The discovery of insulin 100 years ago by Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best transformed type 1 diabetes from a fatal diagnosis to a chronic condition that could be managed through multiple daily injections (MDI). When Sir Banting’s cousin, Sponsored Podvocate and Podder™ Rebecca Redmond, was diagnosed with T1D many decades later, she struggled to … Continue reading Phoenix Rising: How switching to an insulin pump changed my life
Change is hard, regardless of why it is taking place. We are naturally wired to respond to ambiguity with hesitation. We are, in a sense, programmed to favour the present. To champion our current situation. Like most people living with diabetes, I have a routine. Living with diabetes can be unpredictable on the best of … Continue reading My Self-Guided Transition to Omnipod DASH®
Peculiar are those pieces that come together when an unexpected, yet planned event occurs. It is amazing what light the present can bring to the past. That is, if you can slow yourself down long enough to reflect on the now it will help you piece together why your path has led you here. Like … Continue reading It’s Your Personal Promenade
In January 2020, I posted the original version of this story, to my old blog. Since then, it has required some updates and additions, beyond an extra 20(ish) pounds… It was happening again. I was trying on my entire closet worth of clothing and, much to my dismay and embarrassment, truly little of it fit … Continue reading A Fleshy Form of Friendship
100 Days with Omnipod DASH® by Rebecca Redmond In our house, we name things. All the items we interact with daily have a name, our car, the coffee machine, the stand mixer, mostly thanks to my son. So, when I transitioned from MDI (multiple daily injections) to an insulin pump my PDM (personal diabetes manager) … Continue reading 100 Days with Omnipod DASH®
No two diabetics or people with diabetes are the same. They just aren’t, and everyone living with diabetes (regardless of type) does so differently. And yet, I have found there is a great deal of pressure in the community. I have found there is an unspoken notion that some T1Ds are better “at it” than others. This notion, though … Continue reading Beware the Straight-liners
Having been together for some time, we have developed a routine - anxiety and me. But it does not mean our relationship lacks surprise. Anxiety continues to bring the unexpected into my life. A lot of people do not understand what it means to live with mental illness. Some people view it as a mechanism … Continue reading Me and My Anxiety
How we see ourselves in the world has a lot to do with if we see ourselves in the world. The world is a fast-paced social media-centric place nowadays. And a lot of what we deem to be normal and/or acceptable comes from pages and/or screens. Pages and screens that are created using sweeping brush … Continue reading A Rant Regarding (Under)Representation
**This was a guest blog post on DMP - The Diabetes App originally published there about a month ago. Unfortunately, if you do not have the app you cannot access the article. I have decided to post it (in modified form) here as I feel it has value and want those who do not use … Continue reading Employing Emotional Flexibility to Navigate the Bad Days
**I penned the original version of this poem in March of 2007; it took until September 2008 for me to stop revising it and finally be happy with the outcome. Only to have me reexplore it in February 2021.** This is a photograph (I took) from one of my most treasured places to hike - … Continue reading Earth Underfoot
Life with chronic illness (or several) is not what most would describe as a perfectly pleasant cup of tea. In fact, most would consider one more than enough. But we do not dictate the dishes life serves off its menu. Instead, we are force fed situation and circumstance. So, you either make do, add a … Continue reading Culpable Consumption
**This is a poem I wrote nearly a decade ago - it was published here in this space back in 2013 after it suffered failure in a Diabetes Poetry contest (the winning submissions far cheerier). I revisited it, tweaked it, and offer it up to you, once again.** This photo was taken by me during … Continue reading The Days
A Soul is a Resilient Thing 