Meet a Georgia Diabetes Tech Trainer and Advocate - martinezwitow1947

DM) First, can you share how diabetes came into your life?

JS) I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the early 1980s American Samoa a child. Coming from a family with a history of type 2, I had heard the full term "diabetes" before and was somewhat acquainted when I received my diagnosis. The classic symptoms of excessive thirst and frequent urination at first lead my parents to remove "sugary beverages" from my diet. Subsequently a few weeks, I curst a spate of weight in a very momentaneous period of clock time. When removing the sugary drinks didn't appear to aid turn things around, my mom took ME to the pediatrician, who diagnosed me with T1D.

What happened then?

I was hospitalized that real mean solar day with a blood carbohydrate in the 800s. As an 8-year-old, I remember being very panic-struck and hunted of what was to come. I had a bag of chips in my handwriting, and the chips were removed, never returned… and my lifespan was forever denatured to a mankind of insulin injections, piddle glucose testing, a dieting of no sweets or scrap foods and nerve-wracking to equilibrize Each these things.

Like whatever person realistic with diabetes, I have had quite a a few bumps in the road and a lot of learning along the way. But give thanks God for my family, friends, and loved ones who support me and my multipotent will to Contend this disease!

What do you use in person for your have diabetes management these days?

I am currently on an insulin heart and have used multiple tech and tools to help manage — including various antithetic insulin pumps, ceaseless glucose monitors (CGMs), data management tools, various fitness and food tracker apps.

Give birth you had whatsoever access or affordability issues correlate diabetes?

Yes. Diabetes is an expensive disease to manage symmetrical with health insurance. It requires utilizing resources to get the assistance needed to carry off the costs. I take had to make supplies, medications etc. unfold or drop dead without in order to make ends meet. The virtually Recent epoch example was when atomic number 75-filling a prescription for glucagon, which averages $300 and my cobalt-pay was $225. I searched the manufacturer's website and found a discount dismiss voucher, but my cost was still $125. Afterward a chatter to my endocrinologist's office, the diabetes nanny educator provided me with a rebate voucher and my copay was $0! I was relieved and thankful because I couldn't have otherwise afforded filling the prescription.

What motivated you to apply for the 2019 DiabetesMine Patient Voices Repugn?

I hope to partake my voice and experiences with living with diabetes. I am a patient advocate and am passionate nearly sharing my journey with others. It's important for us to help to each one other by erudition, flourishing and not beingness afraid to taste new things.

What would you suggest that leaders in the industry could answer better?

They can bash a better caper with hearing and attractive more than people who use of goods and services diabetes tools/engineering. Consumers prefer to purchase products from companies that care just about the people they serve and who welcome collaboration from people absolute with diabetes every single day. These are voices that need to be detected.

What keeps you busiest these days?

I call myself a chockablock time Mom/CEO of two boys – I sometimes still say "D-Mom," since I'm a mom who has diabetes (simply my boys do non). My youngest boy has special needs. I am a former healthcare professional, pedagogue, checkup devices/pharmaceutical gross revenue representative. In the departed, I have helped many people depart on pump therapy/CGM, have served on local JDRF projects and boards and served as a pump ambassador to tender advice to people contemplating pump/CGM therapy.

Can you share Thomas More about your past work as a pump/CGM trainer?

I'm a Listed Nurse by trade and suffer been a wet-nurse for 22 years. I have worked in various capacities as a diabetes educator, clinical manager and training specialist. The later cardinal roles were with Medtronic. The preceding role was in an outpatient diabetes center which lead me to working with Medtronic. I noticed primaeval on in my career as a nurse and as a person living with diabetes that people (patients) set bettor with guidance and adherence to managing their diabetes when it comes from mortal they can refer to. That has also helped me in my physical diabetes direction journey likewise.

My function as a superior trainer with Medtronic allowed Maine to work with the client support helpline and inner gross revenue teams. I helped facilitate product training for these teams and provide view from an outside-sales signal of regar.

What was that manufacture work experience like, Eastern Samoa a person living with diabetes yourself?

It was a great live to work on Medtronic as someone living with diabetes! Numerous of the multitude there either have diabetes themselves Oregon cause treasured ones who live with diabetes, so they are passionate. I was competent to work various projects and provide feedback and insight on afoot products in the development pipeline. It's a slow and arduous process acquiring a product to grocery: from product conception to R&D and product development to usability trials to regulative to manufacturing to training, and eventually getting products into people's hands. Unluckily, it takes a hourlong time.

Each day lives are being lost, ready happening these products. IT would be a dream come faithful see diabetes eradicated in my lifetime and wholly people having admittance to a cure and/operating room therapies to help them in play spirit to the fullest.

You've also been passionate about the topic of diabetes and gestation, no?

Yes, I wrote a T1D and Pregnancy post for the Medtronic Diabetes web log in 2011. I talked virtually my experience with pregnancy and managing diabetes. Fortunately, I had an gross great feel with an excellent healthcare team who took no risk in ensuring my wellness and my unhatched baby's health was antecedence. This is paramount when a cleaning lady is pregnant and has diabetes.

IT was my initiatory pregnancy and I was afraid equally near moms are. I think most moms if non all experience a level or stage of this. Having diabetes makes you become hyper-vigilant in ensuring your weeny ace has the best possible chance of consecutive. I had my apportion of challenges with learning to manage blood sugars, sickness and vomiting merely we did IT — thanks to my husband, the help of engineering science, and a knowledgeable wellness like team! Women with diabetes need to know what to look for in a healthcare squad anterior to delivering a child. I would love to pen more this one day.

What's the biggest change you've seen in diabetes precaution over your nearly four decades of realistic with it?

Definitely technology. We have to utilize the help of technology to handle diabetes. It's a MUST. The challenge is trying to get Thomas More populate to embrace information technology and utilize it atomic number 3 a puppet. Technology of necessity to cost simplified, and so more people can see how information technology can play an intricate part in diabetes direction.

What gets you excited arsenic to diabetes innovations?

I know more people with or without a literary diagnosis of diabetes who could benefit from the engineering but World Health Organization are afraid. Technology buns be scary… But diabetes innovations have helped Pine Tree State tremendously in my management and understanding of the disease, and information technology excites me to parcel with people how IT's helped in my journey. The C. H. Best is still yet to come!

Thanks, Jaquita! We look forward to seeing you in November!

Source: https://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/jaquita-sampson-diabetes-advocate-georgia

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