The Familial Web of T1D

Wendy’s son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) at the age of three. She had no previous knowledge or connection to T1D, so she turned to local mothers who had children living with T1D and the online T1D community for support and education to help her son.

Advocacy Begins at Home

When Wendy sent her son to Kindergarten in the public school system, she was frustrated to find how many “rules” were being imposed on school staff regarding diabetes care in school.  These “rules” were creating barriers to him receiving the care and support he needed to be safe at school and in the classroom learning with his peers. Wendy understood Federal laws that protected students with diabetes and has worked tirelessly in her district and state to challenge and untangle complex “rules” and outdated diabetes care practices. By advocating for her own child, she was able to help improve diabetes in care for students all across the state. Her strength lies in her ability to communicate clearly, challenge respectfully, and create relationships and collaborations with persons that can create change at high levels

FOLLOWT1Ds

Since 2023, Wendy has been the the Director of Communications for FOLLOWT1Ds, where she uses her knowledge of Federal laws and work experience to educate and empower our community of parents, via social media, and encourage collaboration with school nurses to ensure children with diabetes have the accommodations needed to be safe and successful in schools. Wendy has connected FOLLOWT1Ds with social media creators and organizations to broadcast our advocacy efforts and resources and helped create, and continues to support our online parent community. As an advisory board member, Wendy plays a crucial role helping to make decisions that strengthen the role that FOLLOWT1Ds plays in the diabetes community and collaborates with the board to ensure that decisions made continue to exemplify FOLLOWT1DS mission.