Type 1 Diabetes - True Stories
Pre-bolusing can sound simple on paper, but in real life? It messes with your timing, your confidence, and your entire sense of control. And sometimes, it just feels like too much. So today, you’re getting something special: Chapter 1 of...
The episode, word for word
Over the years, I've been to a lot of diabetes conferences, meet-ups, retreats. And the part I always walk away remembering? The stories.
Not the sessions. Not the research posters. The real-life moments people share in between.
Like the guy who cut holes in all his pockets to run his tubing through. Or the mom who once used frosting as a correction snack... because it's what was in her purse.
Or the woman who looked at me and said, "Oh... you do that too? I thought I was just doing it wrong."
Hey, I'm Neil, and this is Your Best T1D Year podcast.
Today's a big one, my new book Type 1 Diabetes, True Stories is officially out.
And I wrote it because I couldn't hear everyone's stories. I wanted to write some of them down. Mine, yes, but also ours.
It's full of those, "Wait... you do that too?" moments. Some funny. Some cringey. Some that'll make you want to yell at the page, "Why are you doing that so badly?!"
But that's the point. Because when you hear someone else's story, you stop feeling like you're the only one lost in the woods.
You realize, this is hard for everyone. And that doesn't make you weak. It makes you human.
So I've decided to give you a little gift. This is chapter 1 - it's an intro to the book and sets the tone for the stories that are inside. For free - here you go - Chapter 1 of "Type 1 Diabetes: Short Stories"
Chapter 1 // Oh, you too? (final)
"Nobody remembers easy."
A life motto, and the unofficial theme of this entire book
I almost called this book Type 1 Diabetes Short Stories.
But let's be honest... nothing about life with T1D is short.
Not the diagnosis.
Not the explanations.
Definitely not the insurance prior authorization phone calls. Amiright?
REPRESENTATIVE!!
These stories aren't short.
They're true.
Some of them are hilarious. Some are gut-wrenching. Some will leave you shaking your head, thinking, "Bro, what are you doing?"
These are the kinds of stories that usually get told in fragments, on podcasts, in DMs, or during a moment at a conference or in the comment section on Instagram. But they've never had space to live in a long form, until now.
For the past year, I've been writing down the most defining moments from my life with Type 1 diabetes. The good. The bad. The messy middle.
Each chapter is a story from my life with Type 1 diabetes. Sometimes I nailed it. Most of the time, I did not.
You'll hear about the time I ripped out my insulin pump in the middle of a canoe trip with my family and ended up begging for syringes at a Walmart pharmacy like I was in a pawn shop. You'll meet Emilia, a mom of two in the Amazon Rainforest who taught us how to show up.
Why? Because I know you have moments, too.
Everyone has a Day One.
The day they were diagnosed.
The day their child was diagnosed.
The day everything changed.
But this book isn't just about Day One.
It's about all the moments that came after that.
I've written down some moments that defined my 30+ years with T1D, the ones that made me laugh, made me cry, and made me better. And I'll be honest: some of these stories I've never shared before. Some of them I wasn't sure I should share.
But here we are.
This book exists because the T1D community is made up of people who show up for each other and themselves. People who've sent supplies to someone with Type 1 they've never met, halfway across the world. People who have navigated impossible situations with courage. People who have quietly fought every day to stay in the game.
Every chapter ends with a quick reflection, some thoughts on what I learned, what I'd do differently, and what you can take from it. This isn't a "how-to" book.
It's a "been there, felt that" book.
So, whether you're reading this as a person with T1D, a caregiver, a partner, a parent, or someone who's just trying to understand, it's for you.
You're going to meet people in these pages who changed my life.
You're going to read about:
A vending machine betrayal mid-hypoglycemia
Peeing out of the back of a speeding truck (yes, you read that right)
How the floors at Bob Evans aren't very soft when you pass out
What it feels like to fly into the middle of the Amazon with a suitcase full of insulin
A Peruvian man named Samuel, who could teach a masterclass in T1D survival
And the exact moment I realized that connection, not control, is what actually changes lives
If you see yourself in any of these pages... good.
If you learn something... great.
If you laugh... even better.
And if you feel understood, connected, or even a little bit more hopeful?
That's why this book exists. To give these stories a place to live.
To help you feel seen.
To make you laugh.
To make you think, "I'm not alone in this."
This book is meant to educate you in some way. Maybe entertain you along the way.
But more than anything, to remind you:
You're not doing this alone.
You're not the only one who's made mistakes.
You're not the only one who's had to figure it out in real-time.
And your story? It matters.
So let's get into it.
These are my true stories.
But I think you'll find,
They might feel like yours, too.
That's the end of Chapter 1
The book is out. And if this podcast has helped you feel less alone?
I really think Type 1 Diabetes, True Stories will too.
Get it on Amazon, Kindle, or Audible. And when you read it, let me know what story hit you hardest, or made you laugh the loudest.
Because your story matters just as much.
New episodes drop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
I want to thank our sponsor, Blue Circle Health. Because if you have ever waited three months for a basic appointment, only to feel misunderstood? Blue Circle Health is different. They'll get you in quickly, and they get T1D. It's free, it's virtual, and it's built to work with your life. Services include prescription assistance, CGM onboarding, emotional support, and diabetes education. bluecirclehealth.org is the place to start.
Nobody remembers easy.
And you? You're the one still showing up. That's worth a lot.
52 - June 13
Friday, June 13
This is the script as read on the mic, lightly tidied for reading. Education, not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything about your insulin.