In light of some of the conversation happening on and around My Diabetes Secret, Cherise decided to use the platform she built to address some of the topics presented without giving an opportunity for the negativity to invade the weekly tweetchat.

One afternoon a car pulled up next to me and the driver rolled down his window gesturing to get my attention. He was holding up a small electronic device that turned out to be a Medtronic insulin pump. He wanted to say hello after seeing my license plate.

Diabetes in the wild, it’s a thing.

When I need validation in my diabetes efforts – when I’m at my lowest points, I look to my peers to remind me it’s going to be okay.

My purpose online changes almost daily, but I feel that I’ve built a presence that helps other share their stories. Be it the podcast, Tumblr, or a simple retweet. I believe in story sharing. Sometimes that means my own, other times that means everyone else’s. As long as there’s an opportunity for someone new diabetes online to say “me too”, I’ll always be here.

Be open. Be honest. Be you. (When you’re ready to share – there’s nothing wrong with lurking, or learning.)

The diabetes community means everything. It means safety. It means solidarity. It means comfort. It means my future wife.