The Familial Web of T1D

Melinda’s connection to T1D is deeply personal and multi-generational. She has lived with the condition for over three decades, two of her first-degree relatives live with Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA), and two grandparents had type 2 diabetes. This firsthand experience with the genetic and daily complexities of the disease fuels her commitment to ensuring families have access to the most accurate clinical resources available.

Advocacy Begins at Home

For more than a decade, Melinda has been a dedicated advocate for the diabetes community, openly sharing the real-world challenges faced by many of the individuals she supports professionally, along with her own lived experience. Her journey includes significant personal hardship, including selling her home to cover essential medical expenses not covered by employer’s insurance plan. She leverages these experiences into her advocacy to strengthen efforts aimed at reducing the financial, medical, and psychological burdens of T1D management. With both professional expertise and personal insight, she understands the emotional and physical weight of a diagnosis and is committed to empowering families and individuals living with diabetes through education and awareness with a goal of ending systemic barriers.

FOLLOWT1Ds

As the Clinical Content Liaison for FOLLOWT1Ds, Melinda meticulously collects and reviews all content for school nurses and trained staff to ensure each resource is clinically accurate and compliant with the most recent evidence-based standards of care. Her volunteerism within the organization focuses on access and equity. Melinda's impact is amplified through her extensive advocacy across national and local platforms.

Advocacy and Volunteer Roles