Spencer Woodard

My name is Spencer Templeton Woodard and I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 13 months old at the City of Hope Hospital in San Dimas CA. Having T1 Diabetes is the only reality I have ever known. As child my blood sugars were not great and being a father now at age 31 I can only imagine how challenging taking care of me must have been. Since my mid teens I have had tight control of my blood sugar levels. Although this is the only reality I have known, I have had moments feeling depressed and tired of having to deal with this condition everyday. I have four children: Weston (8), Dean (5), Ladd (3) and Shiloh (2 months). I feel grateful everyday that even a diabetic like myself can experience what its like to raise a family and live a normal life. My wife Alexia is extremely supportive of me and my condition. She recently encouraged me to get CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) and it has been life changing. The last week of January 2025 was the first week in 30.5 years that I didn’t have draw blood from fingers to test my level. I really wish I had gotten one of these devices sooner, but up until recently it was out of reach due to Insurance companies not wanting to cover it. On that note, when I turned 19 years old and graduated high school was removed from my state insurance. This was in 2012 and for 6 months I attempted to apply for health care to get my insulin but kept getting denied due to my “pre existing condition”, this was a time when companies could deny diabetics service simply because they already had diabetes. Because of this I had to find employment that would offer me health benefits. In December 10 2012 I secured employment at loanDepot.com, after paying $1,200 out of pocket for 6 months I was finally covered by insurance to get the medication I need to survive. 12 years later, I am still working at that company! I’d like to end this with one last observation. My wife recently read on the history of modern day insulin and was surprised to learn the modern long actin and fast acting insulin we use today was barely made available 11 years before I was born. Without that advancement I don’t think I would have made it alive as long as I have with Diabetes. I really do feel like I was not meant to be here but thanks to technological advancement I am granted a life like others without Diabetes and for that I am grateful. Thank you for reading.