Danica Doble and Lucas Silva: A T1D Couple's Story

[00:00:00] Rob Howe: What's up, podcast listeners? I know it's been a couple of weeks off from the pod, but got some exciting interviews coming up. And today's interview, I'm really excited for. I got to meet this person at the Friends for Life conference earlier this year, but we didn't get a chance to really talk that much. And so I followed up with her on social media after hearing an amazing story about how she diagnosed her boyfriend, Lucas, with type 1 diabetes and Danica Doble. You guys might know her as Type1Deeabetes on Instagram and TikTok. She comes on to share the story of not only how she was able to help Lucas learn that he did not actually have type 2 diabetes, that he was living with type 1 diabetes, but also her content creation journey, talking about her six-week challenge and how type 1 diabetes shows up in their relationship. This is actually, I think, one of the first times that I've had a couple where both parties lived with type 1 diabetes and were willing to share kind of how it shows up for them in their day-to-day life and what it means to have a partner who can be a support system. So please enjoy this interview. And if you're watching on video, you can see Michael J. Fox, my cat is here making his podcast video debut. Please enjoy this interview with Danica Doble and Lucas Silva. Guys, who was MVP of the chat? All right. Hello and welcome back to another episode of Diabetics Doing Things. Rare three person interview today. Rare for many reasons. But I'm very excited. Danica and Lucas are my very special guests. And you guys are going to recognize these folks from social media. So I'm very excited to have you guys on the pod. And this is going to be a wide-ranging conversation. But I first just want to give you guys a chance to introduce yourselves and how long you've lived with type 1 diabetes.

[00:01:44] Danica Doble: All right. I'm Danica, also known as Type1Deeabetes on social media. And I have lived with type 1 diabetes for 17 years.

[00:01:52] Lucas Silva: And I'm Lucas. technically have lived with diabetes for just over four years now, but type 1 only about three years now. Right. So they haven't let you have like the full Type1Deeabetes name yet on socials, Danica. They haven't like turned that over to you. I think it's coming. It's coming

[00:02:07] Danica Doble: soon. It's coming soon. I hope so. Cause I've been waiting for it. I've been checking like every day and I'm like, whatever, we'll stick with diabetes. When it comes open, like you're,

[00:02:15] Lucas Silva: you're going to be the first one on it. I love it. I'm jumping on it. Okay. So Lucas, like, let's talk about this. It sounds like there was at the beginning, at least of your diabetes, journey, like a little bit of misdiagnosis. So why don't you tell us about that? And then we're going to get into what I think is like the craziest diagnosis story I've ever heard. So let's talk about it. Oh, yeah. So I got diagnosed originally in March of 2022. And then looking back at the symptoms when I got diagnosed. So this started back in December of 2021. So keep in mind, like everything I was experienced up until March, I had no idea was related to diabetes. But I I remember in December of 2021, I was eating fast food all the time. I would get big meals and I was still starving afterwards. And the other thing, I was always thirsty. Like I was drinking pop, like it was water. I'd finish a pop and like open a juice box right after. And then I'd be up probably two to three times per night to go to the washroom. And here I am thinking that's all completely normal. Like nothing's wrong with me. So January rolls around. I'm like, you know what? I've been eating like crap, drinking all this pop for the last month. I need to cut back. So I tried to start losing weight, eating better in January. and in the first month, I'm down probably 10, 15 pounds and I'm like, what am I doing? This is working. No idea there's something seriously wrong on the inside. But I'm like, yeah, this is great. And then a couple months later, I'm down about 20, 25 pounds. At my most, I was down about 25 pounds and then my parents were like, you need to go get some blood work done. And I'm like, guys, I'm fine. I've literally been trying to lose weight for the last couple of months and I've been eating way better and whatnot. They're like, no, you should probably go get a blood work done just in case. So I get one done and they give me a call back and say, your blood sugar is super high and your A1C is really high. So we'd like to send you for another blood test just to be safe, to make sure nothing was wrong. Sure enough, I go a few days later after my initial one and results come back the same. And then I remember this day specifically. So I was at the movie theaters with my friend. We were watching The Batman that came out in 2022. And I get a text halfway through the movie and I see it on my Apple Watch. My mom's like, we need to go to the hospital. Tell me when your movie's done. And I'm like, why? I'm fine. So I had a doctor on call who called my mom that day. And she said my blood sugar was 56. So converting it to like American is 56 times like 18. So my mom's freaking out. Yeah. She's a type 2 diabetic. So she knows all the numbers and stuff. So she's freaking out. She's texting me during the movie. And I'm like, yeah, I'll text you after the movie. We get to the hospital. We're there for about four hours or so. and by the end of the night, I was diagnosed with type 2. Also like terrible time to be in like the longest Batman movie there is. I know. It's like you get like a really important text in the middle of the movie. It's like, yeah, yeah, I'll go to it when the movie's over. Like half the day goes by and you're still there. Yeah, horrible timing. And my friend even drove me to the movie too. And I'm like, you're going to just have to go back home alone. My mom's coming to pick me up. We're going to the hospital. So yeah, so the doctor on call actually read my urine glucose, which was 56. My blood sugar was only about 24, which is still high. But we went to the hospital anyways. We were there for about four hours or so, which is pretty good for our hospitals. That's not bad. That's not bad at all. And then, yeah, by the time I left the hospital that night, I was diagnosed with type 2. They gave me some prescriptions to take to the pharmacy the next day, and that kind of kick-started my type 2 journey. And then about a year into my diagnosis, there was a day where my blood sugar was high for three days on end, and it did not come down. And in the first year of having diabetes, that never happened. And she was even the one that's like, your graphs are looking weird. Like they're always on the high end. And like, yeah, for three days in a row, my blood sugar didn't come down. You need a girlfriend who can analyze your glucose. Obviously. So I ended up going to emergency, I think, on the third or fourth day that my blood sugar was elevated. And all they did was just pretty much bumped up my medicine, which did nothing because I had a follow-up appointment with my doctor after. And she's like, I don't even know why they did that. you're already on the maximum dose of metformin, which is pretty much what everybody's on as a type 2. And then, yeah, so after that, a whole lot didn't change up until August of 2023 is when I went for the antibody GAD test, which basically tells if you have the antibodies that kill your beta cells. So that test wasn't covered. I ended up having to pay, I think, about $250 out of pocket for that. Those results came back, and next thing I knew, I was diagnosed with type 1. So Danica, I got to like... Let's get the T1D girlfriend perspective here. So like, when did you, you know, you're looking at his numbers. Like, when did you start to really think that you had something here that was not type 2 diabetes?

[00:06:50] Danica Doble: Well, it had always been. So I was diagnosed in 2009, right? And so because of that, I had always kind of had the idea that like, oh, you know, I know type 1 diabetes as the juvenile diabetes, right? Even though I know that people can get it in their adulthood, I always knew it as the younger people got it. And so when I met Lucas, I didn't, or not when I met you, because that's a whole other story. But when we reconnected, I was like, this is weird. Like, this is weird that he's a type 2. Because like a lot of adults are coming out saying they have type 1 diabetes. I'm like, this is really weird. So my dad and I actually talked about it one night. And I was like, yeah, this just doesn't make sense. We know type 2 can be genetic and all of that. But it just wasn't adding up. And so a few days went by and I follow each other on our Dexcom apps, obviously. And so I had seen that his numbers were atrocious. And I was like, something's not right here. I need you to go to the hospital. And he's like, what do you, why? And I was like, because I think you're a type 1 diabetic. And he's like, no, no, I'm not. And I was like, just go to the hospital. Don't make me mad. Just go to the hospital. I'm going to get real angry with you in a second. Go to the hospital. We'll figure it out there. So he goes to the hospital and I end up calling the hospital and I somehow, someway, my best friend works in the hospital and she goes, hey, did the doctor call you? And I'm like, yeah, I made him call me. And she's like, how? And I was like, I just, I don't know. I just, I wouldn't hang up the phone until someone could help me. And I told him that he needed to run a GAD antibody test on Lucas. And he then proceeds to tell me, he's not showing any signs of type 1 diabetes. We're not going to run that test. And I said, oh, you have, if anything, you have the audacity, which is crazy. So Lucas comes home. A few days later, he goes to LifeLabs, which is like our local blood work clinic here, and gets the GAD antibody. And he was on a guy's trip with his friends. And he texted me and he He goes, hey. And I'm like, I'm going, hey. And he's like, guess who joined the type 1 club? And I'm like, my jaw's on the floor because I'm like, this can't be real. Like, I thought that I was going to be wrong. I was hoping I was going to be wrong. I didn't want to be right, you know. And sure enough, from that point on, I believe it was September 1st. September 1st. Oh, yeah. So tomorrow.

[00:08:55] Rob Howe: Wow.

[00:08:55] Danica Doble: He was a type 1 diabetic.

[00:08:57] Rob Howe: Well, happy T1D diversity tomorrow. That's crazy. We like to think that we're all dialed in, right? And then even when we have a recommendation, I'm glad, though, that we can talk about this here because there are a lot of people in the online community who share their journey of being misdiagnosed and having a doctor say, no, we don't need to do an antibody screening. And in your case, Lucas, right? Like you even in Canada, you had to pay out of pocket to get the test. So right there, there's like another barrier of like, all right, cool, we can do this test, but you're going to have to pay 250 bucks for it. Like, OK, that might cause some people to think differently about it or like not push too hard. Right. So even in those situations, you can still get resistance or pushback, even when you have somebody advocating for you behind the scenes. Somebody who also is pretty willing to lay it out on the line for people, right? Pretty willing to shoot somebody who wants to smoke from an argument perspective. Absolutely.

[00:09:46] Danica Doble: Absolutely. I was ready. I was so ready. I was like, oh, I'm going to fight this doctor. But I didn't end up fighting him, but it's okay.

[00:09:53] Lucas Silva: So from there, obviously, coming home from the Blessed Guys trip, respect. What was that next couple of weeks like as you're onboarding? Was it helpful to have somebody that you could go to or somebody like your experience with Danica right off the bat? You've been living alongside her with type 1 diabetes. What was that onboarding like for you? It was honestly super easy. Jabbing myself with needles felt like nothing because I've been watching her do it for the past year and a half. And actually before I got the official results back from the test, I had an endo appointment probably a week or two before that trip. And he was looking at all my grass, my recent blood work I did. And he's like, yeah, this is starting to look more type 1 than it is type 2. So he actually prescribed insulin to me that day. And I think I slowly went on it those first few days. But I was still kind of scared to fully jump on insulin until I got the results back from the test. So I was kind of microdosing throughout the day before I got the results back. But then yeah, once I got the results back, it wasn't a huge shock to me just because I had been living with type 2 for the last year and a half. And I've been with her for a year and a half and seeing her with type 1 made it super easy. And I made him a PowerPoint. All right. All right. Break down the PowerPoint. Like we're like slide one. Yeah. Like we're opening. Is there an intro slide? Is there an agenda? Like what are we doing? Transitions

[00:11:06] Danica Doble: and everything. Like it had graphics. It had transitions in between slides. Like I presented this thing to him. It was a presentation and it was all about type 1 diabetes, what you need to know. And I explained carb ratio because from my understanding, they don't tell you a lot about when you're diagnosed these days. They don't tell you a lot about type 1 diabetes.

[00:11:24] Rob Howe: Especially for adults.

[00:11:25] Danica Doble: Exactly. They kind of say, oh, here's some insulin. Here's a pack of needles. See ya. Like, see you in a few months, right? And so I broke down everything. And I said, like, what a carb ratio is, how we're going to figure out your carb ratio, what basal means, what bolus means, time and range, like all of these things. And so even though the technology was familiar to him, like in terms of wearing a Dexcom and stuff like that, he didn't understand how much actually goes into having type 1 diabetes and all the 42 different factors that can affect blood sugar. So it was like my moment to shine because I get to present on my favorite topic ever, which is type 1 time meeting.

[00:11:59] Rob Howe: I think the world needs to see this presentation. If I'm being honest, we got to dig into the archive and make a TikTok about it or something. Because so I'm going to take this opportunity to fall on the sword a little bit. Because you have reached out, I discovered today. I'm like, oh, yeah, let me go see what Danica and Lucas's email. I'm going to prepare for this interview. And I'm like, Danica's emailed me like three times before, like in the same year at the same time. And I was like, well, some of them get lost in the inbox. So I've got to apologize. I didn't answer those emails.

[00:12:29] Danica Doble: Don't even worry.

[00:12:30] Rob Howe: But your journey as a content creator has shifted over the years, like all of ours has. But I feel like right now, you've got a challenge going on right now that was super popular. It seemed like your videos are popping up in the Discover page and all over the web. You're very big in the community now. So I guess it was good that I waited so I could get this interview. It would have been very different than the one we did in 2022.

[00:12:51] Danica Doble: Absolutely.

[00:12:52] Rob Howe: Let's talk about your journey as a creator, how your life with diabetes and sharing that online has changed your perspective or changed your life with diabetes.

[00:12:59] Danica Doble: So I have been a social media content creator for actually about five years now. And I didn't start with type 1 diabetes. I started with DanicaDaFit. So DanicaDaFit was my baby for like the longest time. I mostly just posted on TikTok and I grew that account to about 300,000 on TikTok. And then in 2022, I wanted to merge more of my diabetes content into my fitness stuff. but I just had a really difficult time doing so. And so I was like, you know, I'm going to make them separate. We'll make type 1 diabetes her own thing. DanicaDaFit her own thing. And so I made type 1 diabetes. But actually, the reason that I started creating content as a whole was because out of nowhere in 2022, I call it the year of anxiety for me. I got absolutely punched in the face with a fear of low blood sugar. And I have never been scared of low blood sugar before. My blood sugar has been so tremendously low many, many times. and out of nowhere, I'm just terrified. And so it caused me to not be able to leave my house. The only thing I could do was go to the gym. That was it. I couldn't see my friends. I was dating somebody else at the time. I couldn't really go to their house, couldn't sleep over anywhere. I had to be at home with my parents. We're going on vacation. I would like lose it. And so I'm like, hey, well, I can't really work. COVID is still kind of a thing. So I'm just going to start posting on social media because it's fun. And so that's kind of what led DanicaDaFit into who she was. And then that's also what brought on type 1 diabetes. And so to a lot of people's surprise, I actually only started posting on Instagram in January of this year. So it's been really amazing to see the growth with that. But I've been on TikTok since 2022. And I started posting because I wasn't even thinking about, you know, turning it into a career or becoming a big social media content creator. I never had the idea of that at the beginning. I just wanted people to connect to. And I'm like, I'm terrified of low blood sugar. This weird kind of inexplainable thing happened. And I want to see if anyone else has gone through that. And obviously with, you know, I've openly talked about how I've had two eating disorders, how I've had an exercise disorder and things like that. And in the moment, you think that you're the only one going through them. And so being able to talk about it on social media and have people like, my gosh, I go through this all the time. I never knew or I never thought that somebody would be able to relate to me. That was why I started posting. and it's so cheesy to say but like honestly like that it's brought such a sense of community for me and getting to where I am now I had no idea it was gonna be as big as it has been where you know on Instagram 10 months ago I didn't have any followers and then I'm just about to hit 60,000 on Instagram and so it's it's been so unbelievably incredible and it's just brought the sense of community to me that I didn't know existed where you know I get to I've made so many friends on on like Instagram and TikTok. I've connected with you. I was at Friends for Life. Like there's so many amazing things that have come from it all because I was like, you know what? I just got to post. I just got to see if someone out there can hear me and know what I'm going through. And so that's kind of what brought me here today. So, yeah. Well, I think you bring up a couple of

[00:15:56] Rob Howe: things. I want to focus on two things because number one, feeling alone or feeling like you're not relatable or feeling like something is too cringe to share or whatever I think is a really common. I sound old when I say it now, but like, especially for younger people now, like appearing cringe is like in their top, like three fears. Right. And so like diabetes can be like sharing about it and feeling alone. I think a lot of people are afraid to share those moments. So I think one of the things that resonates at least with me and I think a lot of your followers is like how transparent you are about what you're going through and how you're feeling and what burdens you're carrying. I didn't know that about your like anxiety around low blood sugars and like fear around the lows. Tell me a little bit more about, I mean, that's really tough, especially living with diabetes for a long time at that point, over a decade. And for that to pop up and have to deal with has got to be really difficult. And how are you today? How are you

[00:16:46] Danica Doble: feeling today related to fear of hypos? Yeah, well, today I'm a lot better than I was. I still don't love them, but it was the most craziest experience I'd ever gone through in my life because it popped up out of nowhere. There was this weird thing that happened when I was on vacation. It was like, oh, I ate 60 grams of carbs. My blood sugar wasn't low. I ate 60 grams of carbs, but the carbs didn't kick in until three hours later when I ate a glucose tablet. It was this really weird thing, but then you can go, okay, the heat, the exercise, the time change. Looking back at it, I'm like, there's so many things that could have explained that why the carbs didn't kick in or whatever, but that freaked me out. So that sent me into a spiral where 2022, 2022, it was just like I had convinced my subconscious brain that if I went low, I would die. And so even getting close to being low, I would panic and I would have these panic attacks and it was just awful. But then 2023 rolled around and it vanished. I woke up one morning and it was gone. It was completely gone. All I wanted to do was go to the bars with my friends and go party and not like, you know, irresponsibly, but I just wanted to go outside. I'm like, let's go out tonight. Where are we going? Because I couldn't go out for so long. And so, I mean, you saw saw it firsthand because we started dating in 2023 and I was just out and about like crazy I was insane I was literally insane and then I kind of felt it slowly start to creep back up and with where I am today it's nowhere nearly as bad as it was but there are certain situations like on a plane for example I flew for the first time to Florida by myself so I'd never flown by myself before and so I was like I don't care what my blood sugar is the point is that I'm going and I'm doing it. And so in situations like that, it still definitely is very present because I'm alone. But when I'm with people, I'm usually pretty OK and calm. But being alone, I'm terrified to go low

[00:18:33] Rob Howe: still. But that's better than what it was. But you're also like facing the fear, though, right? Like you're getting on the plane. You're going to those things. And I feel like that resilience is I don't know. Resilience is something that people with diabetes, I think, curate. Everybody's different in their own way. And like sometimes doing little things, even just celebrating, going out to the bars with your friends after being a sort of a prisoner to your diabetes for a while can feel like a huge thing. And it like, you know, turns you into yourself. Right. And so sometimes like the corny saying is the life you want is on the other side of the uncomfortable thing. But like, I think part of what you're experiencing too right now is you're challenging yourself with these things that you used to shut you down. And absolutely. Yeah. And so I think it's really great to share that even where you are today, past the real challenges of 2022 and 2023, three, like, you know, three years later, you're like on a plane by yourself. So being able to tell that to yourself when you're locked down in the house, I'm sure would be game changing.

[00:19:26] Danica Doble: Yeah, definitely. It's been amazing to look back at the amazing opportunities I've had over the last couple months and like even with going to Ohio and just things like that where I'm like, I can do these hard things. And it's so fulfilling to know that like, hey, you're actually going to be okay. Hey, your blood sugar dropped, but it actually came up 15 minutes later. Like just having those little reminders as silly as it sounds, it's so important to focus on those things where I feel like I used to focus on the fact that I went low, but not the fact that it came up 15 minutes later. You know what I mean? And so it's just changing my perspective around it, I think. And it's at a pretty good place now. Not as good as where he is with his lows,

[00:20:02] Rob Howe: but for me, it's pretty good. All right. Well, let's talk about it. Like, how does diabetes and diabetes management show up for you guys in your relationship? So Lucas is obviously, he's better at managing lows. Okay. Like, what's the other inside tea on you guys' diabetes management that you want to share?

[00:20:16] Danica Doble: Yeah, well, I thought that when he was diagnosed, I, because I'm really, really competitive, like concerningly competitive. And I was a bit worried that it was going to be like kind of a burden for us because I'm so competitive. So I'm like, oh my gosh, we have to compete who has the best blood sugar. Like that's kind of how I thought it was going to be. And it's been really nice because it hasn't even gotten remotely close to being that where, you know, he's in range a lot more than I am. He goes low a lot more than I do. but we don't make the other person feel bad for if they're having a bad blood sugar day or whatever that might be. And it's so nice to be able to rely on each other for support because, you know, there was one time where he was like, hey, I totally forgot to order Omnipods. Can I have some? And I'm like, yeah, like here, however many you need. And, you know, I've called him for a Dexcom before. And so it's been really nice because I feel like with both of us having type 1, obviously we understand each other, but we're able to give each other the proper support. And so I think in terms of our diabetes management, it's been really amazing because sometimes I'm not thinking pre-bolus and then I'll see him pre-bolus and I'm like, oh my gosh, right. I need to also do that. And so it's shown up in a lot of really amazing ways.

[00:21:26] Rob Howe: Don't add on to that. Yeah, no, that was pretty much all of it. But yeah, I know. The biggest thing for me, like she mentioned, is sometimes, yeah, I forget to get my supplies and vice versa. There's been times where I've had to give her stuff. And like... Yeah, I mean, I'm guilty of being like the last minute supply order. I'm like, we'll make it. We'll be fine. We'll be fine. I know. It's a little easier without like a Dexcom because if I don't have one on, I can poke my finger. But without an Omnipod, I need the insulin. And without that, I can't just automatically go back onto my long acting insulin because that usually takes a day to kick in. So I'd have to be like microdosing my fast acting all day. So without, she saved me definitely probably a few times. I have, yeah. Really nice to have somebody who like wears your same diabetes technology around. I know. It's gotta be great. I was trying to think like we haven't had that many like couples who both have type 1 on the podcast over the years. So especially not one that helps diagnose the other one. So like that's like a very unique story. It's just interesting to hear the perspective of you're able to share like really intimately like, hey, man, I'm feeling down today because my lows have me down or I wasn't able to bounce back as quickly or whatever the case. All of those things are super important. And I think my number one advice to people is often just make a friend like somebody having somebody who knows what they're going through is just such a life hack. so that you guys have that together is cool and i'm sure has paid off in dozens of ways we just

[00:22:44] Danica Doble: know that if we have kids chances of them having type 1 is pretty high pretty high there's a video

[00:22:49] Rob Howe: going around right now because men are more likely to pass it on than women are but it's still like super super low but you know double trouble so if you guys do that hopefully good luck fingers crossed either way if that kid is diagnosed with diabetes like what better environment to be part of you know absolutely right so danica i know you're in the middle of one of your big challenges right now. It did seem like really exciting. So tell us a little bit for those who are curious or looking around or didn't commit, what's going on in the group chat right now in the challenge?

[00:23:17] Danica Doble: Is it lit in there? What's going on? Yeah, well, so I launched a six-week challenge. Again, kind of going back to how I started social media, I've been a gym girl for the last 10, 11 years now. So I had lost 50 pounds right at the end of high school, which was seven years ago. now, I'd lost 50 pounds, sure enough, got way too skinny, had to gain some weight back, all while having type 1 diabetes. And so I was always just kind of wanting to go into social media, thinking about what makes me a little bit different? What are things that I can offer to people who might not be able to find it anywhere else kind of thing? And fitness has always been one of those things. And so back in the day, I actually studied science-based fitness. I decided on my own terms, didn't go to school for it or anything like that. And so I was like, you know what, I'm going to launch a six-week challenge. We're going to see how desperate of a need there is in the community for something like this. It was kind of more of a testing thing, and it ended up being so amazing. The group chat is so much fun. Everyone kind of posts their sweaty selfies or, you know, the day that they're on, or they'll say, oh my gosh, I couldn't work out today, so I'm working out tomorrow, or whatever it might be. And it's just a really fun environment to be in because someone was like, oh, my blood sugars have just been a roller coaster today. And every person in the group understands. And so it's been amazing to just see the girls get after it over the last few weeks and to see them make progress, push a little bit more weight. You know, their insulin sensitivity, a lot of them, their insulin sensitivity has gone crazy. And so it's kind of fun to be able to be a part of that journey for them. So shout out muscles for that glucose.

[00:24:48] Rob Howe: Yeah, right. What can you do? Like, you know, just get in the gym, work it out because that'll help a ton. Well, very cool. So I do want to talk about a little bit about this too, because I've seen a couple of videos of you where you've got the time, somebody makes a comment, like it's either kind of rooted in diabetes stigma or they're coming after you for whatever reason. And I want to frame it like this, because I think a lot of times whenever we see people who have content success or what have you, we talk about the highs and how cool it is, the opportunities and the access and things like that. But also you're opening yourself up to the world and there are haters out there. Just like, I don't know if that's scientific, but I think it can be proven there are haters out there and they can get you down at some point. But I'd love to hear when you see those things come through and you can use those as a flipping that negative to a positive?

[00:25:31] Danica Doble: So the thing with me is I need to remember that, you know, I need to be professional and appropriate on the internet because I have always said that if someone goes low, I'm going to go lower. Like that's just the rule that I live by, right? But like on a serious note, I always say that if someone is going to hate on social media, let it be on me because I live a beautiful life. I love who I am as a person. I love how I treat other people. I know how to make other people feel good. So point being is that I like to think I'm a really happy person. And, you know, I've been so fortunate and so blessed in this life with type 1 diabetes, or sorry, and with having type 1 diabetes, not with type 1 diabetes. But I just look at it as, you know, I live this beautiful life. I want people, if they're going to hate on anybody on the internet, let it be me because I know that it's not going to affect me like it might affect somebody else. And I've had the time and the energy to clap back at people for whatever reason because I know deep down that misery loves company. So people who are hating on me are missing something from their own life. And, you know, and I always say, you know, there's a time and place on social media to be a hater. I don't ever give it much thought because I'm like, sometimes I like to have fun with it. I like to engage with it a little, spice up my life up a little bit, but I know that misery loves company. And so people who come onto my page to hate, I've, you know, had plenty of them between DanicaDaFit and type 1 diabetes. I just like to have fun with it. And I'm like, life isn't that serious. Social media isn't that serious. I'm never going to talk to this person ever again. And for some people that might just cause them to block them because they're never going to talk to this person. But for me, I'm like, you know what? I have a voice and I'm allowed to use it, especially on my own social media page. So if you come onto my page and you're going to start with fire, I'm going to pour some gas on it. You know what I mean? Let it burn. Let it burn. Yeah, exactly. That's kind of just the way that I go about things where it's never that serious. It's never that crazy. You know, I just, I don't like hate this on a page.

[00:27:24] Rob Howe: I do think like sometimes it can be really hard for people to separate what's happening in the phone from what's happening in real life. And there's all the science behind it. We're all of our brains are fight or flight all the time because we're on our phone and with diabetes, like it could be even worse because we're tracking our glucose and our pumps on our phones. And it can just be kind of a way that we get way too attached to what's happening on there. And I just like the idea of having fun with it. And as long as it's true to yourself. And so often we are quick to look at the one negative thing or one not super positive thing and forget about all of the other 99 positive things that are out there for us. Cool. Well, I want to talk more. Lucas, what did we miss? You booked this meeting. I messaged Danica. I was like, I got to hear this story. What's it like being the two T1Ds in the household, right? On social media, like the diabetes world is around. What's it like on a day-to-day to be a diabetes power couple, a T1D power couple? What do we got? It's crazy because I know for her, since she was diagnosed as a kid, that's pretty much all she's known her whole life. Whereas for me, I was diagnosed as an adult. I've only known it for the last four years. And before I got diagnosed, if you asked me what diabetes was, I would probably say a bunch of sugar on a plate. That's like, I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about it until I got diagnosed.

[00:28:44] Danica Doble: That's why you need to, you need to add in how we, how we met and how we know each other.

[00:28:49] Lucas Silva: Okay.

[00:28:50] Danica Doble: Because you did know a little bit about type 1 diabetes. You did know a little bit about type 1.

[00:28:54] Lucas Silva: And yeah, I guess I knew you and I knew you had it. So we've known each other since you came to high school grade nine. Grade nine. So that was 2015, I think. And then, yeah, we were in the same friend group. There was, I think, 10 guys, five girls. And we weren't super close in high school, but we talked here and there. And like she said, she was dating somebody else at the time. In the friend group. Yeah. Okay. This is tea now. This is a small friend group, you know. But there's only five girls and there's 10 guys. So, like, you know, there's bound to be a little bit across the world, right?

[00:29:25] Danica Doble: Absolutely.

[00:29:25] Lucas Silva: Yeah. And then, yeah, we finished high school and I probably saw you, whatever, after high school. A couple times. Maybe. And then, yeah, she had found out that I got diagnosed with type 2 one day. And then we went to Casino One Night, like a bunch of us, and she happened to be there. And she was asking me all these questions about it. I'm like, yeah, I just got diagnosed with type 2. I've been living with it for about, what was that at the time? Like probably six-ish months or so. So we kind of kept in touch after that because she was... So wait, Casino One Night is like a gala or something, or it's like a fundraiser? Or did you guys just go to the casino? We just went to the casino. Okay, okay, cool. Sorry, that was the Canada to Texas accent translation. I was like, is Casino One Night? Is that like a breakthrough T1D thing or something? No. Okay, so you guys just went to the casino. What's your game of choice at the casino?

[00:30:14] Danica Doble: I'm a slots girl through and through.

[00:30:16] Lucas Silva: Okay, love it. I don't even know if I played anything. Sometimes I go just to hang out. I love it. I don't even know if I played anything that night. I'll sometimes play slots. I'll just put money in and she'll do it for me because she has better. I bet big.

[00:30:30] Danica Doble: That button.

[00:30:31] Lucas Silva: She's better than me on the slots. I don't really, I go to the casino maybe two times a year. Yeah, it's good. So yeah, we kind of kept in touch after that day because she found out I had diabetes. And then about, yeah, six months or so later, we started dating.

[00:30:47] Danica Doble: Yeah, and it's important to know that this was in 2022. so this was when all I was craving was somebody to understand me so it's kind of really interesting how the timeline worked out because at that time like I said it was my anxiety year and when I found out Lucas was a type 2 I was so excited because I was like oh my gosh someone who kind of gets me even though you know there's a lot of differences and a lot of similarities I was like close enough I'm latching on I'm not letting go kind of thing because somebody actually can kind of understand what I might be going through so so you guys don't know this about me

[00:31:17] Rob Howe: you might know i don't know i'm a little bit crunchy so like i believe manifesting like spiritual you guys sort of were exactly what each other needed at the time without even knowing like literally like the physical side lucas you needed somebody to diagnose you and danica you needed somebody to relate to you and be able to be seen and what a really beautiful thing yeah

[00:31:38] Danica Doble: no it was crazy how it all played out and i always say things happen for a reason and i don't ever really believe in true coincidences. So for us to come together when we did, it's amazing to look at how if I had never gone to the casino that night, like if I had chosen to stay home, I would have, who knows if I would have reconnected with Lucas. And so like it

[00:31:57] Rob Howe: happened at a time where like you not going out would have been like a normal thing, right? Oh,

[00:32:01] Danica Doble: yeah. Oh, yeah. There were there's actually one party that he had gone to a couple months before we like fully, fully reconnected. And my friend had actually invited me out. And he was like, oh, we're going to be two minutes away from your house. Do you want to come out? And I was like, no, not really. Come to find out he was there. And so I'm like, if I had gone out that night, I wonder if it would have changed the dynamic at all between him and I. So yeah, kind of crazy.

[00:32:25] Rob Howe: Yeah. That feeling you're feeling listeners, that's those chills. Like that's, that's because yeah, things do happen for a reason. What an interesting thing. I think being open to those opportunities, you never know what's on the other side of simple thing, like going to the casino. Love happens at the casino. What can I say?

[00:32:40] Danica Doble: Who would have thought we're getting married there?

[00:32:43] Rob Howe: Let's go. Are you really? We'll send you an invite. Okay, let me know. I'm ready. I'll be on the slots. Just put me in, coach. I'm ready. Guys, I had a blast talking to you both. I knew I was going to, but this was really, really nice. A good way to end my afternoon here in Dallas. What else do you want to say before we wrap up? Anything that you want to plug? What do you want to say to the listeners?

[00:33:04] Danica Doble: Well, throughout my time on social media, I think that I've learned that literally anything is possible with or without type 1 diabetes. And I think that I always say that the grass is always greener where I water it. And so even though type 1 comes with so many challenges and hard days, and it's okay to cry, it's okay to complain, it's okay to do all those things. But you also got to get back right up on your feet and find a purpose in life that's worth living for and worth achieving. And you're allowed to have these big, crazy goals. I've just changed so much of my perspective around having type 1 diabetes. And of course, it's easy for me to say because I have such a beautiful community online. but it's been really, really amazing to focus on all the positives that it's brought me rather than the negatives. I mean, we both do jujitsu as type 1 diabetics. There's so many things that we have done as type 1 diabetics that really prove that anything is possible and no dream and no goal is too big.

[00:33:54] Lucas Silva: I'll backpack off that. Getting diagnosed with type 1 has been an eye-opening experience over the last four years of my life and it's flown by, but I wouldn't change anything. I've done a lot of cool stuff. It's really, really motivated me to focus on my fitness now living with type 1 because it changes it in a good way so much. I've ran two half marathons with type 1. I like to go hiking. I love to go for walks. I love to do anything outside, any sort of physical activity. If I never got diagnosed, I don't know where I would be today. And I don't know if I'd be with this crazy lady or anything. I didn't even force him to say that. That's crazy. Okay. Well, I love it. Man, you guys, that was so profound, like from both of you. That was so nice. I didn't expect. That was amazing. I guess my only question for you both, how many sensors do you go through a week rolling around doing jiu-jitsu? Because I know there's somebody listening who's like, oh, I don't want to go to jiu-jitsu because I don't want my sensors to get ripped off. I don't want my pod to get ripped off. Is there a secret or are you guys just like, you know what, if it gets ripped off, just slap another one on and be done with it?

[00:34:53] Danica Doble: Okay, this, I won't go on for too long, but the only person at jiu-jitsu, so I go five to seven times a week. I'm a jiu-jitsu girl is what I say. The only person who's ever ripped off a sensor is Lucas on me None of my other teammates have none of my training partners when Lucas and I roll he every single time We're not I told him like babe, we can't roll together anymore I'm not having this he rips out my sensor or my pod every single time

[00:35:19] Rob Howe: He's just exploiting that weakness. He knows he knows where to go

[00:35:22] Danica Doble: And so is there a secret? I always just I wrap mine up in like a tensor bandage and I have a sleeve for it But i'm also just kind of mindful with it, but I haven't lost too many too many sensors at jujitsu. And I don't think you have either maybe one or two out of the last

[00:35:38] Lucas Silva: few years. Yeah, a couple. I don't go as much as her. I'm kind of more here and there like a hobbyist when I feel like it. But I remember when I first got like my pump, I didn't want to go for a little while. I was like, this is a lot bigger than my Dexcom. I don't want it to get ripped off. I'm like just starting on this new device. So I took some time off after I got that on. But yeah, for my pump, best thing I say is location. For me, it's my leg. For her, I think it's your stomach. and I kinesiology tape seems to work the best over the pump and then Dexcom I wear over patch and then I'll usually have I got this little sleeve I'll put over the Dexcom as well

[00:36:10] Danica Doble: yeah we're pretty good

[00:36:12] Rob Howe: you guys I mean you guys got a system I like it I like it very cool awesome well guys thank you again so much for the time today and for making this happen and for being part of Diabetics Doing Things I'm glad to know you and next time Danica we're not just gonna say hey what's up I'm Rob hi I'm Danica and then like we'll spend some time looking forward to seeing you guys

[00:36:28] Danica Doble: would love to absolutely Thank you so much, Rob. Of course, guys. Have a good one. Bye. Take care. Bye.