That headline is not really the point of my absolutely fun and revealing interview with Fran. She just happens to have gotten T1D at 14 and 57 years later be complication free.

What’s more interesting, however, is the wit and reflections that drop out of her mouth. Like how her strict Catholic upbringing and the Brooklyn nuns contributed her ‘diabetes obedience’ and what she sees as several divine interventions.

This interview, along with others already posted and more to come, lives on a relatively new site, and new Facebook group, T1Dto100.com. It’s an educational resource for those of us living into our twilight years with T1D. As invisible as T1D is, we may be even more invisible so I can’t thank my friend, Joanne Milo, enough for creating this arena now helping and representing us. Check it out no matter how old you are or if you’re a parent or caregiver. You are guaranteed to learn something useful.

A friend sent this vide, below, produced by Justin of Diabetech. I’d never heard of an implantable pump but apparently one was being developed in the 80’s by Medtronic. While Medtronic never went through with it, still today, there are a few hundred people using it who don’t want to give it up. The video talks about a new company, Portal Pump, redesigning the and making it able to work with a glucose algorithm. Projection is we are five years away. Being someone with type 1 diabetes, let’s say ten years.

What I found interesting watching the video, wasn’t just the pump, but how people said it made them feel–normal, well again. It made me realize how reductive our thinking about T1D is; that it’s just getting the right balance between carbs, blood sugar, insulin, complications, and now tech.

But underneath it all, our bodies (not just our minds) are in a state of distress. Something isn’t working, and all our mechanical manipulations can’t override that sense of disequilibrium. With this device, having the insulin go directly, and as it would normally and quickly to the liver, brought back their sense of equilibrium and thus wellness. Another reminder that we are whole body systems yet treated like a bunch of parts.