I was in a studio in Chelsea – no, not London, shucks!, New York. Digital video publisher, HealthiNation, is taping six “real” people with diabetes for a series of educational diabetes videos.  The videos will be online end of the year at ComCast Connected Health. The videos will share info from doctors and other experts  – and patients, to capture the feelings of living with diabetes and help others feel less alone.

I am not a novice in front of the camera. In fact one of my two majors in college was Mass Communication. As an independent study project, I hosted a cable TV talk show. I was the host, interviewer, script writer, guest-finder, producer…you get the idea.

But it’s been awhile and I forgot how everything – in the making of short videos – gets edited down into one minute “memorable, you nailed it!” statements. Oh, did I say one minute? I meant thirty seconds. No, fifteen.

I actually had a lovely time. The interviewer pictured here in black and white stripes was from Australia and I enjoyed her accent. I just find cinema amusing.

So, since I’m sure what might be salvaged from my 1:15 minute interview, might be three :15 soundbites, I’ll give you ten from my 45 years of living with type 1 diabetes wisdom that I shared last Friday on 17th Street off Fifth Avenue:

1. Learn everything you can – everything – and keep learning

2. Ask for help when you need it. It’s not weakness but strength.

3. Carry glucose tablets in everything so you’re never without – including on your husband

4. Per above, do your best to prevent going low, but it will happen. Try as we might, we can’t “control” blood sugar.

5. Don’t beat yourself up for anything. Learn from it.

6. When you’re out of familiar surroundings, let those you’re with know how to help you should you go low – and it’s not a cookie!

7. Make d-friends in person, online, chat, hang out – they “get” it

8. I tell everyone diabetes has made me healthier than I would be without it. It’s given me the incentive to eat healthy and walk an hour a day. Otherwise, I’d be a slob and have multiple conditions. (I didn’t really say the last sentence, but who knows)

9. The public doesn’t know: 1) diabetes is about more than not eating cake and cookies, 2) diabetes is serious and can lead to debilitating complications 3) there’s such as thing as type 1 diabetes

10. You can have a great life not despite but because of diabetes. It has brought me some really, really good stuff: friends, work, strength, health, purpose

4:14 PM – Lights out

Time to go celebrate my budding new career, sound-bite songstress