Homemade Face Mask for T1D

The first time I ever heard of the "Corona Virus" was in early Feb 2020. I never knew it would become a pandemic or effect the USA as much as it has. I NEVER expected to be living in a quarantined world and learning how to make my own face mask, but here I am blogging about it.

As we reported April 3, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends all citizens voluntarily wear a cloth face mask for essential trips out of the house to the grocery store, doctor, or other public places where the 6-foot social distancing rules may be difficult to maintain.
Wearing a cloth mask might help protect people around you, if you happen to be infected with Covid-19 but do not have symptoms yet. - WIRED.com

Since having Type 1 Diabetes considers me “immunocompromised” or at a higher risk I decided to create my own hand-made face mask to wear when I go out in public. I do not own a sewing machine so I found a hand stitch tutorial and fabric pattern to help me.

Diabetes Management: Expectations vs. Reality

A metaphor about how managing diabetes isn't easy 

When diabetes kicks you in the face and says, “NOT TODAY!” 😣 That moment when your CGM falls off even with extra adhesive. When your pump stops working in the middle of the night and your BG skyrockets above 400mg/dL (22.2 mmol/L). 📈 When you expect a good A1c number, but your Endocrinologist tells you something way higher. 😤 The days (even weeks) your BG won’t come down with any amount of insulin. 💉 We’ve all been there. 🙋🏼‍♀️ You’re not alone! 👊🏻 Keep fighting - tomorrow is a new day! 🌅
Please share with anyone who needs this right now. 💙

My T1D Diagnosis Story | Going into DKA

I recently celebrated my 3rd "Diaversary" and shared my diagnosis on my Instagram stories. The amount of feedback I received was overwhelming. My DMs were full of so many people connecting with my story and becoming emotional as I did in the video. I edited together the IG stories into a YouTube video so others can easily find it.

Insulin Savings Cards

Insulin prices in The United States are really freaking expensive. Amirite?! An "Insulin Crisis" if you will. The cost of insulin has increased 300% in the last 10 years resulting in people rationing their insulin and dying. This breaks my heart. Frederick Banting sold his patent for insulin for $1 for a reason - so EVERYONE would have access to it. #insulin4all

InPen Review (2018-19 Version)

I first heard about the InPen in December of 2018. If you've never heard of it, it's pretty much the smartphone of insulin pens.

An easy-to-use pen that not only helps calculate your doses but also keeps track of injection data. When paired via Bluetooth® with the smartphone app, the InPen delivery system keeps tabs on how many units you received at your last injection, when you took them, and other helpful information. - companionmedical.com/inpen

September Destination: Yosemite

For my 30th birthday, I wanted to travel to a place I've dreamt of my entire life. I grew up hearing about National Parks from my grandpa and knew Yosemite was one of the most majestic parks in our country. At this point, I had lived in California for SEVEN YEARS and had yet to make the 5 hour drive up to Yosemite. I was done staring at photos of my friend's camping trips and professional photographer's Instagram pages taken within the park. I WAS GOING...and bringing Brad with me!

August Destination: Seattle

For my 8th month of travel I chose to visit my good friend, Allyson, up in Seattle. She recently moved back home after living in Los Angeles for awhile. I missed her and always wanted to visit her hometown, so she set up a fabulous variety of things for me to see and do! I was only in town mid-week for 4 days and 3 nights. So, here is my long weekend Seattle Travel Guide recommendations.