This message originally appeared as a part of Rob's Friday T1D Feels email newsletter. 

Friday T1D Feels. Volume 1.1 

Happy Friday, 

For most of you, it's been a while since I've reached out via email. I wanted to create a new format to communicate with you all that wasn't so marketing heavy. I plan to do it weekly, and invite you to reply back with your thoughts on the T1D community as well. If you could do without another email every week, I totally understand and won't take it personally if you unsubscribe. But I really hope you enjoy it. Thank you for your support of Diabetics Doing Things. 

Friday T1D Feels - Volume 1.1

What a few weeks it's been in the T1D online community. My heart is heavy over the loss of Tommy Green, a T1D from the UK who passed away in his sleep in early May. Two year old Colton Porter has been denied an Omnipod pump by United Healthcare, despite his parents following the process to the letter and a doctor's recommendation that the Omnipod (a pump without tubing) is the safest solution for his treatment (because of his T1D and Autism presents challenges for pumps with tubing). 

Yet, there are so many things to be thankful for: 

Hundreds of T1Ds have posted #Dab4Tommy on social media, to remember Tommy and spread awareness of the dangers T1Ds face on a daily basis.

Beyond Type 1 CEO Sarah Lucas wrote a letter to the CEO of United Healthcare, calling for UHC to #CoverColton which resulted in an outpouring of rage, well wishes and a plea for action by United Healthcare from the T1D community. 

It's this show of support in a time of darkness and the drawing of a line in the face of injustice that makes me so grateful to be involved in the T1D family. There are so many negative headlines of the dangers of social media, yet without the communities built on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter, living with T1D would so much more difficult.

Nearly all the guests I've interviewed on Diabetics Doing Things mention how discovering the T1D community through social media impacted them in a positive way. For me personally, it made me focus on my health and lower my A1C from 7.2 to 6.1 in less than 1 year. That doesn't even cover the thousands of fellow T1Ds I've met along the way and how they all inspire me to be even better. 

So I'll leave you with a quote (because I love quotes) and a call-to-action: 

"Tough times never last, tough people do." - Robert Schuller

Get involved. Start a race team. Encourage others via social media. Become a pen pal with Beyond Type 1. Tell your story on my podcast. Text a T1D friend and tell them how great they are. 

We're in this together. Thick and thin. Cure or no cure. 

So that's what and how I'm feeling this Friday. Have a great weekend, I'm grateful for each and every one of you. 

What's been on your mind as a T1D lately? Reply to me, let's talk about it. 

Rob