprofessor.com http://PkmnMstrz.com http://rogueenergy.PkmnMstrz.com PROMO CODE: PKMNMSTRZ PokeMiners https://bit.ly/2TVSbxG Specialist Cup Discord: https://discord.gg/7u7xRStGAf & Mr Doctorpants https://twitter.com/M_Doctorpants Make sure to like, follow and subscribe! • http://shop.PkmnMstrz.com • http://discord.PkmnMstrz.com • http://instagram.PkmnMstrz.com • http://facebook.PkmnMstrz.com • http://twitter.PkmnMstrz.com • http://twitch.PkmnMstrz.com • http://patreon.PkmnMstrz.com • info@pkmnmstrz.com • SMS & WhatsApp: 548-800-5091 • http://voicemail.PkmnMstrz.com • Music: "Illiad" Artist: Density & Time Tune in! http://applepodcast.PkmnMstrz.com http://breaker.PkmnMstrz.com http://castbox.PkmnMstrz.com http://castro.PkmnMstrz.com http://googlepodcast.PkmnMstrz.com http://iheartradio.PkmnMstrz.com http://overcast.PkmnMstrz.com http://playerfm.PkmnMstrz.com http://pocketcasts.PkmnMstrz.com http://podcastguru.PkmnMstrz.com http://podcastrepublic.PkmnMstrz.com http://radiopublic.PkmnMstrz.com http://spotify.PkmnMstrz.com http://stitcher.PkmnMstrz.com http://tunein.PkmnMstrz.com http://youtube.PkmnMstrz.com Pokémon and all respective names are ™ and © of Nintendo 1996-2020. Pokémon GO is ™ and © of Niantic, Inc. PkmnMstrz are not affiliated with Niantic Inc., The Pokémon Company, Game Freak, or Nintendo. #Pokémon #PokémonGO #Podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/PkmnMstrz/message

Just as there are no two recipes that contain the exact same ingredients or measurements, there are no two success stories exactly the same. Recipe For Success features entrepreneurs, visionary leaders and innovators of all ages who will share their ingredients that make them successful – personally and professionally. Let's get cooking! Georgia Lehoczky is a Region Healthcare Pharmacy Director for Walgreen Co., the nationwide drugstore chain headquartered in Deerfield, IL. She is responsible for leading Walgreens pharmacy operations for 550 locations representing over 6000 team members in the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, South West Florida, Tampa, Palm Beach, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico markets. Georgia joined Walgreens as a Pharmacy Intern in 1987. During her tenure, she has held various leadership positions, starting as a Pharmacy Manager in Deerfield Beach, FL., to Pharmacy Supervisor in Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, FL. She transitioned to her current position as Regional Healthcare Director from 2009 to 2013 overseeing the South Florida and Puerto Rico markets. From 2013 to present Georgia is leading specialty and retail pharmacies in South Florida, South West Florida and Puerto Rico in pharmacy operations. In this role she works closely with government entities, healthcare systems and is involved with various projects that potentially impact the community and the company. She has mentored many pharmacy interns since 1999 and in February 2017 was recognized as National Preceptor of the Month in Drug Store News. Georgia has also been recognized as one of The Most Influential Business Women in South Florida in 2016. She serves on the boards of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Diabetes Association, Extraordinary Women Leading Change, the Ronald McDonald House, Muscular Sclerosis Society, the Larkin Pharmacy School Advisory Committee and NSU Palm Beach Advisory Committee. She is actively involved with such charities as the Diabetes Research Institute, Cystic Fibrosis, Gilda’s Club, Dolphins Cancer Challenge and various HIV/AIDS organizations among many others. Georgia is a staunch advocate for patient care, giving back to the community and is the Corporate Social Responsibility Champion for Walgreens in her Region. Georgia was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. She attended Albany College of Pharmacy- Union University in New York where she received her Bachelor Degree in science. She is certified and has active licenses with the Florida Board of Pharmacy, New York Board of Pharmacy, and Illinois Board of Pharmacy. In addition, she serves as an adjunct faculty preceptor for various schools such as Larkin University, College of Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University, College of Pharmacy, the University of Florida, College of Pharmacy, and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, College of Pharmacy. Personally, Georgia enjoys spending time with her family, supporting sports, dance and academic events with her three children. Professionally, her mission is to advance the role of the community pharmacy. Walgreens is at https://www.walgreens.com/. For more information about Junior Achievement of South Florida, visit https://www.jasouthflorida.org. Follow us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasouthflorida LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/junior-achievement-of-south-florida/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasouthflorida Twitter: https://twitter.com/JASouthFlorida

Dr. Camillo Ricordi, MD from the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami was the first featured guest on America’s Work Force Union Podcast. Dr. Ricordi discussed his new major paper on the clinical trial with stem cells for COVID-19.Today’s second guest was United Auto Workers Legislative Director Josh Nassar. He discussed safety issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump’s attack on the payroll tax and how we can fix the economy.

In this episode, Antonio Citro joins Monica Westley to discuss his research at the Diabetes Research Institute in Milan, Italy. Dr. Citro provides insights to his journey as a researcher and what he is currently working on in the type 1 diabetes space. Dr. Citro- "I think a possible solution to protecting the newly implanted islet is gene editing or the modulation of the scaffold." 

Dr. Juan Dominguez-Bendala is Director of Stem Cell Development of Translational Research and Research Associate Professor of Surgery at the UHealth Diabetes Research Institute, Miami Miller School of Medicine. Juan talks about their recent research on the regeneration of the human pancreas using an innovative approach to keeping human pancreatic slices alive for a long time compared to current techniques where cells die quickly. This additional time allows researchers to explore beta cell regeneration in human cells to better understand how to treat type 1 diabetes. @DiabetesResearch #diabetes #type1diabetes #pancreas DiabetesResearch.org Download the transcript here  

Dr. Juan Dominguez-Bendala is Director of Stem Cell Development of Translational Research and Research Associate Professor of Surgery at the UHealth Diabetes Research Institute, Miami Miller School of Medicine. Juan talks about their recent research on the regeneration of the human pancreas using an innovative approach to keeping human pancreatic slices alive for a long time compared to current techniques where cells die quickly. This additional time allows researchers to explore beta cell regeneration in human cells to better understand how to treat type 1 diabetes. @DiabetesResearch #diabetes #type1diabetes #pancreas DiabetesResearch.org Listen to the podcast here  

This week, the perspective of a diabetes dad. Tom Karlya has become much more than that since his daughter was diagnosed in 1992 and one of his sons in 2009, with many efforts extending through all parts of the diabetes community. But he says it all comes back to family. Check out Stacey's new book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! We’ll talk to Tom about his story, his efforts with the Diabetes Research Institute – the DRI – his acting career – and much more. Tom is a tireless advocate and if you’ve never heard him speak, we promise you’ll be inspired. Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! In Tell Me Something Good – college sports, school scholarships and a young JDRF advocate answers Stacey's questions. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Get the App and listen to Diabetes Connections wherever you go! Click here for iPhone      Click here for Android Episode transcript:  Stacey Simms  0:00 Diabetes Connections is brought to you by One Drop created for people with diabetes by people who have diabetes by Real Good Foods real food you feel good about eating and by Dexcom take control of your diabetes and live life to the fullest with Dexcom.   Announcer  0:21 This is diabetes connections with Stacey Simms.   Stacey Simms  0:26 This week, the perspective of a diabetes dad Tom Karlya has become much more than that since his daughter was diagnosed in 1992. And one of his sons in 2009. With his efforts extending through the community, but he says it all comes back to family.   Tom Karlya  0:45 Communication is the most important thing. And for the for dads to realize, to look for places where you can pick up the ball and run with it, where you can be part of your child's life. Don't let your wife do it. Make yourself part The solution   Stacey Simms  1:01 will talk to Tom about his story, his work with the Diabetes Research Institute, his acting career, and much more. Tom is a tireless advocate and if you've never heard him speak, I promise you'll be inspired in Tell me something good college sports school scholarships, and a young JDRF advocate answers my questions. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Welcome to another week of the show. I'm so glad to have you along. I am your host, Stacey Simms. We aim to educate and inspire by sharing stories of connection when it comes to type one diabetes. My son was diagnosed just before he turned to 13 years ago. And I know there's an awful lot of stress in all our lives right now. This is a difficult time to say the very least. I'm not going to fill you up with a whole bunch of cliches here, but I do hope That as you're listening, you do know that even if it's online, the diabetes community is there for you. We're here to help. We're here to share stories. Hopefully your local community is banding together. I'll talk about that a little bit later on in the show. But this week's show is not going to be about COVID 19. It is going to be about some inspiration. You know, with everything that's going on, I thought it would be really nice to have something like this. Tom Karlya and I actually spoke a while ago. And while I was listening back to this interview, like I do all the interviews, it struck me that it sounds a bit like a keynote speech that you would hear at a JDRF summit or another diabetes gathering like friends for life, because all of those conferences have been canceled. I really thought maybe this would make you feel like you're hearing a speaker at a summit. Right? So let's listen to it. Maybe in that vein, and if you're bummed out like I am that those conferences have been canceled. I mean, let's face it, they are for education. They're for learning. They're for resources, but they're also just to get together and see friends, right? You know, maybe this podcast or the Facebook group can be some support for you a place to hang out. So you can always email me Stacey at diabetes, connections calm, or jump into the Facebook group, which is diabetes connections with the group. I know that diabetes makes us tougher to begin with, right? This is such a great community. And we do know how to help each other out because we do it all the time. Right? I think we're seeing some neighbors come together in the greater community, at least if where I lived, you know, do you need this? And can I go to the grocery store? People with diabetes, have been doing that for a long time. So let's just not stop doing it. Now. As you'll hear Tom say, as he has said for many years, you just don't do nothing. You can do a little something and really help. And we'll hear from Tom in just a moment. But first diabetes Connections is brought to buy One Drop. And you know, I spoke to the people at One Drop and I was really impressed about how much they get done. Diabetes. It just makes sense. Their CEO Jeff was diagnosed with type one as an adult. One Drop is for people with diabetes by people with diabetes. The people at One Drop work relentlessly to remove all barriers between you and the care you need get 24 seven coaching support in your app and unlimited supplies delivered, no prescriptions or insurance required. Their beautiful sleek meter fits in perfectly with the rest of your life. They'll also send you test strips with a strip plan that actually makes sense for how much you actually check. One Drop diabetes care delivered, learn more, go to diabetes, connections comm and click on the One Drop logo. My guest this week was brought into the diabetes community back in 1992. When his then two year old daughter Kaitlyn was diagnosed one of his other children he has two other sons would be diagnosed 17 years later, but Tom Karlya jumped Writing to see where he and his family could help taking part in early JDRF campaigns, the Diabetes Research Institute and children with diabetes. I think Tom vo would tell you the best thing about him right now is that he's going to be a grandfather. The news came after we had spoken for this interview already, but his daughter Kaitlin, and her husband Andre, are expecting later this summer. And yeah, that's the Kaitlyn diagnosed as a baby herself basically back in 1992. Here's my talk with diabetes dad, Tom, Carl. Yeah, Tom, thanks so much for joining me. I cannot believe that I'm just now finally talking to you for the podcast. I appreciate it. I know how busy your schedule is.   Tom Karlya  5:42 Wow. They Thank you, to you. I mean, it's it's you know, I guess they say when people are busy, they're busy. And those are the type of people we like to hang out with. So I know how busy you've been, how busy I've been, and now the twain has met. So that's terrific.   Stacey Simms  5:55 So much to talk about here and I want to talk about your you know, your experience. ances over these many years, but let's start by, you know, your work with the Diabetes Research Institute foundation. Do you mind telling us, you know, for people who may not be familiar, what is that?   Tom Karlya  6:13 The Diabetes Research Institute in the foundation is is has support for the Institute. It is all the money that the foundation raises goes to the Diabetes Research Institute, which is an 87,000 square foot building that sits on the campus of the University of Miami about 35 years or so ago, when the Diabetes Research Institute foundation first began by a group of parents like many of the diabetes organizations that are out there, somebody there had a connection to the building and construction trade union. And that gentleman said, Why don't we try to raise more money for you. And during June on Father's Day weekend, they created debt, dollars against diabetes and they stood on street corners around the country with buckets and they collected change from anybody at the stop. The lights, etc, etc, etc. And they continue to do that. So they had enough money, and they raised like $14 million. And they took and they built the Diabetes Research Institute, which when it came time when the building was done, the foundation said, Let us name the building after you and all the terrific people of the building trades unions, and they sit down and they say, let's just put a plaque on the wall that said this building built by the hands and hearts of Americans construction unions, and that plaque is still there. It represents a beacon of hope nobody expected it to become the research center that so many organizations, the wonderful organizations out there, the JDRF the ADA is the National Institutes of Health. They fund us We are the scientists doing the work at that center,   Stacey Simms  7:52 and d-ri to be clear if people are not familiar. The work that Dr. II does is cure, cure focus research. Right,   Tom Karlya  8:00 secure focused all the stages of research, basic preclinical and clinical happen within one building. A lot of time in academia, you come up with a finding, then you have to go someplace else to find somebody to collaborate with, we go from one floor to the other floor to the other floor. And our saying is, if we can't move it up, we move it out. Because funds are so limited, we have to make sure that we stay focused on that supply, sustainability insight, which is the three main pillars that we look for, to cure this disease once and for all. And there's also a d-ri Federation, we share all of our information, we hold on to none of it, and we have federations around the world for that matter that we share information with because in Italy and in China, they can do the research a lot cheaper than we can do here. So a lot of times we'll test things out there, then bring it here and follow through the steps of the FDA that are set, etc. to try to get it from the bench to the bedside.   Stacey Simms  9:00 It's so interesting when you kind of dial down and look at how these things work. And I know that as some people are listening, they may be thinking, well, if it's so cure focused, and it's been around that it's funded, you know, how can we don't have more progress? How can we don't have a cure?   Unknown Speaker  9:14 I hate to put it in such simple terms. But   Unknown Speaker  9:16 can you talk a little bit about some of the progress that has been made?   Tom Karlya  9:21 Yeah, that's, you know, I said this before, that's your mouth to God's ears. That's been our hope since the beginning. And it is such a complex disease, and all the wonderful organizations out there as well as the research centers out there. This is just not an easy disease to figure out. I mean, years and years ago, when we first it would there was nobody funding research years ago for type one diabetes, and then to go out there and say, well, we're going to try to cure it. Well, as we went along, and as many other organizations that have, in their wonderful ways have funded our work and work around the world for that matter, have found out just how calm Flex this disease is years and years ago, we were actually told we were one of the first centers. And actually Dr. Kamila, recording our scientific director. He invented the machinery with a board member, Ramon Poe, who donated all of this time, they created the machinery to separate the islet cells from the pancreas when they get donated, and we give that to anybody around the world just to help them try to move it forward. But nobody knew that taking islet cells. So this is interesting, because I've been at this for 26 some odd years since my daughter was diagnosed at age two. And there was a time when people thought you will not be able to take islet cells, insulin producing islet cells and down years later became trying to re engineer stem cells and things to create insulin. There was no proof out there, that you could take islet cells and put them in another body and they would work well. They Did and I have and what's happened since that time is that as we move science forward, you know, I think we should do everything we can to try to figure out how do we make islet cells produce insulin in another person's body without being attacked? And why so many of these are immunosuppression drugs. You know, when we first started, people would say, Oh, yeah, but there are immunosuppression drugs. What people need to understand is that when it came time for the scientific studies, the quality of life of people who entered these research projects, they became patients for the clinical trials, they had no quality of life, because they could not feel going hypoglycemic. They could not feel their blood sugar going low. They couldn't drive, they couldn't hold jobs. They be talking to people they just kill over. So for a lot of these people, this first islet cell transplant became lifesavers because their quality of life was just not existed. something interesting happened when we did that. And around the world, this was done to a lot of different centers and not just at the d-ri, but we were at the forefront of it. And the interesting thing about it, even patients that went back on insulin, for the most part, not in every case, but in the majority of the cases, probably even excess of 80%. But that's just my layman's guess. They're hypoglycemic reactions went away. Even if the islet cell transplant did work, and they had to go back on insulin again, they did not suffer from the hypoglycemic episodes that they had. It has always been this great moving science forward. But the truth of the matter is, is that we will continue to work and I and I was active, I was doing other things when Caitlyn was first diagnosed. And for those who don't know the story, I was an actor for years. I was in a show in New York for for 1314 years talk about that. And we'll get to that and I've done a lot of great things, but I was on my way to a matinee performance when my beeper went off you tell people about beepers like What's that? And it just was said 911. And I went over to the phone, I can tell you right where it was, I remember to this day, I went to hold off of the of the bridge and the Lancey street in New York City. I went to a phone booth, for those who don't remember phone booths or things that had a phone in it. Right. So I called home and my wife said, Tom, I have to rush Caitlyn to the hospital. They think it's type one diabetes, and she had been sick and she had the flu. And, you know, again, it was everybody thought it was something else. And when I got to the hospital, which took me two hours, that was a whole episode in itself. I saw I looked down the hallway and I remember my wife Jill had Kaitlin's jacket was hanging from her hands. And we just looked at each other and I went in and Kaitlin had all these wires and everything attached to her. And I pushed the hair out of her face and I said, Hi honey, and she said Daddy, and she looked at everything she was attached to and she looked me square in the eye and She said,   and it stuck with me. I remember it every day when I start my day. That was a promise I gave my daughter. And I became, you know, whatever. I became an advocate and constantly working at it. And then I got really, really angry because I thought my reward was 2009, my 13 year old son was also diagnosed. So I was pretty angry. And that was also four days after my dad died. So when someone tells me they had a flat tire at a supermarket that week suck, they said, Oh, no, no, I can beat that.   Well, so an X and here we are, you just   Stacey Simms  14:35 have your two year old daughter looked you in the eye and say daddy fix to something that there is no fix. I don't want to make you relive that moment. But when your son was diagnosed, and that was Rob is diagnosed 17 years later, the change in the diagnosis. I know it's not a fix. There's no fix yet, but what was your perspective at that time because the diagnosis had to be different and the care had to be different.   Right back to Tom answering that question in just a moment. But first diabetes Connections is brought to you by Real Good Foods and there is something new from Real Good Foods. They have ice cream. Oh my gosh, real good ice cream. My whole family tried it. We have our favorites. I'll share a little bit more specifically down the road. But oh my gosh, the vanilla is delicious. That's the first one we tried right because you can't hide anything with just a vanilla. So we went right to that. I mean they have other great flavors. They have mint chocolate chip, they have chocolate, they have peanut butter chocolate chip, and we started with the vanilla and it was really good. It tastes like real ice cream because that is what it is. You can find out more at the website and preorder. It's available in select stores. As always, there's the store locator on their website, find out more just go to diabetes, connections calm and click on the Real Good Foods logo. Now, back to Tom Carl. Yeah. And he is answering my question about how different it was when his son was diagnosed with Type 117 years after his daughter.   Tom Karlya  16:13 Wow, you're absolutely right. And again, the tools, I always use that phrase, the tools that our diabetes toolbox for our kids has become so amazed, we used to have to wait 90 seconds. After we put Kaitlyn at that time, we couldn't even do our fingers. We had to do her toes. So we get a blood drop on a glucometer. And then we would wait 90 seconds. See if I could help everybody understand one main point that get diagnosed today than when not only 2009. But 1992 when Kaitlin was diagnosed, that the tools we have now are so far advanced. We always say when we try to get our children to live normal lives, you literally can live as close to a normal life as you can accept and there's a huge death there is your child. Type One Diabetes. But for those who have it understand what I mean that with the technology we now have, there was no, Caitlyn was the second child on Long Island to go on an insulin pump. Wow, could you imagine people don't realize that these things were the size of backpacks when they started these. I mean, it's not, you know, like an astronauts backpack, they were huge, but they got smaller, they got better, they got quicker. And that's why research to me, that's why I will never give up hope. Somebody looked at somebody checking their blood sugar, and they said, We can do better with that. And we have, and it's the same thing with research as long as there's a research center. And for me, this is just and everybody else can find their own place where to give their time and energy, but the Diabetes Research Institute, the fact that they are focused now that's a very interesting greement to have with academia, that we are focused on curing type one diabetes, and when we do that many of the patients type two patients for an insulin We'll probably benefit from that as well. But our focus is to cure this disease. As long as there's a place like the d-ri that focused on curing this disease, then I will never give up hope.   Stacey Simms  18:11 My question on that you said something very interesting. You said it's a very interesting agreement to make with academia. Do you get pushback from people who want to do research, but it's not cure focused,   Tom Karlya  18:22 we get not pushback, but we get increased from any university has the right to do and the University of Miami and we have to be honest, as you know, it's such a wide range University. It's got so many different aspects to it. But when they come to us and they say, look, can we look at looking into the type two type of research? Well, we tell them to go to another part of the campus and look for it. And they do. There are places probably on us campus that will focus on complications, you know, transplants they have, you know, they have a lot of different aspects of us, because it is such a great medical campus on a lot of different ways and areas that they can go someplace But when it comes to the Diabetes Research Institute, we have an agreement with them that that's where that focus will say. And a part of that is, in essence, the Diabetes Research Institute foundation is the largest donor to the University of Miami for all the money that we give only to the institute because that's all we'll fund. It won't go anywhere else. And that's because the foundation years ago, the parents had the, the, the wherewithal to say down the line, we want to make sure that this institute stays razor focused on a cure. And that's why that agreement is so important to be in place and we love being part of the University of Miami. They've been very supportive of us. It's a great relationship. And it's been incredible because it also being part of the University of Miami. It gives it the credibility that the world needs to see that this institute is part of academia, but also has raised focus on curing a disease that is only for type one diabetes.   Stacey Simms  19:58 Tom, you're handled your blog. Dave has always been diabetes dad, and I want to talk to you about being a dad for a moment if I could, you know, you've spoken many, many times in your blog. And when you speak in person about your wife, Jill, and how she took care of the kids diabetes, you said it, you know, really the responsibility mostly fell on her that sort of thing. You've given her a lot of credit. But I'm curious as you look back and your kids are grown up, and they're married, and you know, you have a different perspective. Now, what's your advice to other diabetes dads, you know, I think more men want to do more. I don't know exactly how much you did. But can we talk about being a diabetes dad for a minute and what that means?   Tom Karlya  20:36 Sure. And then, and just to be clear, and this is very important part of this discussion, the responsibility did not fall on jail. And actually, when Caitlyn was first diagnosed, we sat down and talked, because I didn't want to make the decision for myself. I didn't say, Well, this is what we're going to do. So she and I sat down and I said, Look, one of us has to stay home. And it was Okay, I didn't say, Well, I'm going to work, and you're going to stay home, we discussed that. And to me, that's one of the biggest keys to parenting with diabetes is keeping that open line of communication and dialogue open. I look at now, I mean, I mean, there was a time, we almost lost everything. Because she couldn't work. I had to work. I was working three, four jobs, whatever it took to keep us moving forward. I knew two things. Income had to keep coming in. And we had to have insurance from that day forward. So everything I did was working toward that. But it came about that I would work the jobs, and she would stay home with the kids and she would work when she could if she could, and then it became we had to find times that I had to realize that this is a partnership and dealing with this disease. So I would say on the days that I could get out of here go someplace, go see a movie go out with friends, we had to try to find time for ourselves as a couple. This is a very strenuous disease and a lot of different areas. And I tell couples and parents all the time, communicate, make sure you're talking with each other, not at each other. You know, I have to tell you one of my favorite stories. I was at the children with diabetes conference in Orlando, Florida. And I usually run the dad's group when I'm there. And there was a man talking and he said, I'm divorced, and this that the other thing, and he said, and I'm here, and the man next to him said, I'm in a second family. I married my wife, and they have a child with diabetes. And it was the father of the child and the new husband of the wife at the same meeting, finding it that important to learn about diabetes. And that was one of the most touching things I ever saw. I said, I wrote to the gentleman who was newly married, I said, You're like my new hero.   Unknown Speaker  22:55 Wait, wait, wait, I'm confused. So the family gets divorced. The EX is there and The new husband.   Tom Karlya  23:01 That's exactly right. Wow. And, And to me, that's as powerful a statement as that could ever be made that the child has to come first. And look, divorces Can I hope never to cut through it and I hope never to have to deal with it. But sometimes it can be very bitter. But you have to remember where your child is with diabetes is the same thing when both parents go to work. And the grandparents want to be involved. I say this all the time, grandparents are the most forgotten people when it comes to the family structure and dealing with diabetes because they want to help. But a lot of times it's like mommy telling the son or daughter what to do. And that kind of, they don't get accepted in as they should. But the grandparents hurt as much as the parents do, if that could be possible, because they want to help and we have to let them and find the mechanisms for them to do so. So the answer to your question is, communication is the most important thing and for the for dads to realize To look for places where you can pick up the ball and run with it, where you can be part of your child's life, don't let your wife do it. Make yourself part of the solution. And you will be. And that's exactly what we did. And because of what I ended up doing for my life, I ended up being the go to person for what was new in technology and what was coming down the line, and you was dealing the day to day management. But that's the balance. You will get to the late Richard Rubin, who is just an incredible, incredible man in the world of psyche of diabetes. He's the one who coined the phrase, diabetes, self willfulness. And it happens to all of us. And it's all about balance. It's all about choices. Such great advice there.   Stacey Simms  24:41 All right, Tom, I got to ask you, you mentioned this earlier that you were acting and you you were on these TV shows, but you were in Tony and Tina's wedding. For people who might not be from the New York area. You're from Long Island. I'm from Westchester County, which is really close by. This was not only a show This was like a party. Can you try to describe Tony and Tina's wedding?   Tom Karlya  25:04 Yeah, it's what's called Point to Point improvisation. The same things would happen every night. But basically, you went to a church in New York City, and then the service would end and you would walk three blocks to the catering Hall. And that was in snow, rain, whatever it was, and it was anything that could go wrong in the wedding would go wrong. An old boyfriend shows up. The father is divorced and is going out with this very interesting woman who, but he used to go out with Tina's mother. It took the whole thing just becomes a mess. But it at the time when it first opened. It was probably the first show that was all about improvisation. Now there's many of them, but they had they been in every city just about in the country and what some of them with long runs like Chicago ran for a really long time, as well. But it was a role that was very interesting for me. I played tennis. Over the years, I ended up doing four different roles. I ended up playing Tony's Father, I was a teenager. Father in the host of the catering Hall and he was like this kind of emcee which saying, tell jokes, whatever. But it was all about the engagement of the audience. So we, the audience, were the guests of Tony and Tina, every night, and we would have to interact with them. And the key to that was to listen, because you could pick up something and then come back to that person later and bring it up. And they're like, how did they know that? And it made it all like they were part of the family. And I mean, there was a time when all these celebrities came and it was it was one of the one time it was probably one of the hottest tickets in New York. You couldn't get tickets yet to wait two months. Kim can't imagine it was the Hamilton of the day but it certainly was a great show and the audience had a wonderful, wonderful time.   Unknown Speaker  26:45 Did you have fun doing that? I mean, I imagine it was it was very hard work, but it had to also be very kind of exhilarating in a way.   Tom Karlya  26:52 Well, it was an active job and it's probably one of the most Yes, exhilarating and and challenging to stay in character mind. came to see the show. And I didn't talk to anything else, but my character. And so it was always fun to make sure that at any given time that we had to stay in character no matter what power failure happened once and we all had to get out of the theater. Well, we all I mean, we met this is like leaving a catering all these people all sitting around tables all around you. And we all had to stay in character when we did that. So it was a challenge. It was fun. But yes, it was a job that you had to be able to stay in every night. You had to pace yourself. I mean, there was a time we were doing eight shows a week. And that's a lot of shows. So it's like any training that you do in the acting world. you train yourself to do the role, because you tell yourself every night that people seeing the show are seeing it for the first time.   Unknown Speaker  27:44 So before we let you go here, give us an update on the kids. The grown up kids now How's everybody doing?   Tom Karlya  27:51 My oldest doesn't have it. TJ he's with the New York state mental health police department. Kaitlin now interesting thing about Caitlyn as I remember you Years and years ago, someone told me you really should just hope for college for your kid. And I said, What are you talking about? You mean she's not gonna make college? He said, I'm not saying that he said, it's just you have to understand how devastating this diseases but make college a goal. Well, that person didn't stay a friend clearly. So,   Stacey Simms  28:17 but but that was a belief at the time people I've heard Well, it was thought that   Tom Karlya  28:21 Yep, yep, yep. And I think that's one of the keys for all of us is to keep our kids so positive that they can do anything with this disease. So not only did she graduate college, not only did she graduate nursing school, but in December, she graduated with her nurse family practitioner ship, and she's now a family nurse practitioner, and she's in practice and she'll be hopefully her goal is to deal with people with type one diabetes. My youngest son is a computer guru, and he was working for a company called Best Buy. And he got tagged by their Geek Squad when he was 18. And I said, Do you like it? He said, Yeah, dad, but that's not where I'm going to stay. And I said, What do you mean? He said, My goal is to be tapped from the Magic Castle. I What's the Magic Castle? He said, it's the corporate headquarters in Minnesota. I said, Well, that's a lofty goal. He said, Well, that's my goal. Well, earlier this year, my wife and I went, saw my son's new office, at the executive row in Best Buy in that building, that they are all in and looked at his new office, because they did just that when he was 21. They tapped him on the shoulder and they bought him out there. And he now works for the corporate headquarters for Best Buy Geek Squad. Now I share that not just because of who they are. But if you have a dream, if your child has a dream, our job as parents is to do everything we can to help them fulfill their dream. That was my son's dream. She's been there now for two years in Minnesota, doing just what he always wanted to do.   Stacey Simms  29:46 That's just wonderful. I mean, I'm getting kind of emotional. Actually, as you're talking about it. I think it's incredible, because you have to let them pursue what they want to let them dream. And when Type One Diabetes comes along. It's kind of easy to think to yourself, Well, maybe We should damp down the expectations. And you didn't do that for any of your kids. And your mantra has always been at least since I've known you is just don't do nothing. So for people who are listening, you don't have to, you know, be a senior vice president of the Diabetes Research Institute. You don't have to you speak all over the country like you do. But as we leave here, is that really your advice? Just do try to do something.   Tom Karlya  30:26 It started with a step. If you told me back then that I'd end up where I was today. I would have told you you're crazy. Start with a step. If you're looking for something to do hang posters around your community about the warning signs for diabetes. There's a mom in texas a mom in Texas, she and I connected years ago and created get diabetes, right. org and all that is is posters that you can download and put around your community for people to know about the warning signs of type one diabetes, and we're not alone. Beyond type one does it all bunch of other people JDRF does it all People have these warning signs. It starts with you looking in the mirror saying the status quo of diabetes in my life just will not do. What can I just start asking the question, What can I do JDRF started by parents. The Diabetes Research Institute foundation started by parents, people out there doing things, podcasts out there, Stacey Simms says, gotta do something. This is my background. This is what I can do. This is what I'm going to do. It's something there's nothing so small, that cannot change a life a life around, just by starting with the first step. This disease will not do in this world, my world, or any world, and look for something you can do to change it. Tom,   Unknown Speaker  31:48 thank you so much for joining me. It's been such   Stacey Simms  31:50 a thrill to hear your story and to talk to you today. I really appreciate   Tom Karlya  31:54 it now. Thank you and thank you for everything you continue to do. And these are the stories that people need to hear because there's a A lot of people out there who don't know that what they can do and how they can do it and, and that's what people need to just keep hearing these stories so they get, you know, there's so many people out there that is so inspired now, and professional sports and dance and drama and theater in studies in school, excelling, diabetes just won't do and just don't do nothing when it comes into your life.   Unknown Speaker  32:26 You're listening to diabetes connections with Stacey Simms.   Stacey Simms  32:32 You can find out more about Tom at diabetes. Connections calm is the episode homepage. Of course, I will link up information to his blog to the d-ri to everything else we talked about and there is a transcription just like there is for every episode this year. And I am working to fill in the blanks on transcriptions in the past as well, because I'm getting such a great response. I wasn't sure right? Do people want transcriptions? Is it worth the time? Let me tell you, it is totally worth it. I've been hearing So many people who maybe just don't have time to listen or prefer to read. And it's a service, I am more than happy to provide as frankly, the technology is getting better. It's still not perfect. I mean, you know, most of these transcription services do not speak diabetes. So I've had to go through and fix a few things. But I'm happy to do it. Because I think it really is enhancing everybody's experience. So thank you very much for the feedback on that. Up next, tell me something good. But first diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dexcom. You know, when you have a toddler diagnosed with type one, like I did, like Tom did, you do hear rumblings for a very long time about the teen years, but when it hit us at full force a little early, frankly, I'm so glad we had Dexcom it just helped us see and really take stock of the changes we made because Benny's insulin needs started going way up around age 11. And he's 15 now and it's almost settling down. I don't wanna get too personal, but you know, along with the hormone swings, I can't imagine managing diabetes during that time. Because we made so many changes without the Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring system, we react more quickly to highs and lows, see those trends and adjust insulin doses with advice from our endocrinologist and I know using the Dexcom g six has helped improve Benny's a one C and overall health. If your glucose alerts and readings for the G six do not match symptoms or expectations, use a blood glucose meter to make diabetes treatment decisions. To learn more, go to diabetes connections comm and click on the Dexcom logo.   Our Tell me something good stories this week come from a Facebook group called poked parents of kids experiencing diabetes. I'm part of that group and I posted that I was looking for good news stories and oh my goodness, did they deliver so let me bring you a couple. Sarah wrote my daughter just signed to play college soccer. She is so excited to keep breaking down misconceptions about type one and sports Susan says my daughter with Type One Diabetes earned a scholarship and direct admission into a competitive nursing program. She's in her freshman year living on campus and successfully handling it all. Her goal is to be a diabetes educator. And then Beth wrote in this kiddo, Frankie, who has lived more of her life post type one is rocking control IQ the new software from tandem best says slightly off label since she's barely six and definitely under 55 pounds and just got invited to present on a panel at JDRF type one nation in Denver. That was a couple of weeks ago before everything was canceled. But I asked Beth to ask Frankie Yes. And she was on a panel. I had some questions for her. And Beth was happy to oblige. And Frankie answered my questions. So my first question was, what is one thing she would tell a kid her age was just diagnosed with type one, and Frankie said, I would tell them it's okay. Don't be afraid and you can still do everything you want. And then I said What's something she does to feel better when she has a hard day, and Frankie responded, I tell my mom and dad when I've had a bad day, then we usually do something special together to make me feel better. Again, Frankie is six years old, and she was diagnosed at two. But thank you so much for sending that. And thanks to all the parents for responding to my prompt in the group, I really appreciate it. If you have a Tell me something good story you just want to share about your kid or yourself. It can be everything that you heard, it could be a diversity, just you know, with everything that's going on. Let's have some good news in our community. I love it. It's my favorite part of the show each week. I really would love to hear from you. Before I let you go, just a quick note on everything that's going on. I mentioned at the beginning of the show that I was going to talk a little bit about local groups. And all I really want to say about that is if you have a local Facebook group, as many of us do, you know, just check in on each If you have a local text chain or WhatsApp or things like that, maybe your kids have a diabetes camp, I don't even know what kids are using. I was gonna say whatsapp group, but you know, you know what the kids are on tik tok or whatever. Check in with their camp community or other people you may know through your local JDRF chapter. If you're an adult with an adult group, please check in on each other. If you have nobody. If you're concerned, you're by yourself, you're worried we're here, right? I don't know what we can do other than say, we can help. I don't want to make empty promises. But I do think it's really important that we get social connection during this scary time, which really can lead to in real life help. I know that in my community, when somebody needs insulin, we get it to them. When somebody needs a Dexcom sensor. We get it to them if we can. The diabetes community for a very long time has already taken care of the people within it. And I hope that that spirit extends to the whole community during the scare both At the very least, if there are people in your diabetes community that you can help, let's find a way to do so, you know, if you're halfway across the country, there are so many ways to connect, that it's really not that hard to find somebody nearby. So hey, diabetes connections, listeners, that's my challenge for you over these next couple of weeks. I know most of you are already doing it. But if you've listened this far, if you're hearing my voice at this point, check in on your diabetes friends, check in on your community, and let's see what we can do to help each other. We may never need the help, but it is nice to know it's there. I think that goes an awfully long way. All right. Again, I don't know what I'm doing in terms of scheduling for the next couple of weeks. I'm not going to do lots and lots of coronavirus episodes. I don't know that they're needed. I think I will check in if I can with some endocrinologists over the next couple of weeks. Maybe we'll do some Facebook Live. You tell me what you want to hear. But in the meantime, right now I am planning to go back to the regularly scheduled diabetes connections episodes. I have a Few that I've recorded already a few interviews, and I think we'll just put those out as planned. And we will go from there. Thanks as always to by editor john Deakins from audio editing solutions. Thank you so much for listening and for letting me into your lives right now. I really appreciate it. I'm Stacey Simms, and I'll see you back here soon. Until then, be kind to yourself.   Unknown Speaker  39:28 Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacey Simms media. All rights reserved. All rounds avenged   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

This week we welcome a returning guest for your entertainment! Please welcome Kristy back onto the show to talk about draft logistics and other Dolphins talk. Also tune in to see how I triggered Taylor (it wasn't soy Sauce). Please check out our charity of the week, the Diabetes Research Institute at www.diabetesresearch.org/

Go behind the scenes! Join the new Diabetes Connections Facebook Group!  ----- Melissa Dobbins is an RDN, CDE and award-winning food & nutrition expert. We're talking with her about food and fads, nutrition and practical and easy changes we can all make. Melissa also hosts the podcast Sound Bites and features Stacey in her latest episode. In our Community Connection, a family devastated by their toddler’s diagnosis becomes inspired by her. We’ll talk to Team Olivia, nine people running the NYC Marathon! Isabel & Mike Klingshirn share their daughter's diagnosis story and Olivia's aunt, Abby Wallisch talks about putting the team together.  Stacey also confirms that Ross Baker finished his incredible goal of running a marathon in every state and DC. He says "51 and done!" Ross was diagnosed with type 1 as a young adult - you can hear his story in this previous episode. In our Shoptalk segment, learn about the DRI Foundation, part of the Diabetes Research Institute as Stacey talks to senior vice president Lori Weintraub. ------ Timecodes: 3:00 Stacey reads a "not so hot" Apple Podcast Review  9:30 Stacey talks about the Diabetes Empowerment Summit (more info and signup at link) 12:00 Interview with Melissa Dobbins, Guilt Free RD 39:00 Community Connection: Team Olivia & the NYC Marathon 58:00 Shoptalk with Diabetes Research Institute Foundation 1:06:00 Stacey talks about podcast reviews & subscribing  ----- Get the App and listen to Diabetes Connections wherever you go! Click here for iPhone      Click here for Android  Sign up for our newsletter here

In a society dominated by social media, many women long for deeper friendships. In this episode best friends and clinical psychologists Dr. Sanda Bernstein and Dr. Wendy Rapaport share some stories from their 40-year friendship and their book, Friendship Matters: Memoir, Life Lessons, Laughter. If you want to build and strengthen your friendships, you’ll love this episode of Vibrant Happy Women. Sanda Bernstein, is a clinical psychologist. She has worked in both school districts and universities. Dr. Bernstein is trained in psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and as a school psychologist. She has a private practice in which she sees adolescents and adults. Married with 2 grown children and 5 grandsons. She lives in Manhattan. Wendy Rapaport, is a clinical psychologist. She specializes in psychology-related facets of the health-care field, working with providers and patients. She is an adjunct professor at the Diabetes Research Institute, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and at the University of Maine Graduate School of Social Work. She has a private practice working with people coping with diabetes. She’s married and a stepmother to 2 grown children and have a granddaughter and a great grandson. She lives in Maine for part of the year and Florida for the rest of the year. They met at a lecture when they were college-aged and Sonda was pregnant and had to go to the bathroom and they chatted the whole time and never stopped talking. They just released a book together called Friendship Matters: Memoir, Life Lessons, Laughter. Nuggets of Wisdom from Sandy and Wendy: "Do unto others as they would prefer you do unto them." "We have to really know our friends, what would please them, because sometimes we find ourselves doing things that would please us, not them." "If I'm not for myself, who will be for me? If I'm only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?" "Do not procrastinate." "I think women need to teach their men how listen to them better.  I think that we need to talk better." Some of Sandy and Wendy's Favorite Things: Personal habit: Wendy: "I like exercise." Sandy: "Not thinking that I know all the answers for myself but reaching out." Easy meal: Sandy: Taking in from the local gourmet market where they have fresh salmon everyday and fresh turkey and fresh spinach pie. Wendy: candy, cake and ice cream; take-out delivery. Favorite kitchen gadget: Wendy: Telephone. Sandy: microwave Favorite Books:  Wendy: Little Women. The Prince of Time; Sandy: Americanah Novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Best advice received: Sandy: "Don't let fear stop you." Wendy: "Honoring my independence." Sandy and Wendy's Happiness Formula: Sandy: First is the importance of staying connected with the people I love. Then I want to stay engaged in activities that are meaningful to me. And the other is slowing down to stay appreciative of the world around me. Just appreciative of life. Wendy: On a couch with a good enough poet - poetry A Challenge from Sandy and Wendy: Sandy: "Read a book. Get a friend and deepen that friendship. Be more connected with your friend. I want to challenge everyone to connect better to a friend." Wendy: "Do it consciously, because good manners come from practice and habit. I challenge you to make a good friend even better." Resources Friendship Matters: Memoir, Life Lessons Americanah Novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Little Women The Prince of Time Vibrant Happy Women Facebook Group Subscribe to Vibrant Happy Women:  

"Tutto è energia e questo è tutto quello che esiste. Sintonizzati alla frequenza della realtà che desideri e non potrai fare a meno di ottenere quella realtà. Non c'è altra via. Questa non è Filosofia, questa è Fisica." Albert Einstein Valentina Delmonte, Dott.ssa in Scienze Motorie, Prof.ssa presso l'Università di Milano e Personal Trainer, in conversazione con Giacomo Catalani tra scienza e motivazione. Un racconto coinvolgente che ci porta a conoscere straordinarie esperienze internazionali al CEP di Cometti a Dijon in Francia e presso il Diabetes Research Institute di Miami in Florida. Valentina Delmonte è una professionista ispirata e motivante, che nella 21° puntata del Talk Show Scienze Motorie, offre una grande carica di energia e molte strategie di approccio per accelerare il processo di crescita personale. Guarda il VIDEO della Puntata: youtu.be/Rb1TJ9S5yto

"Tutto è energia e questo è tutto quello che esiste. Sintonizzati alla frequenza della realtà che desideri e non potrai fare a meno di ottenere quella realtà. Non c'è altra via. Questa non è Filosofia, questa è Fisica." Albert EinsteinValentina Delmonte, Dott.ssa in Scienze Motorie, Prof.ssa presso l'Università di Milano e Personal Trainer, in conversazione con Giacomo Catalani tra scienza e motivazione. Un racconto coinvolgente che ci porta a conoscere straordinarie esperienze internazionali al CEP di Cometti a Dijon in Francia e presso il Diabetes Research Institute di Miami in Florida. Valentina Delmonte è una professionista ispirata e motivante, che nella 21° puntata del Talk Show Scienze Motorie, offre una grande carica di energia e molte strategie di approccio per accelerare il processo di crescita personale. Guarda il VIDEO della Puntata: youtu.be/Rb1TJ9S5yto

Tom Hopkins carries the standard as a master sales trainer and is recognized as the world's leading authority on selling techniques and salesmanship.Over 4 million people on five continents have attended Tom's high-energy live seminars. He is the author of 17 books, including “How to Master the Art of Selling™,” which has sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide. This mega-selling book is considered a must-have reference guide for top selling producers in every field of sales  Sheila Kennedy THE Confidence Coach.She did the hard work and filled her tool chest with what she needed to achieve confidence at her core the kind of confidence that delivers better relationships, decision making, health and success in her business.  In her best-selling book, You Had It All Along, 5 Keys to Unlocking the POWER of Confidence at Your Core  Josh Rednik President and CEO of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. DRIF is the fundraising arm for the world-renown Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, which is at the forefront of research to cure diabetes Ted Coiné co-founder of Switch and Shift, a leadership community that believes organizations  in order to thrive in the Social Age  must build trust-based relationships, lead with purpose, and enable employees to do work that matters. A noted blogger and speaker, Ted was recently named a Forbes “Top 10 Social Media Power Influencer.”   Mark Babbitt CEO and Founder of YouTern, a social community for college students, recent graduates and young professionals that Mashable calls a "Top 5 Online Community for Starting Your Career." A prolific blogger and speaker, he is also President of Switch and Shift and a co-founder of Forward Heroes.org  

Jay Skyler, MD, MACP, Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Chairman, NIDDK Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet "Stopping Type 1 Diabetes" Thursday, April 18, 9:00 AM, Russ Berrie Pavilion, 1st Floor Conference Room # 2

Join us as we talk about things that matter. We will be talking about the grassroots project and initiatives of Global Diabetic Awareness and Global Diabetic Awareness Community's. We'll be speaking with Mark and Patti Clifford the co-founders of the organization devoted to helping raise diabetic awareness and education throughout the world. Also helping diabetics, their family and friends in the understanding of the emotional side of this disease and how to deal with those emotions when they come about. We will be discussing their newest projects and relationships with some major organizations in the fight for a diabetes cure like LIVESTRONG.COM, Vitazest and the Diabetes Research Institute.

Guest: Ronald Goldberg, MD Host: Larry Kaskel, MD This week joining Dr. Kaskel on Lipid Luminations is Dr. Ronald Goldberg who serves as Associate Director of Medical Affairs of the Diabetes Research Institute, and Director of the Lipid Disorders Unit. Dr. Goldberg will discuss features, causes, identification and management of diabetic dyslipidemia. Brought to you by: