by pgunalan | Apr 3, 2026 | T1D Stories, Interviews
My curiosity before our talk was “Is it helpful to have a spouse or partner who also has type 1 diabetes, or is it a burden?” There are 88 years of combined experience living with T1D in the Cooke/Madden household—and a lot of love, support, humor and pump supplies. You’ll learn just how much diabetes is a strength in this marriage and what, based on this union, John said a few days later when asked, “If there were a stem cell cure without need for immunosuppressants would you take it?” When it came to John’s turn he answered, “Only if my wife did it. I wouldn’t want to do it unless she wanted to do it.”
by pgunalan | Feb 19, 2026 | T1D Stories, Interviews
“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.”
by pgunalan | Feb 7, 2026 | T1D Stories, Interviews
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.
by pgunalan | Jan 13, 2026 | T1D Stories, Humor/Coping, Interviews
Brad Slaight is a comedian, actor, writer, producer, filmmaker, and all-around fun and funny guy. He’s also a T1D – creator of the Diabetes Hero Squad – who’s known for bringing a few laughs to our complicated lives. We sat down with Brad to find out more about what he’s up to and see what he has to say about aging with T1D.
by pgunalan | Dec 10, 2025 | T1D Stories, Interviews
Maddy Arnstein details her journey as a T1D advocate and overcoming the challenges in the field.
