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Minnesota advocate Nicole Smith-Holt, who lost her son due to insulin rationing, was taken into custody after defying police orders about blocking traffic during a Sept. 14 insulin rally in Indianapolis. Grassroots group T1International is organizing protest rallies and vigils for victims of the Insulin Pricing Crisis around the country. T1International also held a dynamic workshop to teach patients how to be effective advocates with Pharma, lawmakers and more . A new documentary film, "Pay or Die," will highlight the human cost of outrageous insulin prices in America. Even before the candlelight vigil and rally protesting high insulin prices began, advocate Nicole Smith-Holt from Minnesota planned to break the law as an act of civil disobedience. She knew she would be confronted by police, and likely end up being taken into custody.  That’s exactly what happened in front of the Eli Lilly headquarters in Indianapolis on Sept. 14, as Nicole gathered with more than 100 others i...

One of many beloved friends in the Diabetes Online Community was longtime type 1 advocate Kim Hislop, from New Hampshire. She was a DiabetesMine Patient Voices winner at one time, just after  she'd received a kidney transplant from her mother-in-law in late 2013. The 30-something New Englander was diagnosed with T1D in the late 1990s as a teenager, and would go on to be an inspiration and true friend for so many within our DOC -- even in the face of several diabetes complications, including  retinopathy and kidney failure. Through it all, Kim kept an inspirational outlook and was determined even in her final weeks to continue traveling the world as she'd always done. Personally, I met Kim at the Diabetes UnConference and knew her online, as well as sharing a passion for The Walking Dead TV show. I was just a fan of the show, while she took it to another level with a deeper fandom, taking part in regular visits to the Walker Stalker Con event and a zombie-themed cruise. All of ...

A diabetes diagnosis three decades ago put it all in motion, setting the stage for one of the first online diabetes forums, back when the Internet was still in its infancy. Eventually, that would evolve into an annual conference and enormous community of diabetes families that's expanded globally and touches countless lives. That all wasn't immediate, of course. Because after all, Marissa Hitchcock Town was only 24 months old back in September 1989 when she was first diagnosed. But her diagnosis would be the inspiration. Yes, we're talking about the Children With Diabetes organization that's made an irreplaceable impact in our community over the years. Marissa's parents, Jeff and Brenda Hitchcock in Ohio, started CWD back in 1995, and nurtured its incredible growth while Marissa grew up. She's now married and a Certified Diabetes Educator working in Artificial Pancreas research with the esteemed Dr. Bruce Buckingham at Stanford University. She has ...

The world changed for Nicole Smith-Holt when she lost her son Alec in June 2017, just a few weeks after his 26th birthday. He had been living with type 1 diabetes for two years, but the Minnesota mom learned after the fact that he'd been unable to afford his insulin, was rationing what he had, and despite the signs recognized only in hindsight, he tragically died from the effects of diabetic ketoacidosis. Now Nicole is sharing Alec's story across the world. She's spoken with small and large media outlets including People magazine, and her son's story has even prompted rock star Bret Michaels (who lives with T1D himself) to take notice and vow to do what he can to raise awareness on the crisis of skyrocketing insulin prices. Nicole is also pushing for first-of-its-kind legislation in Minnesota to curb those costs, and wants to see the same happen at the federal level. Her advocacy comes at a time when the backlash against insulin and drug pricing is hitt...

Hello again, Diabetes Awareness Month. Yup, November marks another national awareness month -- aimed at those in America who are pancreatically-challenged or rapidly heading in that direction. And on Nov. 14, we'll once again mark international World Diabetes Day honoring the birthday of insulin co-discoverer Dr. Frederick Banting, who was born on this day in 1891. As always during this time of year, we've been inundated with marketing pitches from organizations big and small. And as always around this time of year, many in our community ponder the perennial question: Does it all matter? Really? Admittedly, it's not outside the realm of reasonableness to question the effectiveness of NDAM (shorthand for National Diabetes Awareness Month). But our country is in a different place in 2017 compared to past years, is it not? It's a good time to set skepticism aside to argue that November's designation as Diabetes Awareness Month truly does matte...

Insulin co-discoverer Dr. Frederick Banting made his way to a street corner in front of the Eli Lilly headquarters in Indianapolis this past weekend, to protest high insulin prices that have hit crisis status here in America. OK, it wasn't actually Dr. Banting. Longtime type 1 Jane Ware Barnes from northwest Indiana actually brought Dr. Banting -- or rather a homemade, plush fabric doll-version of him that hung on to her backpack. He wore a "Dr. Banting" namebadge and clutched an #insulin4all sign, demanding more reasonable insulin prices or else he wanted the  original $3 patent from the 1920s back. Other protesters had signs mirroring that sentiment as well -- such as " Drs. Banting and Best would be mortified! " And one protester living with diabetes himself was dressed up as the Grim Reaper, in a full black hooded robe and carrying a scythe to showcase how insulin is essential to life and unaffordable prices are literally killing people. That was the scene...

 In just a few days, I'll be part of a group standing outside Eli Lilly headquarters in Indianapolis raising my voice to protest outrageously high insulin prices. Yes, we'll be chanting, and carrying signs marked with the #insulin4all rally cry and phrases like " Insulin = Life ," " Insulin's Not Advil, It's Oxygen ,” and of course " Lower Insulin Prices! ” -- to underscore the Diabetes Community’s call for more transparency from the insulin makers, who play a big role in setting prices for this vital medication. Because the struggle is real, and the stats don't lie: Retail prices now exceed $300 for a single vial of insulin, and more than half of those whose lives depend on this drug are exposed to these crazy-high pricetags at some point, even with insurance coverage. In the 21 years since Humalog first hit the market, it’s gone up roughly 1123% (!) compared to a 56% overall inflation rate during that same timeframe. The protest ...