Podcast appearances and mentions of eric tozer

Eric Tozer joins Alex Burket on the Rise to the Challenge. Eric talks about his journey and story with type 1 diabetes which is a similar journey to our host Alex. He shares his passion for endurance running and how he also had a passion for soccer. He talks about co-founding Diabetes Sports Project and the impact it has had on him and so many individuals. We talk about so much more on the Rise to the Challenge Podcast. Check out the links below to learn more about Eric Tozer: - Linkedin: Eric Tozer - IG: @erictozer - www.diabetessportsproject - @diabetessportsproject

Peloton instructor Robin Arzon was diagnosed with type 1 as an adult, when she was already an endurance athlete and marathon runner. After her diagnosis, she was determined to keep those incredible fitness feats coming. Arzon is now Peloton's VP of fitness programming, an ultramarathoner, a best-selling author, a new mom, and more. If you're looking for some new year fitness inspiration, she's got you covered. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. More about Robin Arzon More about Gvoke HypoPen 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 Episode Transcription Below: Stacey Simms 0:05 This is Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. This week, peloton, instructor Robin Arzon was diagnosed with type one as an adult when she was already an endurance athlete and marathon runner. after her diagnosis, she was determined to keep those incredible fitness feats coming. Robin Arzon 0:24 I really have had to treat myself kind of like an experiment like get curious and just see and trust that even on the days that aren't my best, I'm trying my best and my best is good enough Stacey Simms 0:35 Arzon is peloton's vice president of fitness programming an ultra marathoner, a best selling author, a mom, and more. If you're looking for some new year's fitness inspiration, she's got you covered. 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 always so glad to have you here, you know, we aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. this time of year I always seem to have a fitness interview, right? That makes sense. It's the new year we're making resolutions. We're getting motivated. So you know, take a look back in years past I talked to Chris Rudan from the Titan games. I talked to Eric Tozer, who did seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, you know, stuff like that. But you don't have to have these incredible achievements, these these incredible goals. You know, this to be fit to stay healthy. I mean, I'm certainly never doing an ultra marathon. It's not one of my goals, especially as I get older, I want to stay moving. That's really important to me. So well, somebody like this week's guest Robin Arzon isn't I'm sorry, Robin isn't going to motivate me to ever run a marathon. She is going to inspire me to try a little more to do some different things. And I hope she inspires you in the same way as well. Whatever your fitness goals are for 2022 I have a story that I want to share about something that happened recently with me and Benny, it isn't really about new year's resolution. So I'm going to keep it till the end of the interview. I'll come back and tell you he challenged me to do some things kind of an empathy exercise about type one, I failed miserably. That's the spoiler. So we'll get to that in a little bit. This week's interview is one of my shortest ever I had very limited time with Robin. So I decided to not ask her about her diagnosis story. I skipped a couple of questions that I would usually ask, but in case you're not familiar with her, I wanted you to learn more. So here is a quick explainer that she gave beyond type one a few years ago, and we're playing this with their permission. Robin Arzon 2:32 I am a reformed lawyer turned ultra-marathoner. I'm head instructor at peloton cycle as well as vice president of fitness programming. I'm on the Leadership Council beyond type one. I was an endurance athlete Well, before I was diagnosed with type one diabetes, I was diagnosed in February of 2014. So only a few years ago, as an adult, I was in my 30s when I was diagnosed. And it's been an interesting little dance I'm doing with my pancreas these days. I had just returned from a trip to India. I was in India for about three to four weeks with my mom and my sister. And when I came home back to New York City, I thought I had jetlag or something like my body just felt really sluggish. And I had extreme thirst. That was the number of extreme thirst and frequent urination. And that was the number one thing that really was strange, because I know it wasn't dehydrated. And as an athlete, I kind of could tell immediately that something was off with my body. I had an awareness of type 1 diabetes, but certainly not on any kind of medical or even practical level. And I definitely didn't know how to how to live with it. That was actually my very first question after I was diagnosed was how am I gonna run 100 mile races? And that was a question pretty unfamiliar for my endocrinologist and so then I want an immediate search for all the technology that would allow me to train uninterrupted. I actually had a half marathon two weeks after my diagnosis and I and I ran it. And I think I was on a pump within a week that I had a Dexcom within 14 days. Stacey Simms 4:27 Robin was diagnosed in 2012. She's now peloton vice president of fitness programming. She and her husband had a baby in 2021 and January just a couple of days from this episode going live. She is publishing a children's book and you will hear her talk about that. There is a video of this interview over on the Diabetes Connections YouTube channel if you want to watch I will link that up in the shownotes. Full disclosure. The reason I had limited time for this interview is because Robin is on a media tour courtesy of Gvoke Hypopen so you will hear a lot about that in this interview ended agreed To do this, I also agreed to post information about Gvoke in the show notes which I have done. If you've listened for a long time, you're probably tired of hearing these disclosures. But if you're new, it's very important to me that I'm open and honest about what you hear on the show. And I really thought the tradeoff of hearing about Robin's experiences and advice was worth it. Robin, thank you so much for joining me and spending some time with me and my listener. So how are you doing today? Robin Arzon 5:29 I'm great. So nice to speak with you. Stacey. Stacey Simms 5:31 I know that you have a little bit that you want to talk about with Gvoke. They are a sponsor of my podcast as well. Let's just dive in and talk about that because being prepared is just part of the reality when you live with diabetes, right Robin Arzon 5:42 100% I mean, in the landscape of things that are uncontrollable of living with diabetes and diabetes management, we have to control what we can control and Gvoke Hypopen is the first auto injector of medicine if we have a severe low blood sugar event, and the looming prospect of that can be scary. And as an ultra marathoner as someone who lives as an athlete lives with movement, you know, and I know your listeners are very, very well versed in the diabetes landscape, and probably can relate to that to a certain extent. I needed to take agency back, which is why I partnered with Gvoke Hypopen because recently, for example, when I ran the New York City Marathon, I had the Gvoke Hypopen in my race kit. Thankfully, I didn't need to use it. But it does give me peace of mind out there on the racecourse, you know, knowing that I have this medicine accessible to me, if I have a severe low, Stacey Simms 6:31 I'm going to knock wood everywhere I can find some because yeah, I've had to use Gvoke or any kind of emergency glucagon in the 15 years since my son was diagnosed, have you ever had to use anything? Robin Arzon 6:41 Thankfully, no, thankfully, I have not had to use it. And I'm very grateful for that. And I'm also grateful that I sought out the right care for myself. And I advocated for myself with my doctor. And I recommend folks do the same and of course, do their own, you know, investigation of safety and risks and allergies and all the things associated with with any medical prescription. But we have to advocate for ourselves and figure out what works for our lifestyles. Stacey Simms 7:04 Alright, so you were diagnosed with type one as an adult, you were already an incredible athlete. And I think I heard you say somewhere that you ran a half marathon a week or two after your diagnosis. Robin Arzon 7:14 Yes. So I had a half marathon, I think a week later. And then I had a 50 mile ultra marathon few weeks after that. So it was a blurry and really daunting time. And I had to figure out quickly, this new life, this new thing, I believe superheroes are real. And I know that folks living with diabetes, diabetes warriors are superheroes. And in my superhero toolkit, It now includes insulin, it includes glucose taps. It includes the you know, the Gvoke Hypopen and it's I developed a mantra actually, during that time that forward is a pace. There are some days when the next step is the only step that you can focus on and that's okay. But I figured it out because it was meaningful to me the first question I asked, when my endocrinologist said, you're going to be living with insulin, your pancreas doesn't produce enough or any, I thought, Oh, okay. And I said out loud, how am I going to cross the ultra marathon finish line I have in a few weeks. And we figured it out. And I made mistakes, and I figured it out. And I educated myself. And I want folks to feel that same empowerment of like, gosh, we're gonna figure it out. We're going to be ready. We're going to be warriors, and we're going to continue to be epic. Stacey Simms 8:24 One of the biggest questions I got when I told my Facebook group for the podcast that we were talking was, again, knowing everybody is different. But you know, just what do you do to avoid lows? Because exercise? I mean, let's face it, some people with diabetes do not exercise because they are afraid of low blood sugar. How did you get past that? How do you avoid crazy highs, crazy lows, when Robin Arzon 8:44 you're exercising, it is a lot of trial and error. And just like anything else, it's observing, just like observing how your body reacts to a certain food, you have to observe how your body reacts to a certain type of movement. For example, lifting weights, for me might make my blood sugar go up. Whereas of course, cardiovascular or aerobic things like the bike with running will make it go down. So I really encourage folks to get curious, start small, right? Well, you don't have to go out and run an ultra marathon. But maybe you know, you start with the 10 minute walk around the block and see what happens. And then you bring you know the glucose tabs or the apple juice with you, I always have some type of rescue carbs, right. And this is really where the Gvoke Hypopen can come in as well. Because you know, you've got that in a severe and you know, in the situation where we're really putting ourselves in a low blood sugar, severe low blood sugar circumstance, we have medicine that is on the spot that is going to react on the spot that gives me a lot of peace of mind. So it's that two pronged approach of daily diabetes management. And then you know, having this in a circumstance where things get a little bit more severe, or a lot more severe. Stacey Simms 9:48 Yeah, we have quite a few people who said I take her class I see her all the time. Have you ever had a low blood sugar during instruction like when you're doing a class? Robin Arzon 9:57 Thankfully, yes, I've gone low but It's all been manageable, drink some juice, keep it moving. I've never had to stop a workout, thank goodness. And that's literally 1000s of hours of practice of knowing my body and knowing the exact timing of like, okay, I'm going to drink a quarter of my smoothie. Eight minutes before this class, I really have had to treat myself kind of like an experiment, like, get curious and just see and trust that even on the days that aren't my best, I'm trying my best and my best is good enough. That is also encouraging. So So I encourage folks to give themselves that same grace, but also that same dose of bravery. You mentioned that there are folks of your listeners who are so scared that they're not moving, but they're not working out. And that really saddens me, because they're limiting their own potential. And why you're letting diabetes when when you do that. Stacey Simms 10:46 I don't know if you're familiar with Don Muchow, who ran or walked from Disney Land to Disney World that she I did I Robin Arzon 10:53 read about this. He was told Stacey Simms 10:55 when he was diagnosed a long time ago, right. I think it was the late 70s. He was told do not exercise because it was too dangerous. That was a real thing that people were told not all that long ago. And he had to wake up one day and say no, no, you know, so I give you so I mean, sounds silly to say, but I give you so much credit for getting your diagnosis and saying no, no, I'm, I'm getting right back into it. And I've had the privilege of talking to a lot of people in the public eye like yourself who have treated lows while they're on camera. musicians who sneak a sip of orange juice or racecar drivers to kind of have it in their car. Can I ask you do you keep something sneaky? Is your water bottle is the other two maybe that people should look for? Robin Arzon 11:32 One is water and one is juice. I always have some form of juice on me onset always, always, always. And yeah, no shame in that. If I need it. Take a sip, keep it and keep it moving. Thankfully, you know, Stacey Simms 11:44 yeah, I think it's lovely to find out those little things because it makes our kids and a lot of adults feel better to know they're not alone. I mean, that's half of this. Did you find a community when you were diagnosed with type one because it can be very isolating? Robin Arzon 11:57 You know, I was, as I mentioned, I was running ultra marathons at the time and there is an amazing ultra marathoner, Steven Anglin, very accomplished he does hundreds and hundreds of miles at a time really epic guy. He was the first person I went to outside of my medical team. And I was like, What the heck, what do I do and you know, he kind of talked me down. And you know, I hope to be able to pay that forward, especially as being part of this be ready campaign, I want to be a visible example of the fact that we can continue moving, we can continue being heroic in big and small ways in our very own lives. Um, you know, as a new mom, I read fairy tales to my baby girl every night and I want to live a fairy tale that is is is even stronger than things that she's going to read in books, and then pass the baton to hertz to one day live just as gravely, but it does require us to be prepared. And that is literally why I wanted to partner with the Gvoke Hypopen team. Because the reality is, the more prepared we are, the more peace of mind we're going to have. You can't control everything. And with any prescription medication, you have to speak to your medical provider to make sure that this is the appropriate avenue for you. But it does provide me peace of mind in the event that a severe blood sugar is looming. Stacey Simms 13:05 You're coming to 8 years with type one, have you experienced burnout at all yet? You know, it's I think, Robin Arzon 13:12 yes, I mean, there are certainly days where just like really more of this tightrope walk. So it's definitely exhausting. And we make to think like a pancreas requires a lot of mental energy. But I'll tell you something, I've discovered more than burnout, that every single day we have the choice to turn why me and to try me. And the self pity is poison. I think that self pity is poisonous and much more harmful than burnout. For me, I choose to constantly flip the script, constantly turn pain into power, I have no other way. And it's both being someone that lives with type diabetes, and also being an athlete, and also being a mom, and also being an executive and also being an author and also being an entrepreneur. And it's like, let's go. Stacey Simms 13:56 I know we're gonna run a time. Two more questions, if I could, you mentioned your daughter things beep with diabetes. How was she doing with that? I mean, she's so tiny. But does she know what? Robin Arzon 14:05 Oh, my goodness, you know, I mean, we're just learning and she's very curious about the gadgets and the beach and the stuff and I will explain to her, you know, in age appropriate ways of like, this is mommy's medicine, and this is what Bobby needs to do. And now I explained to her what a pancreas is, and you know, things that I definitely didn't learn at her age. But you know, I want her to know, I want her to be informed too. And I want her in order for her to be proud of me. She needs to be informed as to what I go through. And I want her to see me dealing with challenges and rising above it. The Diabetes community is incredibly supportive, and whether you know, the Gvoke Hypopen can be used for folks, age 2 and up. So that's a wide swath of our community and Gvoke.com is a great place for more information. That's where the total story is, including any side effects information and safety language. Stacey Simms 14:51 And then the last question is just what are you looking forward to in 2022? You've already accomplished so much you listed all those things that keep you so busy. Robin Arzon 14:58 I'm very excited. about the launch of my children's book, it's my first children's book strong mama. It is a love letter to my baby girl. And it really puts the focus on a caregivers self care. So let's remember that we have to prioritize our self care. It's not selfish, whether your parents or not take the time for yourself. Because yes, that burnout is real. And we have to go inward sometimes in order to give Stacey Simms 15:21 outwardly but like hope when it comes out, you'll come back on and share. Robin Arzon 15:24 Oh, that would be great. That would be great. Nice. Nice to see you today, Stacy. Stacey Simms 15:28 Oh, my gosh, thank you so much, Robin, I appreciate your time. Have a great one. You're listening to Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. More information about Robin a full transcript and the links to Gvoke and to the video are all at the homepage at diabetes connections.com. I am going to follow up with her hopefully, she'll come back on in a couple of weeks to talk about her children's book and answer more of your questions. I mentioned at the beginning of the show that Benny asked me to try something new. So let me just set kind of set the table about what's been going on here, especially if you're new to the show. So Benny was diagnosed in 2006. Right before he turned two, he is 17. Now, and so he's had diabetes for really just over 15 years. For the last two years, I've really tried to slide into doing less and less and less to the point where in October of 2020, I turned off all of my Dexcom alarms except for urgent, low. And after a big trip he took the summer he went to Israel for a month with a non diabetes camp after he did well with that. I said to him, Well, what do I do now? Right? What do you want from me? How can I help you? Am I here just for customer service? Right? When you want me you contact me, not the other way around? And he said that that's what he really wanted to do. Have I been 100% successful at that, of course not doing nag him here and there to bolus or if I see something wonky? Of course, is he doing? Well? Yeah, he's doing really well, except I'll be honest with you. He's not as diligent. He's not as on top of it. And he wouldn't mind me saying this, as he was when I was diligent and on top of you know, and as you're listening, if you're laughing, if you're an adult with type one, or if you're a parent of an older child, or young adult with type one, you have gone through this, I've gotten a lot of reassurances from my friends, the diabetes community that as long as he's not doing anything dangerous, and he certainly is far from that he's doing great that the way I would do it is not gonna happen anymore. It's up to him now, which is really, really, really hard. So here's what the challenge came in. About a month ago, I pointed out to him that, you know, he was missing some boluses. And he wasn't paying attention to things as well, you know, we had like a, it was a moment where I said, can I talk to you about this? And he agreed, and we had a really good conversation like we do every once in a while. And he said, You know what, Mom, I'd like you to try to remember every time you eat to do something, and I said, Yeah, but after 15 years, like how can you not know how can you not do this? Right? I mean, every parent has said that or thought that right? So he said to me, okay, every time you eat anything, I want you to text me. I said, Sure. No problem. I always have my phone with me. That's gonna be easy. And you know, he rolled his eyes. And he said, we'll say, so the first day, I text him every time I eat three meals, you know, a billion snacks, whatever I'm eating, I text him every time. The next day. I text him. I'm not even really thinking. I text him at dinner. He was at work. He texts back “Is this the first time you've eaten today?” with assorted emojis. And I went, Oh, my God. I did not text him for breakfast. I did not text him for lunch. I hadn't even thought about it. I completely forgot about our bet. And I said, Okay, not fair. That was just day two. It wasn't that I forgot to quote bolus while I was eating. I just forgot that we had agreed to do that. He said, Okay, I'll give you another couple of days. Well, the next day, I remembered breakfast, I forgot lunch. So he wanted me to keep it up for two weeks, which was our original agreement, I felt that he had proved his point after a day and a half, really. But I kept it going. And I did better. But I really failed at it. Was that a lesson with universal implications? Probably not. I bet you'd be a lot better at it than I was. I don't know why I couldn't remember. I don't know what I was thinking. But between the two of us, it was a fantastic lesson. And it was such a great way for me to see how even after all this time, you know how difficult this is how tough it is to be perfect. And you know, as you listen, maybe your lesson is, well, that means that you need to set more reminders. And be on him more. I mean, everybody, I guess would take this a different way. The lesson to me was: have a little bit more empathy, and have a lot more respect for the way he is doing it. Well, I mean, we're not talking about a kid who's ignoring his diabetes, and you don't like I don't talk about numbers, but we're talking about an A1C that's, you know, maybe a couple of tenths, maybe a half a point higher than it was last time. And we're already seeing numbers that I never thought we'd see when he was in the teenage years. If you'd asked me, you know, years ago, thank you control IQ. Thank you for a kid who is responsible. So that's a long way of telling this story that I really got a lot out of so as you listen, if you're a parent, talk to your kid, maybe this is something you can do if you're an adult nodding your head saying yes, Stacy, we could have told you that's what would happen. You know, thank you for your patience. But I got a year and a half before Benny goes off to college. That's it. He is beginning his second semester of junior year. And I think most of these lessons, frankly, are for me. So boy, I hope I'm learning. All right, we do you have a newscast this week, that is Wednesday, live at 430, on Facebook, and YouTube, and then live on Instagram at 4:45 different times, until these services decide to play nicely together. And I can do them all at once. But right now, Instagram will not let you that's why there are different times for that, but we turn it into an audio podcast that you can listen to on Fridays. And then going forward, we're back to our regular schedule with the long format interview shows every Tuesday. I am hoping that we're gonna have a lot of technology to talk about this year. We do have some great episodes coming up with the folks at Tandem. We've got an update from Dexcom, as well as some interviews with newly approved products and products overseas that are going to be submitted for approval in the US this year. So a lot to work on a lot to come. I'm really excited about 2022 Not just for the show, but for what I really hope the community starts seeing when this logjam of COVID approvals or COVID, delays at the FDA starts loosening up and walking through so fingers crossed for that. Thank you as always to my editor John Bukenas at audio editing solutions. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Stacey Simms. I'll see you back here in a couple of days until then be kind to yourself. Benny 21:29 Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacey Simms media. All rights reserved. All wrongs avenged

Jack Tierney has lived with type 1 for more than 60 years. Not surprising, he was first misdiagnosed with type 2 and lived with that diagnosis for almost two years. He shares the story of finally getting the right diagnosis, living well with T1D before home blood sugar meters or fast acting insulins and why he just last year switched to a pump. Stacey talks to Jack and his son Jamie. You can watch the video that brought them to our attention here. In Tell Me Something Good – boy it was great to get back out to an actual in person conference. Shout out to not just FFL but to my local Charlotte community as well. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Previous episodes with people who've lived with type 1 for more than 50 years: Marty Drilling Jeanne Martin Richard Vaughn Judith Ball 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 Episode Transcription below:    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 pre mixed auto injector for very low blood sugar and by Dexcom take control of your diabetes and live life to the fullest with Dexcom. This is Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. This week Jack Tierney is 81 years old and was diagnosed with diabetes more than 60 years ago. He had classic symptoms but remembers being shocked to hear the news.   Jack Tierney  0:38 And he told me I was a diabetic and I said to him what's that I had never heard the word or knew nothing about it. And he told me what it was generally speaking, and I'm convinced that the doctor probably did not know the difference between type one and type two because this was January of 1960   Stacey Simms  1:00 Jack was mis diagnosed with Type two for almost two years. He shares the story of finally getting the right diagnosis living well with T1Dbefore home blood sugar meters or fast acting insolence and why he just last year, switch to a pump in Tell me something good boy, it was great to get back out to an actual in person diabetes conference, shout out not just to friends for life, but to my local Charlotte community as well. 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. Okay, so glad to have you here we aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. My son Benny was diagnosed 14 and a half years ago, just before he turned to my husband lives with type two diabetes. I have diabetes, but I have a background in broadcasting. And that is how you get the podcast. I got an email a couple of weeks ago from Jack Tierney, who you'll hear from today. And he said check out the 12 minute YouTube video that my son and La filmmaker has created for me, it's called an 81 year olds 62 year journey with type 1 diabetes. Well, that caught my attention. I've talked to quite a few people over the years who have lived a very long time with type one, it really is incredible to think about how they made it work without the things that we consider now like the very very basics right home blood sugar meters, and a one c test fast acting insulins, Jack and his son Jamie have a great story. And I will link up that video that started all of this in the show notes you can always go to Diabetes connections.com. If you're listening on a podcast player, you know like apple or Spotify or Pandora, sometimes the show notes are a little wonky. And the links don't work, just head over to the episode homepage. And it also has a transcription. If you follow me on social, you know that I went to the friends for life conference recently the first in person conference for me since March of 2020. I'm going to talk about that after the interview. But I wanted to say a quick Welcome to anybody new who is listening who found me there who I met at that conference, there were so many new people, it was great to be able to say hi and have some hugs and meet your kids. So I'll talk about that a little bit. And I'll get to Jack's story in just a moment. But first Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dario Health. And, you know, we first noticed Dario a couple of years ago at a conference and very thought being able to turn your smartphone into a meter was pretty amazing. I'm excited to tell you that Dario offers even more now, the Dario diabetes success plan gives you all the supplies and support you need to succeed. You'll get a glucometer that fits in your pocket, unlimited test strips and lancets delivered to your door and a mobile app with a complete view of your data. The plan is tailored for you with coaching when and how you need it and personalized reports based on your activity. Find out more go to my daario.com forward slash diabetes dash connections. Jack and Jamie, thank you so much for joining me. I am so interested to hear this story. Thanks for making time for me today. Oh, you're welcome. We will hear Jack story and I can't wait to hear you in your own words. But Jimmy, let me just start with you. What made you create that video,   Jamie Tierney  4:19 my dad said he was working on some scripts about his thoughts on diabetes and living with it for over 60 years. He wrote a number of different stories about it and wanted to record that on camera. And so we started doing that and we have all seven or eight sorry, eight tapes, I believe, of doing that. But what I was most interested in is his personal story, his life story because once we got started there was there's a lot of things that I didn't know about his story and about about diabetes in general. And so that's what got me interested and then I wanted to follow up with with his doctor and with his with his brother to get multiple sides and also my mom I'm here to get her side of it. It's one of those things that started off as one thing and changed a little bit as we went.   Stacey Simms  5:06 All right. So Jack, you have lived 62 years with type one. Can you talk about your diagnosis? Because not too surprisingly, you weren't diagnosed correctly right away,   Jack Tierney  5:16 right? Yeah. In the first tape that I did with Jamie, I did talk about what happened with me, I actually came down with type one in 1959. At the time, my mother, who was only 43, had a brain tumor, and I was under a lot of stress, and I was attending college. In fact, when I was home with her after she had to have had a tumor removed, I did get the flu, like so many type ones, it just exacerbated or caused type 1 diabetes, because I weighed 100, I'm six foot four at the time, a weighed 150 pounds, I was down to 125 and peeing incessantly, like everyone who gets type one does. And so I returned to college. What happened was, I was just deteriorating so fast. I was in a small town in Indiana attending college. So I went to the local general practitioner, and he did some tests and told me my blood sugar was over 500 and then needed to be 80 to 120. And he told me, I was a diabetic. And I said to him, what's that I had never heard the word or knew nothing about it. He told me what it was generally speaking, and I'm convinced that the doctor probably did not know the difference between type one and type two, because this was January of 1960. And he was a general practitioner in a very small town. But what he did do was consult with the dietician at the college I was attending, and he treated me I now know pretty much like a type two diabetic because he put me on 1000 calorie diet, your I am weighing 125 and surviving on any did give me a pill, I believe it was called diag and Ace, I really survived that way for about 18 months, just living on 1000 calorie diet and and I was in a really rigorous academic program too. But then as my brother indicates on the video, I came home and he was really worried about me. And luckily I had transferred to the University of Dayton and I was, I got in touch with a wonderful Doctor Who put me on insulin shots. And that made all the difference in the world. You know, I did get back to weighing about 150 in about six months, and you know, took the taking shots. In fact, what I say on the video, when I added it all up, I've given myself probably 42,000 shots over the years, by the way, preparing to do the tapes, Jamie because whenever Jamie does film project, he does extensive background for it. And he gave me a book titled breakthrough about the discovery of insulin by Dr. Frederick Banting. And in fact, when I, I'm going to start to cry, because I read that book in two days. Because it just reminded me of how many kids died before Dr. BAMMY who's one of the greatest human beings that ever lived, discovered him. And it just, you know, I just brought back so much to me reading that book. But the man was a absolute saint for all that he did. I'm sorry for crying. But every time I think of that, man, I just think all of us were type ones are eternally grateful to him back, he's got to have one of the highest places and heaven.   Stacey Simms  9:10 It is incredible, you know, as we're marking 100 years of the discovery of insulin to think that someone such as yourself was diagnosed at a time really not that long after, at a time when many doctors and they still mess this up. But you didn't know the differences between the types. I'm curious, you know, I've heard other people talk about being diagnosed in the 40s and 50s. By medical professionals who kind of, you know, gave them really dire diagnosis or dire outcomes or would say, you know, you're really not gonna live that long. Were you I hear the emotion in your voice. Were you told things like that back then? No,   Jack Tierney  9:47 you know, that's, that's very interesting, because I remember Okay, for example, one of the doctors that I know just casually here in San Diego is Dr. Steve Adelman. And he too, is a type one diabetic. And I remember in paper he had written, he mentioned the fact that he was told that that he had he would live no more than 15 years. And he was diagnosed as a young adolescent. So I know that many people who were afflicted with type one word told, for example, one of my doctors is put me in touch with a two or three other type one diabetics here in San Diego who've had it for 60 years. And one of the women that I talked to she's now 70 and she was diagnosed at age 13. And again, the doctors told her that she would live no more than 15 years.   Stacey Simms  10:50 How did you then go forward? I mean, it sounds like you kind of alluded to it, you know, did the shots it wasn't that difficult, you know, again, the weight back but this was at a time before blood sugar meters. This was at a time where I assume if you were checking it wasn't very accurate. What were you doing?   Right back to Jack answering that question. But first Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Gvoke Hypopen . And our endo always told us 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's Gvoke Hypopen. Gvoke Hypopen is pre mixed and ready to go with no visible needle, you pull off the red cap and 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. Now back to Jack answering my question about how he stayed healthy.   Jack Tierney  12:06 Well, I'll tell you one of the tapes that I did with Jamie was on exercise, I quickly realized how important exercise was I just felt intuitively that I would utilize insulin more effectively via exercise. And so as I mentioned on the tape, one day when I was 23 years old, I played 50 holes of golf carrying my own bag. And I used to routinely play basketball because I'm six foot four, three to four hours, sometimes even five or six at a time if I had the opportunity away from my academic studies. So I just found that exercise was so important. And you know, I've been as somewhat of an exercise buff all my life. In fact, one reason why I contacted Yahoo and diabetics the connections because on a news release here in San Diego, I saw where Eric Tozer was running eight different marathons on every continent in the US over a short period of time. Yeah. And he's a type one diabetic. So, in fact, on one of the tapes, I say, whenever I get when two people like Eric, I really follow their story, because it's motivational to me to maintain the exercise level that I like to   Stacey Simms  13:37 let me jump over to Jamie for a minute, as you're hearing your dad talk about, you know, playing 50 holes, and golf and basketball. Growing up. Was he super active? Was this a family thing? Did he make you all get involved? Or was this his thing?   Jamie Tierney  13:50 Oh, no, no, we I've been playing golf and my dad, before I can remember, I was about two years old. And, you know, I was thinking because the US Open was fishing yesterday. And he used to wake up at three in the morning and drive down there and get us a place in line to go play and then then come home and wake me up and take me back there. And then we play golf and maybe come back and do yard work stuff like that. So growing up, I never thought it was any different than anybody else's dad probably more probably quite a bit more active than most other dads I knew around.   Stacey Simms  14:25 Was diabetes kind of in the background, then do you remember as a kid, or you know, as a young adult at all? I'm trying to envision what it would be like because now you know with insulin pumps, we see gems, we see it more. But I'm curious, Jamie, from your perspective, what it was like to grow up with a dad with the type plan?   Jamie Tierney  14:42 Well, I don't always see him do the shots. And you know, I don't remember ever asking him what those were about that I just remember. I was near what it was that he had to take medicine he had to do it every single day and had to do with a needle which isn't fun for anybody. I remember a few times, you know when when we would We are playing golf specifically with hot that he bring like a candy bar with him in case he would start feeling a little woozy he would, you know, he would, he would eat something to kind of revive themselves from there was a couple times I remember when it got a little bit scarier than that where he needed, you know, he needed some assistance needed to get back to the clubhouse quickly to get back to normal. So I was always aware of that. But again, you know, I didn't really know that much about the disease itself and how it works. Other than if you've ever looked a little bit off, it needs to get some, some carbohydrates and and quickly,   Stacey Simms  15:36 Jack, I would imagine and I'm just thinking from my own experience, as a parent and as a daughter are our parents generally don't want us taking care of them. And we don't want our kids taking care of us when we become parents. But type 1 diabetes is kind of always there. Were you consciously trying to think, okay, I don't want Jamie to have this responsibility. I've got this, did that kind of stuff go through your mind?   Jack Tierney  15:58 No, you know, I just felt you know, it's an affliction. Everybody has ailments and afflictions. And, you know, once I realize how valuable and importance for my health, taking shots where it just became second nature to me, and I just felt so much better. But I just told my wife last night, since I've been on the T slim X to in last eight months, I've never felt better in my life, and I'm 81 years old. So I just am seeing the value of the pump, you know, and like Dr. McCallum says on the tape, he was a little surprised that I would take to it but you know, I always respect him so much. He just told me that this T slim is really something and I'm just so thankful I took the leap eight months ago and did it because I feel tremendous. Having done I do feel better now that I'm on the pump than I ever did just taking shots.   Stacey Simms  17:11 Now, what led you to do this? It was was it a conversation with your endocrinologist?   Jack Tierney  17:16 Yes. And and just also, he told me that this pump was exceptional in his point of view. In fact, Stacy, I'll say this to you, I just and so long story but I did talk with Dr. Aaron Kowalski today the president of jdrf in New York, and he told me he's using the T slim the Tandem t slim max to also so that made me feel really good. That maybe this is definitely it just reinforced by decision as being a very good one. Well hearing about this from Dr. Kowalski. Well,   Stacey Simms  17:56 I know Dr. Kowalski, but we chose it to and I gotta tell you, I absolutely love it for my son. It's just the software. It's great. So you were already then using a Dexcom CGM. Because if you're listening and not familiar, the Tandem system works with the Dexcom. Right. Are you using that together? And had you been using a CGM for a while?   Jack Tierney  18:16 Yes, in fact, that's a funny story. You're gonna love this story. What happened was about three years ago, I went to see Dr. McCallum and I wanted to get on a continuous glucose monitor. Because, you know, I'd seen it advertised and it just sounded like the cat's meow. So I'm waiting to see him. And there's a young man waiting to see another endocrinologist. And he says, Dr. Tierney, and I said what and what it was, it was a gentleman, a young man that whose first name is Brandon. And I saw Brandon when he was nine years old to help him get ready for a test to get into a highly academic private school here in San Diego. And he at the time, he told me he was a type one diabetic. And so what happened was he was using the Libre and went over all of the advantages to the Libre before I saw Dr. McCallum, so I walked into Dr. McCallum's office, and I said, Well, Dr. McCallum I think I've made a decision on the continuous glucose monitor that I should be using because I one of my former students told me the benefits up Wow, so I went on the Libre. But then, in fact, at the time that I went on the Libre, the Dexcom, six wasn't available, right. And so it just sounded like the best one for me at the time. But then, of course, eight months ago, when I made the decision to go on the T slim. They told me it was worked in concert with the Dexcom six and that's why of course I switch to that saying it's great to   Stacey Simms  19:58 Yeah, it's it's Wonderful to have these choices. You know, I was gonna ask you, right, I was gonna kind of ask you to take us through the process of going from, you know, no home blood sugar meter to kind of you know what it was like in the 80s. And then, you know, the different insolence, but you like rocketed ahead, and now you're on a hybrid closed loop system. So you've right, it's   Jack Tierney  20:20 so sad, you know, there was nothing available. Thinking back, I did a lot of research before I did the eight tapes that Jamie debts. And one of the things that I learned and I had read a little bit about that, because I read a lot about that diabetic compilations and controls study that was done in 1980s and early 1990s, with type ones. And you know, in fact, they abbreviated the study early because it showed that tight control of type one of your blood sugar is imperative. In fact, I think I in my research for those tapes, that study I think, yeah, it was called the DCC, diabetic comm closed stations control trials dcct. And that thing, that thing, I was concluded early, because it showed how important it was. And I think as a result of that the a one C was developed, and also kilmallock. Because before that I was using NPH, insulin from 1961 until the latter part of the 1990s when human log became available, and also, I got my first day one see back in the 1990s. Well, because that wasn't available. Until you know after that monumental study, the dcct. That's when the a one c came about, I believe. And also more synthetic insulins like human lock, right. And that helped me a lot getting on unilock it really good. But I didn't get on that till about I think 1998 1999 thanks to Dr. McCallum   Stacey Simms  22:13 What does he say to you? It's must be really interesting for him to talk to someone. I mean, my guess is that you educate him about many, many things as well. I'm curious. It just sounds like he's really open minded and really a team player with you to to encourage someone who has you know, not but on an insulin pump has lived with type one for more than 60 years. And then to make that change. Do you feel like maybe you're educating him as well? Oh, yeah, I   Jack Tierney  22:41 think it's mutual. Definitely. In fact, what happened was, Jamie said to me in mid March, he said, Dad, I'd like to interview Dr. McCallum. We've done the eight tapes. But like Jamie just said previously, I'd like to interview Dr. McCallum. So I called me and Jamie had to come down here on another job to San Diego from LA. And he wanted to do it on a Friday afternoon. Well, I called Dr. McCallum and he said, You know, I can't do as it's just chaotic once you guys come in Saturday morning, I couldn't believe he invited us in Saturday morning. We were the only one over there. And so I said to him, Well, can I sit in and listen, because Jamie interviewed him for an hour and a half. And I resist taking in his responses to all the questions, because you know, a lot of what he presented I had not heard before. And so it was just a very good education on my part to hear his responses to Jamie's questions. And also all along. He's been very respectful of my what I've learned. I'll give you one good example. And this is good to know, for every type one diabetic, sure, you got to pay attention to your endocrinologist, but also, you've got to pay attention to your experience. I remember when I first got on insulin back in the early 1960s that I was obsessive compulsive about making sure it was refrigerated. I mean, I was Oh, CD on it. I really was well, I'm reading a Life magazine. And this had to be in like 1963 about a gentleman by the name of Franklin, Billy Talbert. And Billy Calvert was one of the greatest tennis players ever. He was diagnosed in 1929. He lived to be 80 years old. In fact, that's one reason why I made the tapes. I said, Well, Billy made it to 80. Maybe my time is coming up. So I better do something that I've been contemplating doing for a while. But in that article back in the 60s, this is what Billy said, I'm playing tennis all over the world. I can't keep my insulin refrigerated all the time. And so I wasn't as I can, you know, you kind of learn by experience what you can do in the like, I mean, sure you take the advice of all of your doctors. But after that I wasn't obsessive compulsive about keeping my insulin refrigerated when I learned what Billy tailrace experience was. And that's what I found with Dr. McCallum he really paid attention to my experiences with this chronic illness. That's great.   Stacey Simms  25:28 Jamie, let me ask you, you know, you are a filmmaker, what do you hope happens with this video, I could ask you why you made it. I kind of have, you know, there's so many reasons why you would do something like this. But I'm curious to know, why did you do it?   Jamie Tierney  25:41 Well, I mean, my dad asked me to maybe not make exactly a film like this. But I just think it's an interesting story. I mean, when I when I got into it, I mean, the thing that kind of hit me the first thing that he survived for almost two years without insulin, yeah, I don't know how that happened, to be honest. And, and I tried to do some research. And I did ask the doctor, how many people have ever made it for that long, I don't think there's too many have forgot about it. He's my dad, but just from a human interest perspective, that someone could survive like that on a small amount of calories and no insulin with basically the pancreas not producing any more insulin at all. So that I feel like it's, it's pretty interesting, just the triumph of the human spirit, I think, and then having lived for, you know, 16 more years after that episode. And but then also, what's interesting to me is just how he's gone through every single phase of treatment. I know the first two treatments were began in the 20s. But it sounds to me like in the 60s, when he first started, it was basically a similar treatment to the 20. So it's pretty much gone through every single medical advance. And I just wonder, again, how many people are out there who are 81, who are getting started on something technologically advanced, like this pump and take into it? I feel like there's an interesting story there, too. I don't know how many people are are in his in his boat with that, too. Yeah. Can I piggyback a little bit? I'm going to tell you something. I haven't told too many people. As we said earlier, Jamie did fill eight scripts. Well, everything led to script number eight. And in script number eight, what happened was from 1992 to 1995, I was asked to be superintendent of the schools in a school district, that was the worst in the state out of 1000. And when that three year period finished, I believe, and maybe I don't think I'm off on this. It became the best school district in the state. And Jamie was getting his master's degree at USC, and screenwriting. And he said to me, dad, someday you have to tell this story. And I thought that was commendable on his part. In fact, he bought me a recorder. And so for a whole year, whenever I was driving, in my new assignment anywhere, which involved a lot of teacher training, I would record my thoughts. And when I finished, I recorded 55 hours of material. And I vowed to write three books. And I have written those three books on my experience there. And that is my ultimate reason for doing these tapes with Jamie helping me because I want to get a little bit of personal notoriety out there in hopes that a reputable publisher will publish my three books, because I think I've got a story. In fact, I told my wife and I just finished watching Downton Abbey because many of our friends thought it was so good. Well, I said to myself, after I watched Downton Abbey, my three books are an American Downton happy because it's a story that in fact, when I was contemplating doing when I started writing the three books of fellow Superintendent friend of mine said, Jack Tierney, he said, You beat me to it. When I retired, I was going to write a Michener light novel titled School District, because what really goes on behind the scenes in a school district has never been taught and what goes on in a border town. The story of what really goes on a border town has not really been told yet. And that is my ultimate person, poor person. I want these books, hopefully a reputable publisher rather than my working on self publishing, and maybe even three movies be made because I think it has the potential for that. And every month cent made will go to be find a cure for type 1 diabetes.   Stacey Simms  29:57 That's great. Well as we start to wrap this up, I'm curious to ask we on this podcast hear from a lot of adults who have been diagnosed with type one, I mean, sure, there's a lot of children as well, this audience is really half and half. And I'm curious, what would you say? What would you say to somebody you know, who was 60? Or 50? You know, who's not six years old? What would you talk about or tell somebody who's diagnosed as an adult?   Jack Tierney  30:21 Well, I probably would say the same thing. That I would say to someone who's diagnosed that like those four young men that I saw, for SAT prep, one of them was diagnosed at age three, the other two were re diagnosed at age seven. And then Brandon, who I mentioned earlier, nine, they have the ability and the courage to take this head on, you know, it is a chronic ailment, but with taking the advice of your endocrinologist and working at it, it is indeed manageable. I'll tell you what one one of the four young men told me when I met him for the first time, we finished the session on SAT prep. And I knew in advance that he was a type one diabetic, he actually had been diagnosed when he was seven. And he was now 16. And I said to him, I said, Well, probably in your lifetime, there will be a cure. And you know what he said to me? You're not going to believe what he said, Stacey, what did he say? He said, I wouldn't take it, huh? Because he had learned how to do it. And he had met this challenge. In fact, when he said that to me, I said, Jamie knows I've said this a lot. I think a lot of young people today, we don't have fixed rites of passage and societies too much anymore, where you did something notable. And the whole community recognized you as a aspiring adult. So young people are picking their own ways to prove to themselves the world and their families that they can stand on their own two feet. So I think that's why that young man made because he had his rite of passage thrust upon him. And he felt that he had successively done it. And so he didn't want to take him away necessarily. Yeah. Anyhow, that's my degree in philosophy. Coming to the fore here on why he responded the way he did, I've heard my dad tell versions of the story, my whole life, but it's, it's nice to have something that you can condense into 11 minutes and hopefully that people can get a sense of him, but also just how you can thrive and have a great life amidst the challenge of this disease. And as he says that, you know, hopefully, this this treatment is, is great, but hopefully there is a there is a cure someday and stories like harrowing stories of what my dad went through it in something. The future,   Stacey Simms  33:04 Jackie, so playing golf.   Jack Tierney  33:05 Oh, yeah. All right. Oh, yeah. I don't play that well, but I love to play. And what's best of all, I love playing with Jamie and his sister. In fact, every time we play, they're a lot better than I am. And they always give me a good tip. And that helps me to play a tad bit better. One of my neatest experiences as a father. In fact, the three of us, three of us always played on Father's Day. We don't now because Emily's in Cape Cod as being a doctor and Jamie's MLA. But whenever we did, when they were in elementary school in high school, it was one of my fondest memories on Father's Day.   Stacey Simms  33:51 Well, thank you so much for sharing your story. Jamie and Jack, I really I can't thank you both.   Jack Tierney  33:57 Give your best to your son, your 16 year old now. Just neat. He's doing so well. And what a champion he is.   Stacey Simms  34:06 Thank you very much. That means so much. And I appreciate you both coming on to share your story. And you know, we can learn so much from it. So thanks, guys. I really appreciate it.   You're listening to Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. More information about Jack and Jamie at Diabetes connections.com including the video with lots and lots of photos, Family Photos, if you'd like to take a look at that. I really appreciate them coming on. So much fun to hear that story and really reflect back and I love that you started using an insulin pump. Just last year, I have a friend who was diagnosed with type one in her late 60s and immediately went out and got the technology she wanted. A CGM right away hasn't started using an insulin pump yet she may never and that's okay but just knowing that the option is there. I think it doesn't matter what age, right? It's all about finding what works for you. And if you're interested in learning more about people who have lived a long time with type one, like I said, at the very beginning of the show, I've talked to several people who've lived, you know, 60, or even 75 years with type one, Richard Vaughn comes to mind. But there are a couple of other people who've been on the show before. And I'll try to link that up in the show notes as well and kind of make a little list if you'd like to go back if you're new to the show, and want to hear more from these incredible pioneers in our community, a little bit more about in person connections and things like that. But first Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dexcom. And you know, a couple of weeks ago, we were watching TV, and I got a Dexcom alert, Benny was upstairs in his room, we were downstairs. And for some reason, it kind of took my brain back to the days when we basically had blood sugar checks on a timer, we would check during the finger stick the same times every day at home and at school, you know, whatever extra we needed to as well. But it's amazing to think about how much our diabetes management has changed with share and follow. I didn't have to stop the show to get up and check on him. I knew what was going on, I could decide whether I wanted to text him or you know, go upstairs and help him out. Using share and follow apps have really helped us talk less about diabetes, which I never thought would happen with a teenager. Trust me, he loves that part too. And that's what's so great about the Dexcom system, I think for the caregiver, or the spouse or the friend, you can help the person with diabetes manage in the way that works for you know, their individual situation. Internet connectivity is required to access Dexcom follow separate follow app required, learn more, go to Diabetes connections.com and click on the Dexcom logo. So tell me something good is usually where I share your good news. And hey, send me your stuff, Stacey at Diabetes, Connections calm or I'll post in the Facebook group Diabetes Connections va group, I'd love to hear the good things that are going on for you, you know, this summer, and as we head into August, let me know what's going on. But for me, the Tell me something good this month was friends for life. I didn't even realize how much I needed that until I was there. If you're not familiar, and I know many of you are joining me because you met me at that conference. But if you're not familiar, it is the largest diabetes conference in the country. This year, they made a joke. It's the largest one on the planet because it's like one of the only ones happening on earth this year. Usually it's almost 3000 people meeting up in Walt Disney World at the convention center there. It's gosh, it's so hot in Orlando in July, but it's always so worth it this year. I think it was about a third I want to say maybe 1000 people were there was a smaller event. But it was still fantastic speakers education a chance to meet the industry people touch insulin pumps, talk to vendors, things like that. There's a lot of stuff happening. And for the kids, you know, it's a chance to see and and adults too, it's a chance to see lots of other people wearing the technology that many feel self conscious about. And usually by the end of the week, and I met a family like this a shy seven year old who didn't want to meet anybody and was almost hiding in her hotel room was jumping in the pool by the end of the conference showing off her Dexcom and her insulin pump. So it's about empowering people with diabetes. It's about educating families. It's about support. As I mentioned, last time, we had an episode I was gonna say last week, but it was two weeks ago. I mentioned a new presentation that I was doing reframe your diabetes parent brain. I thought that went really well. I was really thrilled with the crowd. really terrific people. And they did the presentation. I was always afraid of people gonna play along and give me their examples that everybody was great. So if you are interested, I'll do this on zoom. I'll come to your group. Welcome to your parent meetup. It doesn't have to be anything formal. It's really just about taking the terrible things we say to ourselves. I'm failing my child. I'm the worst Mom, I'm not doing as well as everybody else. How could I possibly have forgotten the blah blah blah. And reframing those thoughts to help us not only feel better, this isn't like a woowoo thing although there's nothing wrong with with changing the way you feel. But this is really actionable stuff about seeing how you are actually living so well with diabetes and you're doing a great job and your child is thriving right under your nose when sometimes you think everything is going wrong. So that was really fun. Sometimes it friends for life or new at the at a conference a couple weeks ago. Sometimes there's big announcements about new technology or you know, people will do presentations and show the new stuff. There really isn't anything like that this year. There's a lot of delays because of COVID. As you know, if you listen you know we are waiting for Omnipod five with Horizon, we are waiting for tandems boltless by phone, we are waiting for Dexcom to be submitted to submit g seven to the FDA. So there's a lot of things we're waiting on. But the community is always there. And I really really needed to see those other moms to hang out with everybody and just to breathe that air again. So thank you so much for everybody who came who said Hi, and who's listening. Now. We also had a really, really great meetup in the Charlotte area and I only share this because you can do this where you live, even if you don't know anybody with diabetes, reach out to your local jdrf or post in some of these Facebook groups post in the Diabetes Connections group you never know maybe there's somebody who's local to you and start talking about let's get together. We had a fantastic meetup. It was parents and kids, and it was adults with type one. Our chapter has really gotten on the ball with adults, they have a whole volunteer outreach now for them. And you know, it's so cool to see people of all ages living well with diabetes, and we all help each other right? So I share that not just to say, isn't my chapter great, which it is shout out to my fabulous friend and Sutton, who makes that chapter home. But also just to spur you on to think about meetups in your own area. They're hard to organize, I do them too. And it's sometimes 20 people come sometimes two people come, but it is really worth it to keep putting it out there and keep trying to find parents, kids, adults in your area, we need our diabetes community, you only see your doctor for teeny weeny amounts of time, every couple of months. Diabetes is 24 seven. So reach out, find people post in the Diabetes Connections Facebook group, if you have questions, we can help you I do a whole presentation on making connections. So I can definitely give you tips and tricks, especially as we get closer to school starting about how to find other families in your area. All right before I let you go, if you have listened for this long as you are listening to this episode, if you listen as it goes live, Benny knock on wood should be coming home from Israel today. As I am taping, it's still a couple of days away. But it will have been a month and I should be picking him up at the airport as this episode is airing. I am hoping that after he sleeps and showers, or sleeps for a couple of days, that he will do a debriefing on the show and talk to me about what it was like not just going to Israel with camp for a month. But what it was like doing all the diabetes stuff completely on his own. At this point. I don't really know a lot. I've seen his numbers. And I think I know what's going on. But I really want to hear it from him. So couple of days left, I can do it. Keep breathing. Oh my gosh, this has been so stressful. And I will share more with you all warts and all. I'll share the honest story, but not until he's back and home safe. All right. Thank you so much to my editor John Bukenas from audio editing solutions. Thank you so much for listening in the news every Wednesday live on Facebook at 430. And then we turn that around into a Friday podcast episode. Do not miss out in the news is like six or seven minutes. It's real quick. I'm trying to get it to five minutes, but I can't get it to five minutes. It's only six or seven minutes long. There's just so much good stuff happening and news to bring you from the diabetes community. So join me every Wednesday live for that or listen for the episode here. I will see you back here in just a couple of days. Until then be kind to yourself.   Benny  42:51 Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacey Simms Media. All rights reserved. All wrongs avenged

Eric Tozer is a lot of things to a lot of people. That list includes being a father, husband, World…

The word "can't" doesn't really register with Eric Tozer. The type 1 diabetic just made history completing the World Marathon Challenge. That's seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. No one with type 1 diabetes had done that before.

Welcome to episode #8 of the Dreaming of Cooperstown Podcast with my guest Eric Tozer. ERIC MADE HISTORY, BECOMING THE FIRST PERSON WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES (T1D) TO COMPLETE THE WORLD MARATHON CHALLENGE, RUNNING 7 MARATHONS ON 7 CONTINENTS IN 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS. Eric Tozer is an endurance athlete and a diabetes ambassador who inspires the community through sports and utilizes his athletic accomplishments as a platform to be a role model in the diabetes community. Eric was diagnosed with T1D in 2006, while traveling in Europe. He had the classic symptoms of diabetes including constant thirst, increased appetite, frequent urination, blurred vision, lethargy and weight loss. Eric had always lived a very active and healthy lifestyle, so the sudden 20-pound weight loss made him aware that something was seriously wrong. Upon returning home, a visit to his doctor revealed the devastating and life changing news of his diagnosis. Eric’s life was quickly turned upside down: checking his blood sugar levels up to 10 times a day, calculating carbohydrate intake and taking varying units of insulin shots with every meal. But Eric wasn’t going to let diabetes control his life and decided to take charge. Soon after his diagnosis, he completed his first half Ironman and hasn’t stopped since. He co-founded non-profit organization, Diabetes Sports Project, comprised of hundreds of T1D athletes around the globe, demonstrating how through proper diet, exercise, a positive outlook and effective blood glucose management, dreams can be achieved.  Eric’s Athletic Accomplishments: World Marathon Challenge 2019 (7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 7 Days)  Run Across America (3,000+ mile run across USA in 15 days with ten T1Ds) 6 mile Ironman distance triathlons 3 mile Half-Ironman distance triathlons Olympic and Sprint distance triathlons 2 mile Marathons 1 mile Half-Marathons NCAA Men's Soccer Final Four All-Tournament Team (2004) Diabetes Sports Project Diabetes Sports Project (DSP) was co-founded by fellow T1Ds and friends, Eric Tozer and Casey Boren. DSP is comprised of the world’s elite diabetic athlete ambassadors who inspire and educate the diabetes community to achieve their goals and aspirations. These ambassadors demonstrate how through proper diet, exercise, a positive outlook and effective blood glucose management dreams can be achieved. The DSP ambassadors are directly engaged in community events within the diabetes and healthcare industry around the world. They participate in diabetes camps, JDRF & ADA events, industry conferences and trade shows, hospital visits, patient support groups, medical professional events and much more. Additionally, their athletes compete at the highest levels of sports to demonstrate that goals can be achieved with diabetes. DSP is dedicated to empowering the nearly 26 million affected by type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the United States. Through inspirational and educational community engagement along with competition in the biggest sporting events in the world, DSP will inspire and educate millions of people affected by diabetes. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research.  Their vision is a world without type 1 diabetes. Their mission is improving lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. Type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that strikes both children and adults suddenly. It has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle. There is nothing you can do to prevent it. And, at present, there is no cure. In T1D, your pancreas stops producing insulin—a hormone the body needs to get energy from food. This means a process your body does naturally and automatically becomes something that now requires your daily attention and manual intervention. If you have T1D, you must constantly monitor your blood-sugar level, inject or infuse insulin through a pump, and carefully balance these insulin doses with your eating and activity throughout the day and night. However, insulin is not a cure for diabetes. Even with the most vigilant disease management, a significant portion of your day will be spent with either high or low blood-sugar levels. These fluctuations place people with T1D at risk for potentially life-threatening hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes as well as devastating long-term complications such as kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, blindness and amputation. Connect with Eric http://www.erictozer.com/http://www.diabetessportsproject.com/ Connect with JDRFhttps://www.jdrf.org/ JDRF Ride-to-Cure Diabeteshttps://www2.jdrf.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=ride_homepage

In this episode I talk to Eric Tozer who is a type 1 diabetic and an endurance athlete. Eric most notably has recently completed the World Marathon Challenge which involves running 7 marathons across 7 continents in 7 days – you read that correctly – that’s just under 300km of running in 7 days! Eric has also run across America with a team of diabetics, he has competed in several Ironman triathlons and running races. Eric is the co-founder of Diabetes Sports Project which is an organization of diabetic athletes that empowers others to live a healthy, responsible and active lives. Throughout my chat with Eric, I was amazed by Eric’s positive outlook on life with diabetes and how he uses his diabetes as a vehicle to inspire and spread awareness about diabetes. Every now and then throughout life you meet certain individuals that leave an enduring impression on you and impart their positivity and belief – Eric is one of those individuals. At certain parts of the episode, there must have been deep sea creatures nibbling on the internet cables between Australia and the US therefore briefly at a couple of points in the episode, the audio is a bit flaky so apologies for this.

The title of this episode says It all: 7 days, 7 marathons, 7 continents. Eric Tozer conquered the amazingly difficult World Marathon Challenge, a historic feat under any circumstances, while managing his type 1 diabetes. Eric‘s story is filled with inspiration, achievement, and the understanding that our potential is far greater than we imagine. Learn more about Eric at www.erictozer.com The Rambling Runner Podcast is presented by Mercury Mile. You can get a box of high quality apparel and goodies that all runners will love at www.mercurymile.com and save $10 by using promo code “ramblingrunner10” at checkout. A big thank you to Megaton Coffee for making great tasting coffee with twice the caffeine and fueling the Rambling Runner Podcast. Learn more at www.megatoncoffee.com and use “rambling” at checkout for to get your first bag of coffee of your subscription plan for only $5. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In the triathlon space that we exist in we are surrounded by some extraordinary people doing amazing things. Today's guest is in a different stratosphere, not just because of his athletic achievements but because of the incurable disease he lives with every day.  Eric Tozer has type 1 diabetes, but he does not let that halt or slow his ambition. His resume of athletic achievements includes: World Marathon Challenge 2019 (7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 7 Days) Run Across America (3,000+ mile run across USA in 15 days with ten T1Ds) 140.6 mile Ironman distance triathlons 70.3 mile Half-Ironman distance triathlons Olympic and Sprint distance triathlons 26.2 mile Marathons 13.1 mile Half-Marathons in this conversation hear: Eric explain the difference between Type 1 & Type 2 diabetes We discuss monitoring blood glucose and the gadget which replaces 288 finger pricks each day  How a pre race adrenaline surge can really mess up your blood sugar levels The challenges of training for and racing Ironman with T1 diabetes Running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 different continents Two marathons in 2 days with a 63C temperature difference When mental strength replaces physical fitness To find out more about Eric, please visit his website at erictozer.com Here are links to some of the topics discussed today: the World Marathon Challenge The Dexcom constant glucose monitoring machine Diabetes Sports Project To find out more about Simon’s coaching please visit his website here. To follow Simon on Facebook, click here. For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com. 

It's called the World Marathon Challenge: 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. And Eric Tozer did it all with type 1 diabetes: We talk about the path that led Eric to this amazing accomplishment and Stacey asks why anyone would even want to do something like this! We find out about blood sugar management, travel issues and how to stay fueled up through seven marathons.  Eric is a co-founder of the Diabetes Sports Project which has great information and inspiration for athletes with T1D. In our Community Connection this week, a fun way to help spread the word on Diabetes Alert Day next month. Find out about Divabetic’s partnership with an escape room And Tell Me Something Good! Parents weigh in on their teens. Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group!  ----- 1:30 Stacey Welcome, she talks about other extreme athletes who've been on the show. Check out those episodes here. 6:00 Interview with Eric Tozer (find out more about JDRF PEAK study here)  44:30 Divabetic's Escape Room for Diabetes Alert Day 47:30 Tell Me Something Good! Stacey is experimenting with a new podcast app: Check out Stacey's Minivan Minutes (not diabetes stuff, just testing out the app for a podcast presentation she's doing for college students) Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners!  ----- 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 Get the App and listen to Diabetes Connections wherever you go! Click here for iPhone      Click here for Android   

On this episode we talk with Eric Tozer. Eric is a remarkable person who, while he often gets the spotlight due to his work with his non-profit Diabetes Sports Project, is a super humble guy and really in it to shine a light on others. Eric is specifically interested in helping other type 1 diabetic athletes succeed in their athletic pursuits. But it goes much further than that. He's also focused on how the success of competitive and endurance sports all translates from inspiration to action. What Eric learned early on is that it's one thing to be inspirational, it's another to actually help others take the steps necessary to become better versions of themselves despite having a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Our conversation goes on a journey from Eric's childhood in Sacramento, CA as a competitive soccer player through an NCAA Championship run. We discuss his sudden loss of 20 pounds and the surprise diagnosis with type 1 diabetes at the age of 22. Since that diagnosis, Eric has run multiple Ironman triathlons and marathons. We also discuss the trials and victories he experienced through a 15 day 3,000 mile foot race from San Diego to NYC with nine other T1D runners.  You'll learn that his athletic accomplishments are truly admirable but his work away from competing is even more special. Eric co-founded the Diabetes Sports Project to support type 1 athletes of all ages. Eric's passion for using sport as a tool to lead a healthy and successful life is clear throughout our conversation, and we are grateful to be able to feature him on this episode of the BRAVEST podcast.  Music Credits for BRAVEST Episode 002 Intro music - Poddington Bear, 'Sepia' & The Passion HiFi, 'Sweet Revenge' Bumper - Joakim Karud, 'Luvly' Outtro music - Joakim Karud, 'That Day'

On today's Diabetes Power Show, Charlie Cherry, Chris Moore, Theresa Moore, and Chris Daniel, welcome Type 1 Diabetics, and the Co-Founders of DiabetesSportsProject.com, Casey Boren and Eric Tozer. Diabetes Sports Project (DSP) is an organization built to inspire. Led by a group of world-class athletes who thrive with Diabetes, their stories, athletic accomplishments, and community outreach empower others to live healthy, responsible, and active lives.   Casey Boren just completed Ironman World Championship on October 10th in Kona, HI. Casey has embraced his disease, learning how to manage his symptoms, while undergoing rigorous training for upcoming competitions, and working a full-time job. As a result of his fierce determination to overcome any hurdles, Casey has completed 14 Ironmans, was part of the inaugural Run Across America in 2011, represented Team USA at the 2014 Long Course  Triathlon  World Championships, and is a sub 3hr. Marathoner. Eric Tozer is a Diabetes Ambassador, who was Captain of his NCAA soccer team, was part of the inaugural Run Across America, and has completed numerous Ironman Triathlons and Marathons. He is a senior sales executive for a big-data healthcare company, and lives with his family in California.