#1969 Elena and Sarah
Elena and Sarah
Elena was diagnosed her senior year of high school and is now managing it on her own in college. She and her mom, Sarah, talk about the handoff — and the nights Elena sleeps through a low.
Jump to a moment
- Thyroid came first, and it changed everything. Before type 1, Elena had stopped growing. Her mom, Sarah, credits catching and treating her thyroid for letting her grow at all. Type 1 followed her senior year of high school, after a week of blurred vision, constant thirst and trips to the bathroom, confirmed at an urgent care.
- She went on the Juice Cruise, then off to college. The family has sailed with the community, and Sarah describes watching Elena share a room down the hall with her sister and simply handle it. Elena talks about the early discomfort of being the kid with diabetes — including going low during an exam — and not yet knowing how to tell people without getting emotional.
- The low she sleeps through is the part that worries everyone. Elena is candid that she sometimes doesn't wake until she's quite low, which was more of a problem in college. Scott tells the story of being sure Arden wouldn't survive her first forty-eight hours at school. Sarah still texts when she sees a high, and describes the balance between watching and letting go.
- A program that makes the cost manageable. Sarah describes coverage that, based on Elena's own income until she's 26, brings the family's cost for all of her diabetes care to roughly $120 a year, plus reimbursement for mileage and overnight stays for appointments. Coverage details vary widely by state and program.
- Her message is that diabetes is a small part of a full life. Elena has won a diabetes scholarship twice, keeps friends who share her approach, and says plainly that it's a little piece of who she is rather than the whole thing. She's also restarting a GLP, and the family is adjusting her settings around it with her care team.
- Juice Cruise 2027 — July 21, 2027 — the community cruise this family has sailed on.
- Diabetes Pro Tip series — Episodes 1000-1025 — settings, insulin timing, and food impact.
- Bold Beginnings series — Scott and Jenny Smith for newly diagnosed families.
Every word of the conversation
Cold open & sponsors0:03
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I'm Elena, and I've had type one diabetes for two years. And right now, I'm in college.
And I'm Sarah. I'm Elena's mom.
Okay. What year in college, Elena?
I'm gonna be a sophomore next year.
Okay. And Sarah, how many kids you got? Is she the only one or there are little leeches everywhere? What's going on?
He is the oldest of three girls.
Oh, good goodness me. Yes. How's your how's your husband? Did he leave years ago? What's going on?
He's handling it.
It's fine. Your dad seem okay, Oleyn?
Oh, yeah. For sure.
Yeah. He does seem okay. It's awesome.
He's great.
What are you going to college for?
I'm studying exercise science and psychology.
Look at you. What what got you interested in that?
Psychology credits, and college2:42
I've taken a couple, like, psychology classes at my community college, and I really enjoyed them. So I went into college, like, mainly, like, wanting to study psychology. But then I got there and I was like, oh, they have this exercise science program that's really cool, and I wanna be an occupational therapist. And so I feel like that, like, more so aligned with that. But then I also was like, I've already taken so many psychology credits.
Like, if I added the second major, like, it wouldn't really
Be a big
that crazy.
So That's awesome. Yeah. And, okay, so are you, do you commute to college, or do you go away? Because it's summer right now.
Yes. No. I go away. It's, like, an hour away from me.
Okay. Was there a, limit, Sarah, on how far she could go?
I think a little bit. We looked a little bit outside of the state, but she didn't have any strong desires to go outside of the state. So we we just looked fairly local in what schools interested her here.
Okay.
Hey. You're It is nice to have her close.
Yeah. I well, but I'm doing the math. Right? She was you were diagnosed, Delaney, in your senior year of high school?
Diagnosed senior year3:54
In my junior year.
In junior year.
Yeah. Towards the end. Utah.
Okay. Are there other folks in the family who have autoimmune issues or type one?
My mom, so Elena's grandma has, Graves' disease. Mhmm. And her mom also had thyroid issues, but that's really it.
Elena, have you developed any thyroid issues?
Yes. I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
What a great name, isn't it? Oh, yeah. For sure. Yeah. It
makes me sound super cool when I say it.
I'm sorry. I'm laughing, thinking of my kids. For years, Arden's like, I just have hypothyroidism. I don't have Hashimoto's. We got her tested.
She has Hashimoto's. And she's like, oh, great. Another thing. I was like, well, the other thing was a thing too. So but it it is just a dumb name.
You know, I think it's just named after the person who I think his name was Hashimoto.
Yeah. Probably.
Well, yeah, we'll figure it out later. Not that you care. But, you know, you noticed that Tom Holland didn't, figure it out, Elena. How much would that have been?
Yeah.
Yeah. Right.
I know. That would be pretty cool.
Yeah. Yeah. Hey. What's going on? I have type one diabetes, and I have Hollanditis.
See?
Oh, yeah.
You'd wear that on a T shirt.
Yeah. I like that.
I'm gonna make T shirts that say Hashimoto's thyroid thyroiditis on it, see how many I can sell, see if I can get past three. Oh gosh. So which diagnosis came first?
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in seventh grade.
Oh, were you how did they figure it out? Tara, what did you notice?
Oh, she was losing a lot of weight. Looking back at photos now, I can't believe how, like, thin and frail she looked. But we we had, you know, done blood tests and checked things, and no doctor had expressed concern. And I was just talking to a friend who was like, you know what? I would I would enforce that they test for her thyroid.
The thyroid came first5:56
And we did. And I wrote it down here. Her number was 269, I believe, when we got it tested. So, yeah.
Well, did
That was that was
Did your friend think of did your friend think of that because of the grandmother's graves? Or
No. No. I think their son had some autoimmune things, and she was just pushing, like, just go get it checked out. Like, this doesn't seem right.
These these autoimmune people, they know what they're talking about.
They do.
I gotta I have to ask the I'm gonna ask the machine how many people have thyroid problems in America. So I'm starting to think it's everybody. Either that or I've just been making a podcast where I talk to people with autoimmune issues too too much.
Right.
How many people in The US have a thyroid condition diagnosed? And so seventh grade, how old let's think about how old you are in seventh grade. Hold on. In kindergarten, you're five. So then I add six, seven more to that, and I come up with 12.
Were you about 12 when you're diagnosed? Look at me.
Yeah. I was 12.
You're pretty impressed with that, weren't you?
Yeah. That was pretty quick.
Thank you. Yeah. I I suppressed myself. I don't understand compounding interest, though. I know it I know it compounds like, you're I don't understand how it works.
I know it works.
I don't either.
No. Oh, Sarah, let me just tell you something. I'm give you the best piece of pairing advice in the world. Save early, and then you'll have more later.
Absolutely. Okay?
Or early early on save. Like, if you if you give away the first eight years of your fun time, you'll have, like, fifty, sixty years of woo. You just gotta do it in the right order. Okay?
Yes. That that's a huge thing that my husband brought to our family. We have been very good savers and investors early on.
I save like a like, I save like a person who's never gonna spend anything. And I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't buy something once in a while. I'm like, ugh.
Oh, my family makes fun of me. I'm so frugal.
I'm sure they call you cheap when they're making fun of you. Oh, Elena, fun thing. Look this up later. You take a piece of paper, fold it in half once a day. How many days until it can reach the moon?
That's the thing that's the that's that's the thing that's the thing you wanna look up. If you take a piece of paper you take a piece of paper, you fold it in half once a day.
Okay.
How many days of folding it in half until the paper reaches from the Earth to the moon? That's it.
Yeah. I have to look that up.
I want you to I want you to look it up. Okay? It's gonna Okay. It's gonna freeze your break your mind. And then you're
gonna Okay.
Then you're gonna think, oh, I should save money. Okay. That and if you don't, then I don't I did a bad job of making this point. Also, you're welcome, Sarah. So growing up with the thyroid stuff, once she goes on the meds, does the does weight come my my daughter, probably one of the shortest kids in her school, now one of the tallest girls that she graduated with.
But I really think if we didn't figure out her thyroid soon enough, that wasn't gonna happen because that medicine hit her and she started to grow. I have always disliked ordering diabetes supplies, and I'm guessing you have as well. It hasn't been a problem for us though for the last few years because we began to use US Med back then, and you can too. Usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514 to get your free benefits check. US Med has served over 1,000,000 people living with diabetes since 1996.
They carry everything you need from CGMs to insulin pumps and diabetes testing supplies, and even more than that. I'm talking about all the good ones, all your favorites, Libre three, Dexcom g seven, the pumps like Omnipod five, Tandem, and the Islet pump from Beta Bionics. They have even more than that. You gotta go check them out because the stuff you're looking for, they have it at US Med. (888) 721-1514.
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Yes. She grew four inches, like, very immediately. Yeah. Yeah. She's she's average height now, but I always makes me wonder, like, if she if, you know, could she have been taller or I don't know how that works.
But
What's average height, Elena? Are you five four?
Yep. Yeah. I'm five four.
Oh my god. I am killing the numbers thing today. I am killing the numbers thing today. This is this is my day. Oh, I can feel it.
Okay. Actually, you know, this is the last time I record till next week because I'm going to something called ADCES in Ohio. So I leave tomorrow to go to a diabetes educators conference that I'll be at for, like, four or five days. I don't usually take
Oh, wow.
Yeah. Yeah. I've I've gone on a lot of trips this year and had a lot of breaks from recording or done a lot of double up days to make up for them more more more so. Yeah. Anyway, diabetes comes junior year of high school.
Yeah.
How did it look to you? Like, did you go to your mom and say something's up, or did you go to her?
A week of symptoms12:16
Well, I, like, mostly went to her, but it went like, my symptoms went on for a week. Like, I just started drinking a ton of water, and I, like I'm not a person who ever drinks water. Like, I don't drink anything.
Mhmm.
So I was like, oh, wow. Something just, like, switched in me, and this is how everyone feels. Like, everyone drinks this much water. Like, everyone goes to the bathroom this much. Like, that's just what happens when you drink that much water.
And then I would, like, walk down the hallways at school, and, like, I could not see anything. Like, I couldn't tell who my friends were, and I was just like, this is really bad. Like, I have twenty twenty vision. Like, something's up. And then we got on a plane to go on vacation, and I just I could not, like, hold like, I had to pee so bad and, like, the seat belt sign was off.
So I was just, like, sitting there, like, crying, like, because I had to pee so bad. And my mom was like, okay. Something is definitely up. And she, like I would say she was familiar ish with, like, the symptoms. Mhmm.
And she has a friend who has her son has type one diabetes.
Okay.
So she was, like, messaging her and, like, trying to, like, figure out what we should do. And so we ended up going to urgent care, and then they just, like, flat out were like, well, you have diabetes. Like, the most, like, in like, insincere, like, way to tell someone such a terrible thing.
Dropped it on you?
And yeah. Yeah. I was like, okay. That's nice.
Your poor mom's still recovering from the shock of having to pay for the Wi Fi on the plane too because her her cheap was like, oh god. I got a message. What's her name? And I gotta pay for the Wi Fi. Gosh.
I I mean, I know it I know it hit her for a minute. She sat there and thought
No. Don't you worry. My mom she was like, we are not paying for Wi Fi. I we definitely did not pay for Wi Fi. We definitely got it replaced somehow.
So we waited we waited till we were on the way in the rental car, and then I was making my phone calls.
Sarah, you have to be impressed that on the short ten minutes we've been talking, I knew that you sat in existential crisis on that plane going, I am not paying for this Wi Fi.
Didn't even cross my mind, honestly.
I would never think of such a thing, Scott. Mine would have been like, oh, I'm not paying $8 for this. Like, she's I mean, if she dies on the plane, what are we gonna the Wi Fi is not gonna help. You you know? Oh my gosh.
Well, that's so they just kinda laid it on you real quick. Hey. You got diabetes. We gotta go?
Yeah. Yeah. Well, my mouth was also, like, super dry, and I couldn't like, I was starving, and so someone gave me, like, a sandwich, and I just couldn't even swallow it because I couldn't get the bread down. And then, like, we made a bad decision about because we went on this vacation, like, with my, like, cousins and my aunt and uncle. Mhmm.
And so I went in a car with all of them, and then, like, I was just, I needed something to eat. So I was eating, like, fruit. We stopped to get ice cream, which probably didn't help my blood sugar.
Jeez.
And then, like, I had to pee so bad. Like, we had to get off the highway and go off, like, the on ramp just so I could, like, get to the bathroom because there's so much traffic. It was, like, a hot mess.
Yeah. Elena, you're never gonna really know the joy because you have sisters and your mom and everybody. The joy of being able to pee wherever you want as a guy is really it's like a high level thing. It really I mean, honestly, it feels it feels like a cheat code.
Yeah.
No kidding. Well, go back for half a second. You don't drink a lot. Is that been your whole life? Because I don't either.
Yeah. No. It's in my whole life. Even my favorite drinks, like, I just I can't bring myself to drink the whole thing. Like, I want, like, a couple sips, and then I'm good.
Like, I don't need to drink anything while I eat.
Oh, Sarah, when you see people drink beer, do you think how do they do that? Like, when they have one after the other, or is that where is that where you draw the line you can drink beer?
You're talking to me? I don't have any issues drinking.
No. I was talking to Elena, but I realized she might not answer in front of you. She's like so so I'll tell it from my perspective, Elena. Like, when I see somebody, like, have a beer and then another beer and another beer, I think I couldn't drink that much if it was water. Like, I just I don't know how to take in that much liquid.
It it freaks me out. And I'll nurse a drink for like, have to force myself to drink. That's how you feel. Okay.
Yeah. Well, no. I'll, like, see people, like, just have, like, drink after drink, and I'm just like like, I don't know how you're doing that. Like, I just, like I can't comprehend how they are able to, like, drink that fast and, like, that much. Like, I just I don't understand it.
Me either. Hey. Do you wanna just for a moment because you got so quiet after I asked about beer, do just wanna say out loud to your mom, you're not drinking at school?
No. She knows I'm not drinking at school.
Okay. Alright.
Just to come just to come to yourself. No. No. I don't.
Because the people are like everyone listening now is like, oh, good job, narc. You you know what I mean? So I just thought I thought I you just paused in a really weird spot, and I was like, oh,
I'm so I wasn't sure if you were talking to me or not. Was confused.
I know. I feel I feel bad because I was like, oh, what did I just do to this poor
Okay. No. You're good.
Okay. So when that news hits, Sarah, you in the room with her at the, what we'll call, unkind urgent care?
“Well, you have diabetes”17:39
Yes. It was the oldest urgent care I've ever seen and the oldest doctor. And, yeah, his his bedside manner was not great. He just walked in. He's like, well, you got diabetes.
And we're like, okay. So you didn't know? I'm like, no.
Where where what state were you just doing an approximation of?
We were in Florida. Okay.
Was his that's how he talked.
Because people won't know before we started recording. Like, I sniffed out your accent, but you got rid of it. Sarah, you don't have it now that we're recording. So when you got when you weren't you were trying to figure out the setup thing, and I guess your mind wandered. I thought you were Canadian, but then you shared you'd lived in Australia for a little bit, which made sense.
And then but once we started recording, it's gone.
Yes. It it it comes and goes, but it's mostly words. You know, will you mind mind my bag or no worries? Those kinds of things.
That's that's where it hits.
Aline But people in Australia thought we were Canadian. They thought our accent was Canadian.
So but it was it was living in Australia mixed with growing up where?
I've we've I've always been in Michigan other than those three years.
Oh, close. Yeah. So you were close to the Canada to begin with.
Yeah.
I see. Okay. Michigan, Canada, same place, really. Right? Yeah.
Basically, how are
the Yeah. They're close.
Yeah. They're close. I don't know. I've okay. So you're a junior in high school.
You're sitting in in an old urgent care in Florida, and some guy who you're pretty sure has a pet alligator tells you that you have type one diabetes. You go to a hospital. You panic. You cry. Like, kinda walk me through the next few minutes.
Yeah. I mean, as soon as I I was already crying, like, when I got to the urgent care because, like, the symptoms are so, like, you have diabetes that I was like, I probably have it. But, like, I had to, like, hear the words, like, to like, know. Like, I was still afraid. I was like, please, like, please have me not have it, but that was not the case.
Yeah.
And then, yeah, I was just, I burst into tears. Like, I was just I kept thinking, like, oh my gosh. My life is over because, like, the son that had diabetes, like, my mom's friend's son Yeah. Like, I just I was friends with her daughter, and her mom would stay up, like, every single night, like, watching his numbers. Like, it just seemed like such a horrible life.
And so that's, like, the only example that I had, and I was like, oh my gosh. Like, I don't even know. Like, I'm just so stressed out. Like, I don't know how I'm gonna live with this condition. Like, I'm scared of needles.
I can't even, like, get a flu shot. Like, I just I don't know how I'm gonna, like, do this. Like, I was like, I'm gonna have to wear devices. Like, I won't be able to wear crop tops anymore. Like, I was like, this is my life is over if I can't wear a crop top.
Like, I don't even know. It's, like, childish things now that I think about it. But, like, I was, like
What? I don't
know how I'm gonna go on. Like, this is crazy.
What good is it being alive if I can't get my belly out once in a while?
Yeah. I I even, like, wear crop tops either, so I don't know why that was what I was just thinking about. I was, like, well, there goes my chance.
I was going to I kept I I promised myself this summer was the time. I can't go on. I can't go on. Well, that's it. It which are you telling me that all that, like, flooded your mind in in in a moment?
Yeah. I was I don't even know how I was thinking about all that, but, like, I was just like, this is crazy. Like, I was so overwhelmed with the diagnosis.
Yeah.
But
Your mom was thinking, oh my god. This sounds expensive.
Absolutely. Gosh.
Sarah, we're kindred spirits. I just want you to know I'm very, very cheap too. I would have gone anger. I I when I something like that happens to me, I don't, like, I don't get sad about it. I get I get mad about it, like, for a a moment.
Then I kinda put my head down and keep going. But Yeah. So off to the hospital, do you keep oh, I'm so interested. Do you keep going on vacation or you go home?
Oh, I was definitely gonna go on vacation. If I get a diabetes diagnosis, I'm not gonna let that stop me from going on a cruise Nice. Even though it's probably a bad idea, but I really wanted to go on that cruise.
Sarah, are you saying, yes, it was a bad idea?
No. So we were at the ER. Thankfully, she had not gone into DKA. Her blood sugar was six fifty nine at diagnosis. And my friend whose son has diabetes was like, you cannot go on that.
We were going on a cruise. She's like, you cannot go on that. And I had friends saying, you cannot do that. And I had the doctor saying, hey. We're we'll give you all the information you need.
If you wanna go, you can go. And I'm like, I'm not gonna take that away from her after we just got this diagnosis.
Like, we
love to travel. We're here to do this. We'll figure it out.
Did it work out okay?
Yeah. Mostly.
Because of ignorance or because of of ninja like execution?
A a little bit of ignorance.
There you go.
Mean, just just not fully knowing what we are walking into. Right. But also we're really determined stubborn people. So we're like, we're gonna do this and we'll figure it out. I think it helped push us into, you know, we we gotta do this now.
Not having a CGM at that moment probably helped. I think if we saw the numbers live, that might have scared us more. But we did have one rough night. They Elena and her sister were sharing a room down the hall from us, and she was handling it. My my alarm did not go off to register her low, and she
Well, your alarm wouldn't have gone off because we didn't have a CGM. Like, it was just me.
Oh, that's right. My alarm did check at 2AM. She was doing the 2AM wake up
to check her blood sugar.
Yeah. Elena, you were right. Somebody's not gonna sleep anymore, but it turned out to be what's her name over here, not you? You sleep through the night like a log, I bet.
Honestly, yeah. Probably.
I listen.
Except for this night. I did wake up this night.
You you're you're a couple years young. What are you, like, 20?
I'm 19.
19. So my daughter's 22, and Mhmm. She just she just restarted her GLP medication the other day, which means we're, like, adjusting her settings back, putting them back where they go with the GLP onboard. And I I said to her last night, I'm like, hey. You know, you're starting to go the wrong way.
A Juice Cruise family24:13
Let's take away insulin, and I just didn't take away enough. And then I found myself at 03:00 in the morning in her room going, hey. Chew on this for a second while I change your sex. And thinking, like, I'm never gonna sleep again probably. Hey.
Where were you were you in you were going, like, on a cruise out of Orlando?
Out of Tampa.
Out of Tampa. Okay. Would you guys mind for just one quick second if we stop talking about your story so I could say, Juice Cruise twenty twenty seven is coming 07/21/2027. It's a five night cruise going out of Orlando Port Canaveral. We'll spend a day at sea before we head to The Dominican Republic, another day at sea before we go to The Bahamas, and then back to Orlando on July 26.
Juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise for the third annual juice cruise. Come out. Check it out. Sorry, guys. That was good.
I that way, don't have to set in a an ad later. If you just let me Perfect. Thank you so much.
We'd love to go on a juice cruise sometime.
Oh my gosh. We had such an, I've done two so far. Families, adults, younger kids, older kids, people with type one in their forties, fifties, sixties, seventies. It's such an eclectic group of type ones. We do some you know, like, we do some sit down talks on the days at sea, and, you know, people get to know each other, eat dinner together.
It's really cool. Like, I've done it twice now. I've taken about a 100 listeners, on a cruise, and we're hoping this year to kinda grow it a little bit. So I don't usually push it like this on the podcast, but we would like to see a few more people come. It's a great group, but I think it would be even, like, more impactful if there's more people.
So, anyway, if you wanna come along, Juice Cruise is juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. You can learn more right there. So so you guys are vacationers in general. You're jetting around doing things, cruises, airplanes, and never been a problem with diabetes?
No. No. I mean, we we come armed with all the things, and and I mean, she's definitely gotten stopped in quite a few airports, having to get the the personal check where we have to wait for someone to come and do the pat down and
Mhmm.
To not go through the one X-ray machine. And but for the most part, we manage. It's been it's been good.
Yeah. One time Arden came through that that TSA thing and she looks at me and goes, I'm dating that guy now. And I was like, yeah. I I saw. But, yeah, we don't I you know, it's funny.
I understand when I see people go, like, I don't wanna travel because I don't but in the end, if you have the stuff with you, you're gonna be okay. Like, there's not much difference. Right? You're maybe you're more active and your insulins are different or it's hotter or it's colder or there's elevation. But I think you you know, mostly the stories I hear from people, they figure it out.
Yeah. Yeah.
It's cool. So when you get home from this trip, I'm really super interested about I mean, it's I don't think there's a good time to be diagnosed for sure, but the end of your high school the end of your high school time doesn't sound like a particularly fun time. So I'm wondering how you kinda folded it into your life, especially with the idea, like, so imminent that you're gonna go to college.
Folding it into senior year27:36
Yeah. I mean, at first, I think it was really hard just because, like, it's this new, like, disease. Like, I don't know anything. Like, I got my crash course in the hospital, like, I don't really know, like, how it's gonna, like, affect my life. And so, like, especially because I was just, like, giving myself, like, injections.
Like, I just had to talk to lots of people, like the school nurse. Like, we tried to get a five zero four plan right away and, like, talk to my teachers about accommodations. And, yeah, like, I would go to the, like, nurse's office and give my injections before I would eat or, like, that kind of thing. If I would go low, I would go to the nurse's office. And, yeah, it was just crazy.
And it was like a time where I just, like, wasn't comfortable enough with the disease. Like, I didn't like, I love when people ask me questions about it, but I personally am not like, oh, yeah. I have diabetes. Like, I don't personally like to tell people that I have diabetes. I just want them to figure it out.
But I feel like I don't know. Like, because I would go low in class, and I would, like, take when I was taking, like, tests and stuff. Mhmm. And I just, like I didn't want them to think I was cheating. Like, I didn't wanna, like, look at my phone or my watch.
And so, like, one time, I was taking an exam, and I went, like, really low. And I just I was like, I can't let her know. Like, I don't wanna look at my watch and have her think I'm cheating, but I should check my numbers. And then, like, I went up to her, like, in the middle of the exam, and I just started crying. It was so embarrassing, but then I went to the nurse's office and I was fine.
But it like, I just didn't have, like, the confidence. Like, I don't know. I just didn't really know what to do with it.
Can I ask you a a backward looking question? So Yeah. You're a little older now. You said you didn't you didn't mind if they knew, but you didn't want to tell them. Is that Yes.
Was that because you didn't wanna make it all about you, or you didn't wanna be, like, hey. I'm the kid with diabetes, or do you think maybe in hindsight, you really you didn't have the nerve to tell them? You were just hoping they'd find out so you wouldn't have to tell them.
I feel like a little bit of, like, not wanting it to be about me, but, like, I just, like, like, I'm not like, I'm a more of an introverted person, and I just didn't want, like, the attention to be on me. Like, I don't want, like, the beeps. I don't want people to look at me, like, when my alarms go off. Like, I just don't like the attention of other people. Mhmm.
And, like, I don't know. I just feel like I don't know. Like, I didn't know how to, like, share that I had, like, type one diabetes without, like like, breaking down or, like I don't know. I just, like, wasn't, like, confident with it, I guess, would say.
You weren't sure how that conversation was gonna go?
Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
Did you know any of that, Sarah?
Yeah. A little bit. She definitely wanted to hide it more. Didn't want her you know, where she was wearing her CGM and that. She didn't want it to be a big deal or a big thing that people saw.
I would try to encourage her in that. And now I'd say she's very confident. But, yeah, I knew that a little bit about her.
Does that track for her personality, or did it seem specific to the diabetes, Sarah?
I think that tracks. She's she's Private. She keeps to herself in that way. Yeah.
Other kids, same personality or different?
Oh, they're it's like all all over the place. The the youngest is pretty outgoing. She makes a friend everywhere she goes. Yeah.
Yeah. Interesting, isn't it? How about those other kids? Any things where I mean, are we paying attention now to
other We are paying attention. Our our middle daughter, she's been struggling with migraines for about a year and a half. It's pretty bad. And so we've been we've tested and checked everything, and she's worn a couple of the CGMs just to check her blood sugar. She runs a little bit higher, but nobody seems concerned.
Screening the siblings31:42
So Did you do the thyroid with her?
We've we've checked thyroid. We've checked her a one c. Her a one c is a little bit higher than I think it should be, so I think we need to recheck. It was in December we checked it, and it was 5.4.
Okay.
And her yeah. But her thyroid is numbers are good.
Never said this out loud, but about twenty three million US adults have been diagnosed with thyroid condition at some point. That's nine percent of reports. Nine percent of adults reported ever having thyroid disease applied to the 2020 adult population of two hundred and fifty eight million that equals roughly twenty three million people.
Wow. It's Wow.
Yeah. That's a lot of that's a lot of people that have Tom Holland.
You know what mean? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Let's see if I can get people to start calling it Hollanditis. So have you done, like, trial net or something for your other child?
You know, I've got two boxes sitting in my laundry room. I I got them, and they've they've continued to sit there. I have not I don't know. I'm I'm indifferent about how I wanna proceed with that.
Sarah, you know. Dig a little deeper for me. How come we haven't done it? You don't wanna know the answer?
Partly partly, I know, you know, if if it comes back negative, that doesn't mean they're not gonna get it. So and and we also know the the major signs and symptoms if they were to develop it, and I don't know what all we would do to help delay it. I do wanna know, but I don't wanna know.
You do wanna know, but you don't wanna know. Okay. I hear you. I I've had the same feelings. I think everybody has those feelings.
I was just wondering if you'd put them to words. That's all. Yeah. Because, like you said, if somebody says, oh, it's not gonna happen, you think, well, it's still good. Yeah.
Right? So there's no, like, relief there. So you feel like the only thing that could possibly happen is that someone's gonna tell you she's gonna get diabetes.
Right.
Yeah. Alina, how would that make you feel if one of your siblings had type one?
Honestly, I just I don't know if they would be able to handle it. I feel like it's a lot of, like, being on top of things and, like I don't know. Like, I struggle with managing it and, like, just knowing their personalities. Like, I feel like it would be really, really, really hard for them.
I'm holding in such a laugh because I just feel like she said these these kids are weak. You don't know them, Scott. They're not they're not tough like me. They'll have they'll have real trouble. How much younger are you, or how much younger are they than you?
One's two years younger, and then the other one's five years younger than me.
Do you think that they're gonna be upset when they hear that you don't think they could handle it?
No. I don't think they'll be upset. I don't think that they'll
be fine. They've they've it's been said many times. It's no wonder Elena was the one. She's still responsible.
How does that make you feel when someone says that?
It makes me feel good that, like, people, like, think that, like like, that I'm doing good managing it or, like, just that they just think that I'm responsible. It just makes me feel good about myself.
Alright. Very nice. I I I have to tell you, like, I have such a different feeling when I hear that. I Really? Yeah.
I hear I well, it depends, I guess, on the on the perspective. Right? But I usually hear from people who are a little more religious minded, and they say, well, if someone was gonna get it, it's great that your daughter did because you can handle it, which makes it feel like, oh, I'm a competent person, so my kid got diabetes. What a what an odd statement. Yeah.
But I I take your point though. Like, people are like, oh, she can do it. Like so when they think of you, they go, oh, competent person. That's awesome. Yeah.
Yeah. I I could see both sides of it. That's cool. But these these sisters of yours, they're just a chit show is what you're telling me. Right?
Oh, it is I'm not gonna say that out loud. I'll just let my mom laugh and we'll move on.
They each have their their good and bad qualities.
I bet you they'd be fine. I bet I I really do
they'd be fine.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think that I think that the way people deal with things is certainly different. But I do believe I do believe that most people figure out a way to deal with things if they have Yeah.
Like, a solid background and good tools and support. I think anybody's, you know, makeup can handle something like this. But I do think
For sure.
I do think there are people who are predisposed to if they're not supported to maybe tumble faster. And and that but that wouldn't happen in your family. You would not support them. So yeah. You know what I mean?
You'll be good.
Yeah.
What did you come on this podcast for, Sarah? Let me find out. I'll take a look unless you remember. Like, what made you wanna do this?
You know, the travel aspect. Just kind of our diagnosis story was a little bit different and, you know, just kind of promoting travel. Like, don't be afraid to go out and and try things. Like, you know, I I don't want it to you know, diabetes to stop people from living, like, a a great exciting life. That was one aspect.
Paying for all of it37:02
Another, you know, the cheap version in me was, like, how are we gonna pay for all of this? And we Elena is on a a children's special health care services medicate insurance. K. And that has been extremely helpful. Once she turned 18 and graduated high school, it was based off of her income, which is not a whole lot.
And so until she's 26, we pay a $120 for a year for all of her diabetes care. So that's endocrinology. That's all of her medications, her devices, everything.
Is this a Michigan thing?
It is. I don't know if it's elsewhere. And I've you know, the people that I know that have kids with diabetes, I'm like, you've gotta check this out. Like, this is, at least for these next several years, when life is extra expensive for us, that's a a wonderful
Tell me go go through
you know, gas mileage to appointments, hotel visits if you have to stay somewhere overnight.
Oh, okay. Start over again. Where do I find out about this? Like, is this a, like, a government website, or where do I go?
So it's it's the acronym so, Children's Special Healthcare Services.
Mhmm.
And it's in Michigan. It's it's a similar thing to Medicaid, but it's not Medicaid. I guess that's all I really know.
And you just went you just went on a website and you're like, that sounds like a thing and clicked around a little bit. And now what does she get out of it? Goes walk me through what what it does for her. Where did where are the benefits at again?
I think we learned about it at the endocrinologist.
Okay.
They just they they mentioned it, and so I looked into it. So, yeah, just the you know, it's based off of now that she's 18 and and graduated, so it's based off of her income until she's 26. Mhmm. And, yeah, it covers all of her medical care, anything related to diabetes.
Even though she's still on your insurance?
Yes. It it it goes under our insurance first, and then what our insurance doesn't cover is
You submit to them. I'll be
And we have a, you know, we have a representative that she's amazing. She comes and helps us fill out the forms. We have to fill out forms yearly. I have to send her anytime we've traveled, I send her usually at the end of each month. I sent her this was our travel, and then they send it on, and we get, you know Send those out from Lansing.
Send a little money back.
It's it yes. It's a lot of work, but it's definitely worth it.
Children's special health care services. Yep. That's worth a Google. It's a lot of work. Oh, they they they don't make it easy to get that money back, you're saying?
It's just a lot of work to stay on top of it. Again, you know, constantly, you know, every month I'm I'm messaging, giving information. We have to fill out many forms, send things, you know, in the mail. So it's staying on top of it.
But Is it does it feel worth it? Or at the end, do you go, can't believe I just did that for $23? How does it
It's absolutely worth it.
I mean,
there are some months where I don't send the gas bill, and I'm like, oh, shoot. I forgot about that. I have a spreadsheet. I keep I keep track of everything.
Oh, Elena, is your mom what they call a control freak? You can say it in front of her. Go ahead.
I mean, she definitely likes, like, everything to be, like, a certain way. Like, I feel like she's, like, maybe, like, 80% control freak.
Oh, she said she goes
I I know I'm a control freak.
She goes, I I mean, I gotta live I gotta live here still, but what? Am I compelled to answer? Is this, court? Sarah, are you anxious?
I can be anxious, but I think life has chilled me out a little bit.
Life has chilled. Do you mean beating you up?
I think, honestly, things like, you know, type one diagnosis, things that have happened in life have made me realize little things aren't as big of a deal.
K. Scott, I stopped fighting in 2006. That's that's the day I went. Whatever happens is fine with me. Yeah.
That I I was just wondering if there was anxiety because you see it a lot with tight with autoimmune. But, Elena, do you have any anxiety?
Same. Same. Would I feel like in high school, I had more anxiety, but now I feel like I don't know. Like, I have, like, very minimum anxiety.
Okay. Cool. How's dad?
Oh, dad's chill.
He is? So chill. He's super chill.
Yeah. Is that why you picked him, Sarah?
Like, you know, opposites attract. Yeah.
Like, this guy looks like the house is on fire. He's not even getting up. This this this he's like, it'll It's like so It'll probably go out on its own. You know? Is this a problem?
I'll never forget when my my son was born. He I don't know how if you know how it works, Elena, so I don't wanna be too graphic. But he appeared in the world, and there's a there's a tube that connects you to your mom. You know about this stuff, Elena. Right?
And I know. Yeah. Right. And so, like, oxygen goes through it and blood and food. My son comes out.
There's a knot in his. And I point to the knot and I say to the doctor, is that a problem? And he holds him up in front of me indicating to me that he's alive and goes, apparently not. And I thought I thought there's a relaxed guy. Was like
Speaking of birth stories, I have to share this to to share Please. How chill my husband is. I as I was laboring with Elena, I was in the tub, and he was sitting in the bathroom. This is at the hospital, and there's a fan blowing on me because I'm hot and cold and all the things. And he's eating beef jerky, and that smell is blowing into my face.
And he's like, what? They said I needed
to eat, like, maintain, like, energy throughout.
But my wife says that I bent over and asked her if she was okay, and I smelled like Doritos. And I still I still feel bad about that. Twenty six years later, she will still tell you about it if it comes up, by the way. Yep. Yeah.
Like, I I I when she's mean to me, Sarah, I say, like, all I've done is dedicate my whole life to you. Are you mad about that? And let the Doritos story go now. It's enough. Everyone's heard it.
We're all good.
Well, you hadn't heard this story, and I hadn't heard yours.
Oh, no. No. I know. But later, if I bring this up, I tell if I tell her your husband's beef jerky story, she will not even pause before she goes, well, I remember. And I'd be like, know.
It's okay. Sarah, when this feeling that you've tried to give to your kids of, like, we can just go do anything, is it working? Do you think, like, she's adopted it?
Oh, yes. Definitely. This she is doing so many things at college, things that we did not push on her. I think her first year of school, she had three little mini on campus jobs. She's in a sorority.
She's on the dance team, the cheer team. She is a go getter in every sense of the words.
Wow. Alana, do you feel, like, encumbered at all? Like, do you ever have a moment where you think, oh, I can't do that because of this, or do you have you incorporated it well?
I think I've incorporated it well. There are, like, very, very few moments where I'm like, oh, like, I can't do that. It's it like, it's so rare for me to think that.
How do you navigate the sleeping bit about diabetes? Like, what's yours do you have a setup? Do you have, like, a plan in place? Elena, can you tell me if it if it's comfortable or if it's just it's working, but you're you wish it was different?
Yeah. I mean, when I, like, sleep, like, if my like, I just have my like, the Dexcom app on my phone. Like, I just make sure that's on. And then, like, sometimes, like, I'll wake up and I hear it. Sometimes I wake up and hear it, and I'm just like, no.
I'm sure it's fake and go back to sleep. Sometimes, like, I don't wake up until I'm so low that I, like, feel it. That isn't really like, that's usually now what happens. Mhmm. But most of the time when I wake up, I'll, like, treat and I'll text my mom that I've treated, especially when I'm at college that she knows that, like like, I am awake and treating.
Sleeping through lows at college45:47
And then I'll usually just, like, stay up until I'm, like, my number's good again.
Okay.
And then I'll go back to bed. But I don't know. It's been better recently, but there definitely are sometimes, like especially, like, in college, like, where I wouldn't wake up. But those times, like, my roommate would hear my alarm. She'd be like, Elena, wake up.
Like, you gotta get up. You got a tree. I was like, oh, okay.
Do you think what she means is Elena, please stop that alarm from beeping? And Honestly,
yeah. Like, don't know how she lives with me because my alarm's, like yeah. She's she's awesome.
That's cool. Arden said like, I've told this a million times, but the day we dropped Arden off at college, I was like, she'll be dead in forty eight hours. Like, she's she's never woken up once for a low in her whole life. And then as she said, she doesn't know how to describe it, but as soon as she got to college and she knew it was on her, she just wakes up for it. And yeah.
And then when she comes home, she says there's this feeling that comes over, like, oh, somebody will help me. And she's like, then I don't hear it anymore. I don't know if
that Really?
Yeah. Are you, like
That's interesting.
Yeah. So that's why I was in her room last night because she's she didn't know. But but and I would say that in college, half a dozen times in three years when she was away, like, I I I I would call her and be like, hey. Are you alright? I think there was once in the beginning I had to wake her up.
But she she she she took to it pretty quickly. Is it scary?
I personally don't think so. My mom very much thinks that it's scary, but I don't know. I'm, like, really tired at that point. So I'm just like, it's like, I'm fine. I just gotta do this so I can go back to bed.
Sarah, is it scary?
It's challenging. Right? If they're low, they're not thinking clearly. And there are times where she's like, I'm fine. And she, like, won't tell me her number.
I'm like, just I need like, it might be fine for you, but I can't sleep at night. Like, I'm if something happens to you, that's to me, now it's on me. Like, I'm here to protect you. And so we we have it's few and far between, but we have a couple of those nights. Yeah.
So those moments are scary. It was scary initially when she went away to school, just that unknown and how are we gonna communicate and Yeah.
Yeah. Elaine Elena
She has such a good handle.
Is it hard to hear that your mom is, like, worried for you? And is it hard to care when you feel like you're okay? Like, does it feel burdensome to you, or does it feel important that she doesn't feel that way? I'm dying to know how that makes you feel.
I mean, obviously, I don't want her to, like, be worried about me, which, like, nothing I do is gonna make her not worry, which is, like, hard. Like like, it, like, annoys me, like, how, like, worried she is about it. And, like like, when she tells me, like, she doesn't sleep at night, and I'm like, okay. Well, turn your alarms off, like but I know, like, she's not going to do that. It's like I don't know.
Like, I I definitely don't, like, want to worry her, but, like Are you don't know. You able to control sometimes.
No. No. Are you able to put yourself in her shoes or no?
I am. Like, I do understand, like, it's important that she, like, wakes up. But, like, also, like, sometimes she doesn't wake up in, like I don't know.
Hold on.
Like, I feel like
it's Do you have a pet?
Mostly just on me.
Elena, do you have a pet? No. You don't don't have a dog or a cat or anything you love that's alive that isn't your mom or your dad?
Oh, I mean, my sisters. No.
There's you don't let these kids have pets, Sarah? You are a cheap son of a bitch. How about that?
Oh, no. I would love to have. We used to have cats. My husband's allergic.
And he Ruining everything. Okay.
I know.
Well, he
he he he you know, we had two cats for a while, and he got shots until he was used to the cats.
So Oh, what a good
to Australia. We had to get rid of the cats, and then, we came back and just didn't get pets. We had a we had a hamster. We had two hamsters and a fish.
You lived in Australia. You didn't you didn't you didn't have a snake or a a bearded dragon or something like that?
No. Well, we did have a blue tongued lizard living outside of our house.
Oh, you had a blue tongued skin?
Babies.
Oh, they're beautiful. They're very weird bodied animals, but they're very cool.
Yes.
Yeah. I know a guy who would tell you that they're the best pet reptile, a blue tongued skin, because you yeah. Because they're easy to feed. This is not the point. The point is this.
Elena, I'm gonna say something to you that your mom is very likely thinking, and it's the worst thing to say to somebody in the whole world. But wait till you have a kid. And someone
I know.
Yeah. And someone
She tells me that all the time.
Well, she shouldn't. That's I think a a therapist would tell her that's wrong, but that's fine. That's why I was trying to do it for you, Sarah. But but wait till like, imagine this. Okay?
Try to imagine a thing that you love that is alive, and you can't get another one. It's not a puppy. Right? And I call you on the phone at 03:30 in the morning, and I go, hey. The puppy's dying.
And then I hang up the phone, and then you try to call me back, and I won't answer. How do you feel?
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I understand that.
Do you? Yeah. Not until you have a baby,
you won't.
It's the weird I I know people think that's a bad thing to say to other people because some people can't have kids, and it's about I I hear you. Yeah. I hear you on with your online feelings. But but I'm telling you that once something I don't know how to describe it, honestly. I could probably spend the rest of my life trying to describe what happened to me the minute that that guy looked at me and was like, hey.
Here's your son. He's okay. Like and now I'm like, okay. Well, now I'll just spend the rest of my life making sure he's okay, I guess. And it doesn't shut off.
It doesn't go away. Nobody could talk you out of it. And and then suddenly, somebody would put him somewhere privately and tell me he's not okay, but you're not allowed to know if he's okay or try to help. But interestingly enough, if we let you help, you would be able to help, but we're not gonna let you. Hopefully, he won't die.
Why don't you go back to sleep? Right?
Yeah.
Okay. Yeah. So so let me tell you the thing I tell my daughter that she ignores me about. I know or k, not a great text response back. How about drank something, ate something, I'm taking care of it, I took care of it.
What she can do herself52:19
Like, something a little more direct. Right, Sarah? Is that all you're looking for?
Yeah. I I I send very short little things like insulin, question mark, or b I say BS. They're like, what's your blood sugar?
And, Alina, you're thinking, oh, this broad won't leave me alone. Right? K. This she she is just she she doesn't believe that I can take care of myself. Have you ever thought that one?
No. She knows that, like, I can take care
of myself. But have you ever felt like she thinks you can't because she's checking on you?
No. I haven't really
felt like that. Sarah, you've raised a very, very healthy child. Good for you. Good job.
She I know that she can, but I also want her to take as good of care of herself as she can. And and, you know, everyone needs a little help sometimes.
Try to imagine your poor mother, Elena, living the rest of her life. You're gone. You've slipped away in the night, and she feels like it's her fault. Ugh. The trouble you put on her.
Look at this.
Oh my god.
I've just teased you. You're fine. But everybody's gonna be alright. The CGMs and the monitors and the the fast acting glucagon and all that that that that they put you with a kid who seems like they're in charge of you, like, you know, the the roommate, you'll be okay. And you don't Yeah.
And you seriously don't drink? If you did, would you tell your mom? Such a long pause.
No. I probably would. I probably would tell her, but I don't know. I just I just don't do it. I just I don't know.
I don't. My mom's let me, like, try to like, try a couple things, like, on vacation, like Mhmm. When, like, I'm legally allowed to drink, but, like, I don't know. Just doesn't taste good. Like, I just I don't know.
Sara, do
you And, like, I don't even like drinking anyway, so I feel like
That's what they always say before they start drinking. Sarah, do you and your husband drink at all?
Oh gosh. I'm I'm sorry. Say that again?
Do you or your husband drink?
Yeah. Yeah. We drink.
Do you expect that she's going to at some point?
I don't know if she will. Just I think she's very she might. I think she will, like, later in life, like, you know, have some wine or have whatever. But she I think she knows some of the risks with it, and I think she she just, yeah, has resolved that she's not really.
Okay. Alright. So awesome. Sarah, one more question. Can I be very because it's the world we live in?
How about how about the weed? Do you think there's the weed happening, Sarah? Do you the No. No? No.
Definitely not?
Definitely not.
Okay. Just sitting in silence a little longer. We'll see.
Making a really good example for her sisters.
Good for you. Good too. Do you feel pressure to be examples for those kids because they're such train wrecks?
I mean, I don't really feel pressure. I just, like, personally, like, for myself, I wanna, like, like, be good for myself.
So then tell me a serious thing. When you get to college and people are drinking and they're smoking and they're doing all kinds of crazy stuff that you don't wanna do, is it hard to especially if you're in a sorority, is it hard to stay separated from that? How do you accomplish that?
I mean, I feel like it's not as hard. Like, we all have, like, cups for, like, you can't tell what's inside. So, like, if I'm drinking water, like, no one knows that I'm drinking water and everyone else is, like, drinking. Mhmm. So, like, I feel like it's, like, easier that way.
I mean, it is hard sometimes, like, when everyone else is doing it, but I don't know. Like, I just personally I don't know. I just don't really wanna do that. It's like, I feel like I like like because I have some friends that are very similar to me in that aspect, and so, like, it's just, like, important to, like, hang out with them during those situations.
Just kinda the people you surround yourself with.
Yeah. For sure.
It's a good it's a good way to to approach it. Your note says something about management mentorship giving back. What does that mean?
So after I got diagnosed, I met with the school nurse, and then she connected me to this other lady who runs a nonprofit called My Life in Numbers. And so, basically, I connected with her, and then I became, an advocate for the program. And I mentored this middle schooler who also had type one diabetes. And so we'd get together, like, every month and hang out and do something fun and just, like, talk about, like, life with diabetes. Like, just having someone who, like, kind of understands more just to talk about stuff that, like, your parents or your siblings or your friends might not understand as well.
A scholarship, twice57:03
It's nice. How often do you do that? How does that work? Is it, like, online or do you meet in person?
Well, I only did it when I was in high school just because, like, we lived in the same area.
Oh, I see.
So I'm not her mentor anymore now that I'm in college. But I have, like they also have a scholarship. And so I've applied to the scholarship, and I've won the scholarship twice.
Mhmm.
And so I've also, like I've spoke at some of their fundraising events that they do and that kind of thing.
Is Diabetes Link at your school, the, the College Diabetes Network? Isn't that what it's called, though?
No. It's not. No. My college is very small.
These people. Don't they know you're there and you're trying to be inclusive? Would you is that a thing you would do you know any other type ones at college?
Yeah. I know a couple other ones.
You guys could start a club. That'd be a nice thing to put on your on your res. You know what I mean?
Yeah. Maybe.
Yeah. You could be the founder of the chapter of blah blah blah, and then Yeah. Yeah. That's a good way to get a job later. Your mom's
We tried doing that in high school. We tried to start a club. Yeah. Was a lot of lot of hoops to jump through. Doesn't quite work out.
Yeah. Well, Diabetes Link's a good place to look. It's the diabeteslink.org.
Okay. I'll write that down.
Well, you don't have to let me ever listen. That's nice of you to write it down. Look how, like, how look how earnest she is, Sarah. You must be so proud.
Writing it down as well.
Oh my god. Sarah, is she is she a control freak?
Yeah. A little bit.
You're supposed to go, I mean.
I I we're very similar, I think
You two are.
In that. Yeah.
Oh, so when you're talking about those other two, they just take after your husband, and you guys don't understand them because they're so free in their minds. Right?
A little bit of that.
Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting. Isn't life interesting?
How old are you, Sarah?
I am 46.
46. Okay. And, Elena, are you a person who thinks about, like, I wanna be married. I wanna have kids, or do you think more like I wanna start a career? Like, how how do you foresee the next number of years of your life going?
I mean, ideally, both.
Yeah.
Like, I wanna have, like, a family, but I also wanna have a career.
Okay. Not me. Yeah. I would just like to I'd like it if everybody left me alone and there was some money somewhere I could use. I think that would be I mean, that'd really be the best plan.
I've I've had enough of everybody now. We're we're good. You you know what I mean? Like, it's like so you'd like to work a little, build a little life for yourself, meet a guy meet a guy? Girl, what are we trying to meet?
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A guy. Okay.
And, is that is that a thing you you see like, I don't know how, like, the thing you're doing works. Like, you have a couple more years to go. Do you have grad school? Do you have to do it as well?
Yep. Yeah. I'll have to go to grad school. Yeah.
Okay. And then after that, off into the working world, what, like, 25 years old ish?
Probably around there. Yeah.
Okay. Alright. Where are we gonna meet this boy?
That is a good question.
Well, Ryan
I don't know.
Yeah. It's hard. Like, I mean, I know people say it's hard. It's always been hard to meet people, but it does feel, like, particularly difficult at the moment.
Yeah.
Yeah. And and and it's a small school, so you've now you've you've run your eyes over every one of them. You haven't the boy's not I I already hear in your voice the guy's not at that school. Right?
I mean, not that I know of.
Yeah. Yeah. You looked around. He's not there. I got it.
Okay. So you got you gotta come home, get out into the world. Sarah, how'd you meet your husband?
We met our first weekend of college.
Oh, were you there for an MRS degree, or, did it just work out
that way?
I was not. I actually had a a boyfriend at the time.
Sarah. Dirty.
Dirty. Not there was nothing bad. We broke it off, and then we started dating. But, yes, we I met him when I was 18.
Elaine Elaine, do you know what it means when someone says, are you there to get an MRS degree?
Yes.
Okay. Do you know some girls doing that?
I mean, not really. Okay. Is it I mean, I think it's in the back of everyone's mind, but, like, no one's, like, upfront, oh, I'm only here for this reason.
I hear you. Is it is it startling for you to hear that your father broke up a loving high school relationship?
No. Not really.
Do you do you do you imagine he just swooped in on your mom and she was just, like, defenseless, or do you think she wouldn't got there?
Definitely not. No? It's definitely probably all my mom.
Sarah, is this true?
Yeah. I mean, you know, you go away to college, there's a lot of other people there, so that relationship just did not last. But we're still friends. We're still friends. We went to each other's weddings.
Oh my We
camped together.
Did you really? Yeah. That sounds that sounds horrible.
Actually, we're we're in a good place.
Sounds absolutely horrible. How long did you date that guy for that you went to his wedding?
I dated him my freshman year of high school for a few months and then again for probably about a year, my senior year.
Sarah, is that is that guilt that kept you friends, or did would you genuinely I really wanna know about
this. Were in the same friend group in high school, so I think some of that came back around after after a little while.
You're trying to say you couldn't get away?
He's a nice guy.
Is it oh, oh, ain't it isn't it fun picking your mom's life apart? Isn't this great? Is it make you uncomfortable, or are you enjoying it the way I am?
I mean, slightly uncomfortable, but it's fine.
He'll never he'll never hear this. No. No. Trust me. If he was like
one of his kids gets diabetes and he starts listening.
Wouldn't that be insane? Wouldn't that absolutely be insane if this lady's like, oh, my kid got type one. It's so scary. But, like, this lady online told me about this thing, and I was listening. And I realized that my husband's girlfriend from high school only came to our wedding because she felt trapped into it.
And then we went to hers, which, by the way, we did not wanna do.
Oh my god.
I love this. This is my most fun I'm gonna have today. I know it's uncomfortable for you, but I really appreciate you helping me to have a nice day. Oh my god. Is there anything, Elena, that we have not spoken about?
Anything you wanna share about diabetes with people?
I mean, I would just say, like, be grateful for what you have and, like, find people who can support you and, like like, help you live with diabetes and not just, like, bring you down every time your sensor beeps. And, yeah, just don't let diabetes stop you from doing anything you wanna do.
Have you run into people that are a bummer?
Yeah. In high school, my alarm would go off and people would be like, turn that off. Like, be quiet. Like, I'm trying to do stuff. Like, that's so annoying.
Like and I just don't get why someone wanna be like that. But Yeah. Just find people who aren't like that.
I don't just think there's all those weddings you don't have to go to one day. Saving you all saving you all kinds of money. Every time one of them talks, go, not coming to your wedding. That's it. Yeah.
Saving me all kinds of money, dude. Shitty over here about my CGM. Thank you. Oh my gosh. Alina, do you curse?
You strike me as a person who doesn't curse.
No. I do not.
I could really tell. How did you do this, Sarah? What'd you do to that poor girl? Why is she so nice?
I I don't you know, her parents are pretty nice.
Is this a religion? Wait. Wait. I'm being serious. Is this, like, a religion thing?
We we are Christians.
Okay. Okay.
So, yeah, Elena's grown up in the church. She's at actually a Christian college.
I got it. I got the whole okay. Alright. I just wanted to be sure because, like, I yeah. She couldn't even answer the question about weed.
She just got very quiet. She's like, I can't I can't say no to that. Jesus could misunderstand. And so I was I was like, I was trying to figure out what was happening. Listen.
I should have done this. You seem like a really nice kid.
Thank you.
Yeah. You're welcome. Do you do you know that about yourself? Like, is that a thing you're aware of that you you come off as, a kind genuinely kind reserve, but nicely reserved person?
Yeah. I would definitely say so. I think that, like, lots of people, like, realize, like, very soon after they meet me, like, like, my coworkers and stuff. Like, even though I don't, like, talk to them, like, all that much, like, they all just, like, know my personality, like, without, like, really knowing my personality personality. Like, I feel like it's very, like, clear.
Like, not necessarily, like, my intentions, but, like, that, like, I am, like, a nice person.
You're you're you're earnest, and you you come you come off really genuinely. It's a Thank you. They they always you're welcome. It's a I it's meant as it's meant as a compliment. I don't know how, like, what what scare tactics your mom had to use, but I really think it's working out.
I mean, it must be shocking to hear these such a, like, an anti Christian thing your mom did, like, like, just leaving that boy like that. I I know this was at the fir Sarah, this was the first day at the mixer, wasn't it? You found this like, when did you pick this husband up at the college?
First You know, I went to college with one of my good friends from high school, and we were trying to meet people. And I felt like I couldn't get an edge in. You know what? You know, I wanted to make my own friends, so I just walked down a hall and walked into his room and met him and his best friend. And
No kidding. Do you do that?
And that's not my normal personality. No. I'm not very outgoing.
But What what made you do it that day, do you think?
I was mad. I was like, I'm not gonna sit here and play second fiddle. I'm gonna go make my own friend.
Oh, it was at this situation. You were like, this bitch gonna try to take over for me at college. I gotta get out of here right now. Right? Yeah.
Yeah. You didn't think those words, but that's what the the idea is there. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
Oh, you had to get away. Oh, so she was trying to make you second fiddle?
A little bit. Oh, I hear what you're new experience for both of us. So
Did you go to her wedding?
Yes.
God. But you didn't want to. Right?
No. We were we're still good friends.
Okay. Alright. Alright. Alright. I love this.
Oh my god. I I don't know why I act like I wouldn't still be watching soap operas if they were on TV. I just really would love them. Well, I think you guys are terrific. I really do appreciate you doing this.
Have the have I made this uncomfortable for you in any way, did you have a good time?
No. This is great. I you know, I go to your podcast all the time, and so it's a little bit weird talking to you instead of just listening to you.
But
Listen. We have a minute. If there's gonna be a moment where you're gonna say a lot of nice stuff about me, here's where you could do it for sure.
Oh, absolutely. Yeah. I I wish Elena would listen more. That's one thing. I've tried to get her.
I'm like, oh, this one was really great. Listen to this one or do this. But I listen when I'm out running. So I I pop one in, and sometimes I'm crying during my run. Sometimes I'm laughing.
Yeah. I just I learn a lot. I feel like I try to share a little bit of what I learn with people. And
What she'd tell someone else1:08:38
Thank you.
It's just interesting hearing people's stories.
That's great to
know that. I'm amazed. Like, I'm so thankful that you do this because that's that's how I, you know, first started learning things. Oh. And
Elena, what's it like to hear that uncle Scott has had such a big impression on your health and wellness? It's you probably feel like you wanna thank me, but you don't have to. Don't feel that kind of pressure. Okay? What is your a one C?
How are you where do you keep it?
Mom, do you know my a one C?
That that was longer than the drinking, but go ahead.
Her her last one was 5.9, and it's been in the low sixes or high fives for the last year.
And, Elena, when you're away at school, you're managing completely by yourself?
Yeah. For the most part. I mean, like, my mom will still text me, like, if I'm high, like, oh, take insulin. If I'm low, are you treating? Yeah.
But, like, yeah, for the most part, it's mostly just me.
Oh, wow. Sarah, and you were able to, like, impart all this on her in a couple of years?
Well, I mean, it's tricky. Right? At that age of diagnosis, she's already, you know, very independent in a lot of ways. And so she understands, you know, the ins and outs of her devices and all of that more than I I don't fully understand all of that. But, you know, I'm continually trying to suggest pre bolusing and tightening her range and, like, hey.
If we did this, this would be better later on. So I know that stuff, but she she has all the controls, and she she knows what she's doing. And she's doing a great job. Just, you know, those little things could be better.
Yeah. Elena, how how how are you so good at this? Like, does it just make sense to you? Or by the way, are you honeymooning by any chance?
No. I'm not. Okay. I feel like I never really had much of a honeymoon, like, stage. But
But you have the same impacts. Like, like, you would say, like, your insulin needs differ throughout the month. Right? They they they increase and decrease with your with your Mhmm. With your period.
So, like, so you you have that pressure. You have Hashimoto's on top of all this. Yeah. And and you're you've got an a one c in the fives, but it seems so like, yeah, that's just what happens. Like, that that you didn't know where your a one c was was kind of fascinating because I thought, oh, it's gonna be higher, but it's not.
Like, is this I don't wanna I'm not gonna say easy, but is this just did this just come to you, or did your mom tell you something that clicked? Like, how did you get to this point?
I mean, I think it's just mostly my personality personality. Like, I wanna, like like, obviously, like, I don't really have a choice. Like, I have to take insulin, like, if I wanna eat something. Like so it's like, am I gonna wanna, like like it's mostly just, like, the feelings for me. Like, when I go low, like, I just I feel so terrible.
Like, I hate going low. But, like, when I go high, like like, I don't really notice when I'm high. So, like, I prefer being high, which isn't good. But, like, if I had to pick high or low, like, I'd rather be high. Yeah.
But, like, for the most part, I feel like I don't know. Like, I feel like I'm just, like, a positive person. And so, like, I'm just like, well, like, I have to do this. Like, I have to live with this disease. Like like, why?
Like, complain about it when it's not like anything can change.
Yeah. And is that, like, a genuine feeling for you, or are you, like, forcing yourself to feel that way?
No. I would say it's a genuine feeling. I feel like there's so many, like, other parts of my life that I really enjoy, like, things that I love doing, like, people I love being with that like, the diabetes is just, like, a little tiny, like, side thing. And, like, I don't know. Like, this is probably gonna sound bad, but, like, I feel like my life is so good.
Like, diabetes isn't really bringing it down much.
Oh, Sarah. Forget this, like, physical therapy thing. Let's just bottle her attitude and sell that.
I know.
Yeah. Holy heck. Yeah. Fantastic. Oh my god.
I gotta be honest with you. I I swear to god, I'm gonna try to trade you for my kids. I I don't know if, like, I the baseball, like, trade deadline just went past, and I watched human beings just be given back and forth. You must be able to do this with children. Sarah, I'm coming for your kid.
I'm gonna make a solid offer to the general manager. Arden, I'm sorry. You gotta go live with Sarah now. Like
Yeah. I know. I know. You know, we've never had an issue with Elena taking that little pill in the morning. I know that's been some struggles with Arden in the
past. Struggle. So
Yeah. That's a word. Okay. So what oh, oh, Sarah. God bless you.
I you you've done something right. I've made a mistake not living a more religious lifestyle. I just realized it just now. It's too late for me now. But No.
You know, I need help going forward. So
Oh, she's gonna fight you at some point. Like, you know it's coming. Right? Like, there's gotta be a pushback.
Little moments, but
for the
most part, it's yeah.
I don't know. She see Elena, you seem pretty cool. Just keep doing what you're doing. Okay?
Okay. Alright.
And don't listen. And don't just not not the first guy. You know what I mean? Like, really make sure because boys are and you wanna pick the best one. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. No matter what.
She's a pretty big list going.
Of of of do's and don'ts?
Yeah. I think she's looking for.
Oh, let's let's let's let's end on this, Elena. Give me your like, what are your red give me a couple of red flags. Give me a couple must haves.
I mean, I feel like I'm not, like, necessarily, like, focusing on, like, the red flags as much. Like, I'm mostly just focusing on what I want. But, like, I guess, just, like like, I want like, I don't want someone who's, like, mean, like and, like, I want someone who, like, can, like I don't know. Like, just be like, I want someone who can, like, be helpful without me having to be, like, oh, can you do this? Like, I just want them to know and be, oh, let me just do this for you because that's nice, like, without having, like, me having to ask.
You're looking for a kind hold on. A kind self starter who doesn't have to be told how to be decent.
Yeah. Yeah.
Well, then you're not looking for a boy you're not looking for a boy, but keep going.
Yeah. I think that's my problem.
Yeah. Hold on. Trust me. It definitely is your problem. But okay.
What was the next thing?
Like, I want, like, a hard worker or, like, someone who's, like, determined and, like I don't know. Like, who, like, is working towards something in life.
Does this describe your father?
For the most. I mean, like, half of it, I would say.
Okay.
Like, he's, like, half way there.
Okay. He's got well, don't worry. Your mom's not done with him yet. He he he's come he's a slow project, but she's gonna get him there. So but and what about, like I know you said you're not focused on red flags, but what would some be?
I don't even know. I just, like, haven't really thought about that.
Hey, Sarah.
I don't know.
Do you think do you think do you think you know her red flags? Something she wouldn't she'd be a hard no for?
Somebody that was, a big partier that's not her her jam. Yeah. I think she's gonna look for someone most likely that is Christian and you know?
Mhmm. Okay.
Alright. I I think yeah.
Alright. My last question here, Elena, is what's on your playlist right now? What are you listening to?
Oh, gosh. My playlist is, like, the most, like, random thing ever because I don't like I don't really like any, like, specific artists. I just like random songs from random artists.
Yeah.
Like, I like a lot of right now, like, my favorite song that I've been playing is it's a country song, which I've never listened to country, but it's dancing in the country by I have no idea who it's by. And then I really like a lot of elevation worship songs, but definitely pop music
Pop music is
the most part. Okay.
I I love I love that you're listening to a song right now called Dancing in the Country that you have no idea who sings it.
That's Like, I just yeah. I don't really care about that part.
Isn't it crazy how phones and computers change the world, Sarah? Like, she doesn't have an she doesn't have albums she likes. She has playlist that she's made. Like, you know, I like this song by Tyler poor Tyler Hubbard who released dancing in the country and
Wait. I think that's right.
Yeah. I got the Internet too. Don't worry. And so, like yeah. Think I just whipped that out of my ass.
I was like, oh, it's probably Tyler Hubbard. Yeah. But this poor guy, you're out there listening to a song. You have no idea who he is. Oh my god.
Yeah. The the world's different. Alright. Okay. Well, listen.
Christian Mingle is probably where you're gonna find this kid. Right?
Right? Possibly.
Don't they got the apps?
Yeah. You
don't get you don't care, do you? You don't care about this boy thing at all right now, do you?
I mean, it's it's like, obviously, it's something that I want. Like, I would love to, like, meet someone, but, like, I don't know. Like
Are you gonna want the boy
doing the best that I can.
Like You just throw it out there or whatever. It it works eventually. But but are you gonna need this kid to, like, understand your diabetes? Is that gonna be a prerequisite, do you think? Like, or no?
For sure. For sure. I mean, if they fit my requirements, like, they would.
I guess you're right. Like, self starter, like, decent person tries on their okay. Alright. So we're looking for okay. We're looking for a selfless person who wants to wants to rub your feet and do whatever you ask him to do.
Is that about right?
I mean, yes. They wanna do that. That's great.
Oh, I know. Oh, I I actually saw my daughter the other day go, oh, John's coming over. That's great. And I was like, why? And she goes, I need somebody to rub my feet.
I was like, oh, does he does he know that's his job? And she's like, I don't know if he knows or not. I'm like, yeah. I gotcha. Alright.
So, anyway, this is you guys are fantastic. I I am I'm really happy we did this. I don't have a title for this one, though. I don't know what to call it. Dancing in the country is not right.
That's for sure. Poor Tyler Hubbard last
loves dancing. She is
a dancer. She didn't mention that, though, so it's not okay. Yeah. We're gonna have to find something out. I I'm not gonna lie to you.
I'll probably let AI tell me.
Yeah. I'll be curious to find out.
Well, I will too. We'll all find out together. And for the three of you, like, oh, AI, stop. Just shut up. Okay?
I yeah. It's enough. Go back online and complain to people about something else. Hold on a second, guys. You're done.
You were fantastic. Thank you very much.
Okay. Thanks.
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