Planning Ahead: Advance Directives & Estate Organizers
As we age with Type 1 diabetes, planning for the future becomes an act of self-care—and a gift to those who may one day need to support us. This section is here to guide you through creating an Advance Healthcare Directive, so your medical wishes are clear and respected, even if you’re unable to speak for yourself.
You’ll also find helpful tools to organize your estate documents—such as wills, powers of attorney, insurance information, and more, so everything is in one place, easy to access, and up to date. Whether you’re just getting started or updating your paperwork, we’ll walk with you step by step so that you can move forward with confidence, clarity, and peace of mind.
Setting Up an Advance Healthcare Directive
An essential, detailed guide on why, how, and when to set up an Advance Healthcare Directive.
Organizers for Your Estate
A thorough How to on organizing your estate before you pass so your loved ones are not left with confusing loose ends to sort through.
Last updated 07/21/2025.
Recent Stories
The Wit and Wisdom of Fran Carpentier: 57 Years with Type 1 Diabetes
“I think that my first husband felt that I made life hard for us. I couldn’t be as spontaneous as he probably wanted me to be. You know this was pre-insulin pumps and CGMs. We were young, he wanted to go out and do things and I felt I had to do things a certain way to keep my sugar really well-controlled. I think I’m the most fun person in the room, but he felt that I was a wet blanket. There was probably truth to it forty years ago. Today, technology has freed up life for us T1Ds. Of course that freedom means relying on all manner of medical apparatus and being visible about it.”
Museum curator, 77, Learns Gen Z (AAVE) Slang and Goes Viral: “Honestly, she ate.”
The National Gallery of Art’s deputy head of sculpture stepped behind a 16th-century urn and began to describe it to the camera. “Chat, I’m about to buss it down Roman Empire style,” said Alison Luchs, 77, using Gen Z slang she recently learned. “Haters will say this urn is mid, but they don’t know we’ve clocked its tea.”
Aging with T1D: In Living Color
Haidee Merrit is a New Hampshire-based artist best known in theT1D community as a cartoonist whose three books of diabetes-themed cartoons and illustrations share a humorous, and often edgy, take on life as a type one. She is also a colorful artist whose works are vibrant and lively, often featuring vividly detailed insects or splashy abstract landscapes. She met with us at T1Dto100 to talk about what led her to her specific art forms and her philosophy about living with T1D.