I recently came across a new way to describe living with someone with diabetes: “Having type 360.” It’s true! While I likely will never understand the full implications of having type 1 diabetes, I do live surrounded by the disease every day through the experiences of my husband and In-Range Animation co-founder, Neil Israel. Very few people will experience the trauma of nocturnal hypoglycemic seizures, fumbling with the glucagon and cursing themselves for not practicing earlier. (Once Neil was stabilized and out of danger, it was somewhat gratifying to know that my support could have saved his life.) Very few people will receive a phone call from their partner’s colleague that he’s in the ICU half a state away, or be tasked with explaining to the family the gravity of the situation while trying to shield them from worry. Although I didn’t feel it at the time, Neil’s colleague later commented on my resilience and composure in the situation.

We’ve also bonded over these experiences and received a huge amount of support over the years from family, friends, and the diabetes community at large. When Neil traveled a state away for an inpatient diabetes education program in 2002, we genuinely enjoyed learning and sharing our newfound understanding of many things, not the least of which was glycemic index.

We both rejoiced in his improved results after getting various new technologies, especially the Dexcom continuous glucose monitor around 2016.

More recently, we decided to double down on our commitment to diabetes health and focus our small business on diabetes education and marketing. Not to be hyperbolic, but it’s one of the best decisions we ever made. We were accepted into StartUp+Health’s T1D Moonshot Fellowship and began attending diabetes conferences. The support we’ve received has been remarkable, both personally and professionally. We have found our purpose – to contribute our blood, sweat, and tears to the healthy futures of people living with diabetes.