Type 1 on 1 | Diabetes Stories

A breakfast TV icon to kick off season 3 of Type 1 on 1? Oh go on then...

Derrick Evans MBE, better known as Mr Motivator, is this week's guest. King of the lycra-clad small screen throughout the 90s, he got the UK moving in their living rooms each and every morning with his uplifting workouts and memorable catchphrases. His daughter Abigail was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 19, causing a huge upheaval in her life - switching career paths and bringing her parents back to the UK to help her navigate the mental challenges of life with type 1 diabetes. Unfalteringly hopeful without shying away from the tougher parts of life with type 1, it's no surprise that Derrick brings the ultimate dose of motivation to this new series, as well as a huge amount of humility for the way that Abigail's experiences have challenged his own perceptions of what it means to be healthy. We also discuss the many challenges Derrick has faced in his own life, and what his long-standing career has taught him.

Follow Mr Motivator on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realmrmotivator/?hl=en

This episode is sponsored by Dexcom and Ypsomed MyLife Diabetescare
https://www.dexcom.com
https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com

Type 1 on 1 Season 3 launches Tuesday 14th September 2021! More brilliant, generous guests will join me, Jen Grieves, each week to chat about what it REALLY means to live with type 1 diabetes. I can’t wait to share these incredible stories with you - some are funny, some are emotional, but they're all REAL and will hopefully help you feel less alone when it comes to tackling the good, bad and the ugly parts of living with this complex chronic condition. Subscribe now to take a seat on our cosy, welcoming virtual sofa as we discuss all things type 1 diabetes.

It’s the final episode of Type 1 on 1 season 2 and my guest is… me.

After 10 weeks of chatting in depth with some incredible people about what exactly it means to live with type 1 diabetes, my astute and incredibly kind friend Will Hardy turns the tables to find out allll about my life with type 1 diabetes, and how my feelings towards living with the condition have changed over the 24 years since my beta cells gave up the ghost.

We cover diagnosis, careers, dating, if you can ever really have it all figured out (answer: no), and whether I would do it all again without type 1 diabetes if I had the choice. JUICY.
You were potentially hoping for a more high profile guest for a season finale but this leaves the door open for a bonus episode or two if we get to hang out in close proximity this side of Christmas.

With that I just wanted to say that being accountable for producing this podcast during the coronavirus outbreak has honestly saved my sanity on more than one occasion. While I’ve been so comparatively lucky compared to many, it's not to say I haven't had my fair share of wobbles, and I’m not entirely sure what I would have done without this podcast and my guests who have offered up their experiences so generously. Thank YOU, seriously, for keeping me connected to the world through your comments and feedback, and I hope there’s also been some small amount of comfort in it for you too, because as we all know living with type 1 diabetes is difficult at the best of times, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic. Thank you also to my fantastic sponsors Ypsomed mylifediabetescare and Dexcom UK and Ireland.
Sending all the love, and see you in another corner of the internet soon for more ridiculous, hilarious, emotional and real chats about this life of chronic chaos.

Come and say hi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjengrieves/

This episode is sponsored by Dexcom and Ypsomed MyLife Diabetescare
https://www.dexcom.com
https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com

Muhammad Ali made history in 2018 as the first British professional boxer with type 1 diabetes. Three years earlier, his licence application was rejected because of his condition, threatening to end his career. We talk through how he went about convincing the British Boxing Board of Control that he was fit to fight and how advances in diabetes technology helped to get him there - along with a huge amount of resilience and determination!

Ali was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 5 and always played sports, but after watching Ricky Hatton fight at the age of 12, he knew boxing was the one for him. His dad wasn't convinced, and so his mum ended up sneaking him to his first boxing session! Ali speaks inspiringly about how his diabetes and boxing go hand-in-hand, and how having diabetes has given him discipline both inside and outside of the ring. He also chats about being made to feel different because of his diabetes, and how he now uses his platform on the world stage to motivate children with diabetes to achieve their dreams, and satisfying his sweet tooth while on an athlete's diet!

Follow Muhammad Ali on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MuhammadAliBox
Say hi to him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muhammaddkali/
Check out his website for upcoming fights and info: https://www.muhammadaliboxing.com/

This episode is sponsored by Dexcom and Ypsomed MyLife Diabetescare
https://www.dexcom.com
https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com

The incredibly down to earth and absolutely hilarious Hollyoaks actor Rory Douglas-Speed is this week's guest. With an art for storytelling, Rory recounts some of his most embarrassing experiences since his type 1 diabetes diagnosis 20 years ago, including a trip to diabetes camp that put him off speaking to other type 1s for years, and how hypos will just always appear during sex.

There are so many points in this episode where I should be asking a question but I'm too busy laughing, and it's so refreshing to hear Rory's take on the ridiculousness of type 1, but also the admission that he wouldn't take a cure for his diabetes even if there was one. Rory also reveals how his fiancé Nadine prompted him to want to take his condition more seriously after years of pushing his body to its limits, and chats about his doubts over whether his illness would prevent him from being a good dad to his son Reggie. Rory is just so much fun - enjoy!

Say hi to Rory on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rorydouglasspeed/

This episode is sponsored by Dexcom and Ypsomed MyLife Diabetescare
https://www.dexcom.com
https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com

We've got something a little different for this week's episode - it's a diabetes and Covid-19 'special' with none other than the voice of reason and action for diabetes in the NHS, Professor Partha Kar because I don't know about you but I'm feeling a bit unsure at the moment.
As lockdown restrictions start to ease we're all tentatively and gratefully emerging from our homes. But with coronavirus still in our midst and those living with diabetes at increased risk of severe illness, Partha deftly reassures us about what we do and don't need to be worrying about when it comes to Covid-19 and rejoining society.
Partha is an incredible change-maker within the NHS, and he and his team have expertly and efficiently adapted to this unprecedented time of increased demand and risk. He covers off a multitude of topics in this episode, many of which were raised by people with diabetes via Twitter and Instagram (thank you!). He discusses whether children should be returning to school, pregnancy and Covid-19, whether you can request to keep working from home, working in group settings, shielding, socio-economic and racial disparities in healthcare outcomes, increased access to technology and the likelihood of a second wave, as well as the potential long term positive outcomes of greater flexibility and more digitally-focussed diabetes care that have evolved as a result of the pandemic. I hope it goes some way to assure you in these uncertain times.

Resources Mentioned
ALAMA Covid-19 Medical Risk Assessment: https://alama.org.uk/covid-19-medical-risk-assessment/
Coping with Coronavirus Self-Help Guides from University College London: https://www.copingwithcoronavirus.co.uk/self-help-guides.html
My Way Digital Type 1 Diabetes E-Learning Platform: https://mytype1diabetes.nhs.uk/
Digibete App and Website for under 18s living with diabetes: https://www.digibete.org/digibete-app/
Diabetes UK Helpline: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/how_we_help/helpline

Contact Partha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/parthaskar
Follow Partha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhssugardoc/

This episode is sponsored by Dexcom and Ypsomed MyLife Diabetescare
https://www.dexcom.com
https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com

Claire is the founder of Organising Chaos, which sells a range of products and accessories to help people decorate their diabetes. Claire was diagnosed with type 1 in 1997, and in her words has been on a journey from ‘diabad to diabadass’ in the past 23 years.

We cover SO much in this conversation, from a 10 year period in which Claire decided she no longer had diabetes and barely took her insulin, to relearning what it means to live with type 1, finding the online community, diabetes technology, how gross diabetic chocolate really is, diabetes in the workplace and ultimately how her toughest challenges prompted the start of a thriving business based on the very illness she refused to acknowledge for so long. Claire also speaks openly about her two miscarriages, and how her diabetes affected - and was affected by - her experience.

This is a very real but also a very hopeful story - Claire has shown incredible resilience through so many hurdles and I feel like there is something for everyone in this chat!

Say hi to Claire on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_organising.chaos
Check out Claire's fab business Organising Chaos: https://www.organising-chaos.com

This episode is sponsored by Dexcom and Ypsomed MyLife Diabetescare
https://www.dexcom.com
https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com

27-year-old Emma Bowditch is today's guest. Emma suffered an episode of hypoglycaemic hemiparesis in her early 20s, during which half the body is paralysed as an additional symptom of a low blood sugar. Yikes! Emma didn't have a label for what happened to her for years after, and reached out to me in a bid to raise awareness of this relatively undocumented experience.
Emma also offers a ton of insight into how effectively shutting down from talking about her diabetes from when she diagnosed aged 12 has impacted her life - and from that how's she's only relatively recently felt equipped to engage more with everything that having type 1 diabetes entails. From having different Instagram accounts for the days when she wants to separate from type 1, to climbing her own personal Everest that has nothing to do with mountains, Emma articulates so astutely a lot of the fear and apprehension that comes with confronting your illness.

Say hi to Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmabowditch/

This episode is sponsored by Dexcom and Ypsomed MyLife Diabetescare
https://www.dexcom.com
https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com

This week I speak to Dave, who has lived with type 1 diabetes for over 40 years after being diagnosed at the age of three. Dave talks through his memories of growing up using glass syringes and steel needles, and not being able to test his blood sugar because glucose meters didn't exist. The tables were turned somewhat when his daughter Martha received a type 1 diagnosis in 2019 at the age of 12, and Dave chats about the impact of that on not only her, but the rest of the family. Dave has long been a great voice of reason in this community and it was fascinating to cover 40 years of life with type 1!

Dave blogs at The Tangerine Diabetic: http://thetangerinediabetic.blogspot.com/
Say hi to Dave on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SowerBee
Follow Dave on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr_sowerbee/

This episode is sponsored by Dexcom and Ypsomed MyLife Diabetescare
https://www.dexcom.com
https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com

This week’s guest is 34-year-old Dan Newman. Dan went through a period of diabetes distress and burnout in his teens after being diagnosed with type 1 at the age of 10, and later developed chronic kidney disease in 2013. Dan takes us on an incredible journey, and after a successful kidney transplant and overcoming his own pressure to be a ‘perfect’ person with diabetes, he now is very open about talking about his complications in a bid to reduce the taboo and stigma that can surround these challenges.
I was so taken aback by Dan's wisdom and sense of perspective - not to mention the fact that he has the most soothing voice on earth! Which is handy because he hosts his own awesome diabetes podcast called The Talking Type 1 Podcast - definitely go and have a listen!

Find Dan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/t1d_dan
Find Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t1d_dan
Follow The Talking Type 1 Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtype1podcast/

This episode is sponsored by Dexcom and Ypsomed MyLife Diabetescare
https://www.dexcom.com
https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com