This week on the pod, Rob and Eritrea welcome Maya Ramirez (aka Papayabetic) to the show! Maya lives with type 3C diabetes and underwent a full pancreatectomy as an infant at 8 months old. In this episode the team dives into:

• 30 years of living with diabetes and without a pancreas

• Maya’s Diagnosis with congenital hyper-overproduction of insulin in her pancreas at 2 weeks old (hyper insulinism)

• Props to parents of children with diabetes, a whole different ballgame of providing care!

• 23 years of using an insulin pump (even if it is technically off-label usage)

• Why considering your pancreas dead is not only incorrect, but stigmatizing language

• The other health implications of living without a pancreas

• Using grief as motivation to bond with people in her community

• If you’re in the North California area and you’re looking for a community of people with diabetes: check out Maya’s IG @papayabetic to stay updated on future meetups!

We want to hear from you. Send your questions, comments, queries, and general diabetes concerns to THE MAILBAG at mailbag@diabeticsdoingthings.com!