🎧 Episode 25: Growing Up with Type 1 Diabetes

Guest: Dr. Gretchen Hoyle, Pediatrician
Host: Matt Butterman
Duration: ~35 minutes

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and deeply personal episode, host Matt Butterman and pediatrician Dr. Gretchen Hoyle explore the realities of growing up with Type 1 diabetes — from teenage independence and risk-taking to resilience, technology, and hope for the future.

The conversation begins with a powerful moment: Matt shares his experience receiving a 50-year medal for living with Type 1 diabetes at the American Academy of Pediatrics Conference. That milestone sparks a rich dialogue about what it means to thrive — not just survive — with a chronic condition through adolescence and into adulthood.

Together, Matt and Dr. Hoyle offer insight, humor, and perspective for families navigating the challenges of Type 1 diabetes in teens, including the emotional toll and the breakthroughs that make long, healthy lives possible.

Key Themes & Takeaways

🩸 The Adolescent Transition

• Teenagers with Type 1 diabetes face unique challenges balancing independence, identity, and daily medical management.

  
  

• What may look like “rebellion” is often exhaustion from the relentless self-monitoring and decision-making diabetes demands.

  
  

• Dr. Hoyle notes that while technology like CGMs and insulin pumps have transformed care, adolescence still brings an intense desire to be “normal.”

  
  

⚖️ Risk, Resilience, and Responsibility

• Puberty brings insulin resistance, peer pressure, and risk-taking — and diabetes complicates it all.

  
  

• Some teens push boundaries with alcohol, late nights, or skipped checks, while parents struggle between micromanaging and letting go.
  
  
• Dr. Hoyle advises parents to move from “manager” to “coach,” staying nearby as a steady, non-controlling presence — “on the banks of the river, not steering the boat.”

🏃‍♂️ Finding Balance Through Activity

• Matt shares how cycling became his outlet — helping regulate blood sugar, build discipline, and create community.

  
  

• Sports and physical activity can be empowering for teens with diabetes, improving both glucose stability and mental health.
  
  
• Having role models — like other athletes with Type 1 — helps normalize the condition and inspire perseverance.

  
  

💬 The Emotional Side: Burnout, Anxiety, and Community

• Living with diabetes can take a heavy mental toll. Burnout, frustration, and depression are common, especially for teens.

  
  

• Dr. Hoyle emphasizes screening for emotional well-being and helping kids find supportive communities — online or in person — where they can connect with others who “get it.”

  
  

• Type 1 can accelerate emotional maturity: many teens with chronic conditions become empathetic, resilient, and socially attuned beyond their years.

  
  

🌄 Hope and Longevity

• Matt reflects on how far diabetes care has come — from manual injections and paper logs to automated closed-loop systems.

  
  

• Receiving the 50-year medal is a testament that teens diagnosed today can live long, thriving, limitless lives.
  
  
• As Matt says, “A diagnosis of Type 1 doesn’t define your child’s life — there really are no limits.”

  
  

Quotable Moments

“It’s proof that you can live, thrive — not just survive — with Type 1 diabetes.” — Matt Butterman

“Parents need to be the banks of the river, not the ones steering the current.” — Dr. Gretchen Hoyle

Resources Mentioned

• Children with Diabetes – support, education, and community resources

  
  

• JDRF – advocacy and research for Type 1 diabetes

  
  

• Team Novo Nordisk – professional athletes living with diabetes

  
  

Listen & Subscribe

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Visit nimbleyouthpodcast.com for more episodes and show notes.

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