As teenagers with diabetes, we can often feel the overwhelming challenge of trying to balance school, work, and academics, our friendships and relationships, sports and mental health all while staying on top of health routines and constant monitoring of our diabetes. Every person with diabetes has their own diagnosis story and eventually, we all get to the point where we experience burnout. Having diabetes can feel lonely, but in reality, there are people just like you experiencing the same feelings about their own diabetes. Creating healthy habits can be demanding, but when you have a support network built around you of loving people and trustful technology; you can do the impossible.
Ava: In October, I met someone who truly understood what I was going through daily as I encountered the highs and lows of type 1 diabetes. It felt like a moment of relief–a complete realization that I wasn’t alone in anything I was going through as a teenager with type one. I met a new friend named Jacob. Jacob and I connected over the little things–especially the fact we both use the Omnipod 5 Automated Insulin Delivery System. Living an hour away from each other did not stop us from bonding over things like dealing with diabetes in public and the millions of questions that we often receive about our devices. One of the questions Jacob and I get the most is, “Why do you have to carry around two phones?” In reality, we were’t carrying two phones–we were carrying a phone and the Omnipod 5 Controller.
Yesterday, my Dad asked me what I learned at school recently. I told him I learned a story about elk and their antler-shedding process called “antler casting” or “antler shedding.” Each year, a male elk grows a new set of antlers to establish dominance. The antlers naturally fall off or “cast,” and a new set grows in the next season. When elk initially shed their antlers, they can exhibit behaviors that might seem “crazy” or erratic. Most people believe the elk act this way due to the fact they are now free and have lifted that weight off their shoulders. People with diabetes can often feel similar to the elk; a lot of us carry a burden that is hard to shake off. For Jacob and me, that burden was carrying around a second device. Luckily, Omnipod technology has evolved in a way that allows us to shake off our “antlers.” The launch of the Omnipod 5 app for iPhone* has positively changed our world in ways we cannot explain. As people with diabetes, we are now able to walk in that snow-pact field, free and fast.
Jacob: Within the past few years, my life has been severely affected by type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed in 2021 and I went from living a normal and typical teenage life, to constantly checking my glucose levels and giving myself insulin all the time. I have been using the Omnipod 5 System since I was diagnosed and while it has helped with my diabetes management, it has made me feel different 
from my friends. At school, I try to hide my Controller from my classmates because I am afraid they will look at me differently for having a diagnosis that I have no control over. About a week ago, I switched over to the new Omnipod 5 App for iPhone, and it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can live my normal teenage life that I have always wanted like before I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Ava and Jacob: Diabetes causes drama. As teenagers, this diagnosis can cause us to have to balance so many things while we grow older and learn to become our own persons. It can be mentally taxing to try to juggle everything, and, at times, it feels like an uphill battle. With the support of the new Omnipod 5 iOS App and our diabetes friends who “just get it,” we feel more in control of our lives and diabetes becomes less of a challenge. Without tubes or extra devices, we are like the antlerless elks and are much more free. As we enter the most exciting days of our lives ahead, we are thankful that diabetes technology has evolved and that as we continue to get to know each other, we can worry less about all of the parts and pieces of our diabetes and focus more on each other.
Better Together,
Ava (age 15) and Jacob (age 17)
*For a list of compatible smartphones visit https://www.omnipod.com/compatibility
