Type One – Cut the B.S.

CBS summit 2020

If you know me, you know that I’m kind of a “yes” girl. Even if it pushes me out of my comfort zone, I have said, “Yes!” This time is no different.

On Saturday, February 29, 2020, I will be spending the day with hundreds of other families living with Type 1 Diabetes. Why do you ask? I have been asked to co-host this year’s JDRF TypeOneNation Summit! It is an honor to be asked and although I’ve got the butterflies-in-the tummy feeling, I have given our local JDRF office a resounding, “Yes!”

Let’s do this!

Let me tell you. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the JDRF TypeOneNation Summit. It has become one of my favorite events of the year! It is super informative. It’s my go to for the most recent Type One Diabetes research updates. We get to listen to uplifting keynote speakers. We get to select from a great number of in-depth breakout sessions that are applicable to us ranging from clinical trials, insurance updates, to PEAK (T1D Performance in Exercise and Knowledge) which is JDRF’s new fitness based program.

Some of you who have been to my Adult T1D Talk Lounge Sessions in the past have already asked, “Why is this not an option this year, Cut the BS Girl?” Here’s the inside scoop: This year, we’re changing it up with something a little different called, T1D Table Talks, where I will be facilitating the Adults with T1D table talk. If you’ve been to my T1D Talk Lounge in the past, this will have a similar feel, but will have grown to a whole room of people doing it at different age groups and different topics! Yasss!

If you or someone you know has Type One Diabetes and want to connect with others with T1D including myself click here and sign up!

I look forward to seeing you there and remember to Cut the BS! (I mean blood sugar.)

Rest In Sweet Peace Mary Tyler Moore

Mary Tyler Moore died today. I knew I wanted to write something because she meant too much to me. I couldn’t quite find the words so I began procrastinating by looking for images to use for this post. Then I came across the quiz: Which “Mary Tyler Moore Show” character are you? I already knew the answer, but I thought I’d enter my answers and get a confirmation from the gods at MeTV.com : I got Mary Richards.

No, I didn’t look like her. No, I wasn’t an actress. No, I wasn’t a trained dancer. But so much of me can relate to the real Mary Richards – Mary Tyler Moore. First of all, we both went to Immaculate Heart High School. Yes, believe it or not, we both went to an all girl school and came out on the other side still smiling.

Next, Mary Tyler Moore provided me with role models that I wanted to be like when I grew up. Through her role as Mary Richards and through the different shows produced by MTM Enterprises, her name and influence brought strong, articulate, intelligent, and funny female characters to life at a time that it just wasn’t common. As a young woman in the 80’s, I tightly embraced the idea that I could be a TV producer or the mastermind behind a private investigating company like Remmington Steele. Did I turn into any of those characters? No. But I knew I could if the desire struck.

Lastly, we were both diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in our early thirties. She was 33 and I was 32. It wasn’t only the fact that she was diagnosed at 33 that amazed me about her. It was what she was able to accomplish after that diagnosis. The work she has done with the JDRF and the commitment she gave to our cause is nothing short of great and it’s something I will forever appreciate.

Her transparency and honesty with how she lived her life with diabetes is an inspiration to me and it helps me to live my best life with Type 1 Diabetes. I only hope that I can help others in the same way she helped me. Every day I celebrate little victories where I feel like I can twirl around the throw my hat in the air like times when my blood sugars are in check.

So thank you, Mary Tyler Moore. Thank you for being a pioneer in television, female empowerment, and living a long, full, and eventful life with diabetes. I now have hope that I can live well into my 80s. I have been inspired and empowered by you to continue doing my own share of the work in volunteerism, fundraising, and advocacy with JDRF. I will keep your spirit alive by working to “turn the world on with my smile” and continue the legacy of encouragement you began decades ago.