Diabetes by the Numbers
Join me as we discuss diabetes advocacy, science, and technology on Diabetes by the Numbers.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
02/11/2019
Diabetes By The Numbers
In this episode of DBTN, Renza Scibilia & I talk about the upcoming ATTD conference, the importance of #LanguageMatters, and the Spare a Rose campaign.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
07/31/2018
Diabetes By The Numbers
Mike Lawson stops by to discuss his new children's book, Open Up Your Bag. Find out about the book and what Mike's been up to these days.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
03/29/2018
Diabetes By The Numbers
Episode 26 - Grainne Flynn
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Diabetes By The Numbers
09/04/2017
Diabetes By The Numbers
Clinical trials come and go, and often they may seem like the same thing is just being tested over and over again. But it’s really not like that at all.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
08/28/2017
Diabetes By The Numbers
Mindy Bartleson is accomplished. I don't think that's overstating it. What's really amazing is how accomplished she is at only 24 years of age.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
06/07/2017
Diabetes By The Numbers
Truth be told, I look to Christopher Snider as the gold standard for quality diabetes interviews and podcasts. I've wanted him on this podcast for some time. Now, with that out of the way, let me tell you why Christopher was part of the podcast this week. He has a new role, as Community Manager at . Tidepool is a terrific nonprofit organization that helps provide a free, open platform where people with diabetes, doctors, researchers, and others can either upload or view diabetes data. Christopher explains it way better than I do, so I will encourage you to listen for that. We spend a good amount of time talking about Tidepool's recently announced Big Data Donation Project. Tidepool has agreed to donate ten percent of any fees they receive for selling your de-identified data to researchers. The money will go to one of eight diabetes nonprofits that you probably know well. Christopher explains it way better than I do, so I will encourage you to listen for that too. There's also a vague reference to Odin, the Norse god. Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic Christopher Snider is Community Manager at Tidepool: To find out more about Tidepool's Big Data Donation Project, go to: Christopher Snider is host of two amazing podcasts:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
03/29/2017
Diabetes By The Numbers
How do you do two interviews on the same subject on different days within the same week? It helps if something big happens on one of the days in between interviews. "Everything in my life, every decision I've made throughout my life, has always been framed around, 'Will I be able to get health insurance?'." In part two of my discussions with leaders of the , the wonderful organizer of the Nashville march, explains perfectly why, even though the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives pulled his "repeal and replace" healthcare legislation from consideration last Friday, there is still a need for a March. She explains exactly why access to care and spreading knowledge of patient's rights are such an important part of her life. Trust me... this will be well worth your time. Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic Cara Richardson is organizer for the March for Health in Public Square Park, Nashville Tennessee, Saturday, April 1st at 11:00 a.m. To find out all about March for Health Nashville, or to find another city where you can march; or to help support March for Health with a donation, go to: March for Health still needs volunteers who can help with everything from e-mails to fundraising to setup and cleanup. To become a March for Health volunteer, email: Cara writes about her life with diabetes at the blog Every Day, Every Hour, Every Minute:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
03/27/2017
Diabetes By The Numbers
Wow. What a turn of events. Last Thursday, when Leyla Mansour-Cole and I recorded this interview, we were less than 24 hours away from the unexpected move of the Speaker of the House of Representatives pulling the Republican's "repeal and replace" health care legislation from consideration. Still, there is a lot left to debate when it comes to health care in America. And that's why people all over the country will be participating in the Saturday, April 1. So many of us are affected by the way care, drugs, and medical technology are delivered in this country. That's a lot of what we'll be talking about in this episode. And don't forget to listen to Wednesday's companion interview on March for Health with . Together, these two are the model of what happens when you see an important issue and throw yourself head first into the discussion, making a huge, positive impact. Reference Material - Click below for more information Leyla Mansour-Cole is National and Washington, D.C. coordinator for the March for Health, Saturday, April 1st. To find a city where you can march, or to help support March for Health with a donation, go to: March for Health still needs volunteers who can help with everything from e-mails to fundraising to setup & cleanup. To become a March for Health volunteer, email:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
02/08/2017
Diabetes By The Numbers
Hello, and welcome to my little part of . This week, eleven diabetes podcasters and video bloggers are taking part in a week-long diabetes information-fest, and centering once again on the campaign. So listen to this episode, then use the giving link to make your donation and save the life of a child living in a developing country who is also living with diabetes. More information on Spare A Rose, Save A Child is at the beginning of this episode, and there's an additional link below. My guest for this episode is one of my best friends in the world, Karen Graffeo. But that's not why you should listen to our conversation. You should listen because Karen, in addition to leading Diabetes Sisters' Virtual PODS (Part Of Diabetes Sisters) group, is helping to lead , a collaboration between Diabetes Sisters, the Johns Hopkins University, the University of North Carolina, TrustNetMD, and the Diabetes Sisters stakeholder advisory board of women and diabetes advocates. If you're a woman living with diabetes, there is an easy way for you to participate in this groundbreaking research, and Karen is going to tell you all about it. There's also a link below. I think I also may have inadvertently convinced Karen to reprise Diabetes Blog Week this spring:) I hope so. Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic Are you a woman living with diabetes? Find out more and participate in Diabetes Sisters Voices research: Help save the life of a child by using the giving link and donating to Spare A Rose, Save A Child: Thanks to Stacey Simms for coordinating Diabetes Podcast Week again. Find out about Diabetes Podcast Week and meet each podcaster by going to: Karen Graffeo writes about her life with diabetes, and hosts Diabetes Blog Week at:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
01/26/2017
Diabetes By The Numbers
Time now for the third and final part of my conversation with Christel Marchand Aprigliano. If you haven't yet listened to the first two parts of our chat, please go back after this episode and listen to them, because they are well worth your time. In this episode, we talk about ,or DPAC. Christel and Bennet Dunlap started DPAC as a way to help amplify the voice of the patient to elected officials and policy makers. They provide a slew of tools that empower friends, family, and fellow advocates to take action on a number of diabetes-centric issues. Often, in less than one minute. Note: I volunteered with DPAC in 2016, and plan to do so again in 2017. Also, I should mention that this interview was recorded after the November 2016 election, but prior to the beginning of the 115th U.S. Congress in 2017. Thanks so much to Christel for sitting down for this conversation. Enjoy, and get your advocacy on! Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic Christel Marchand Aprigliano writes about diabetes at: You can connect with Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition, or DPAC, at:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
01/12/2017
Diabetes By The Numbers
Welcome back to Diabetes By The Numbers. Today, I feature the second part of my conversation with Christel Marchand Aprigliano. In this episode, we talk about one of the hot button issues of the day-- insulin pricing. We cover a recent meeting between insulin makers and diabetes advocates, and developments on pricing announced by two of those insulin makers since that meeting took place in November of 2016. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reference Material - Click below for more information Christel Marchand Aprigliano writes about diabetes at: You can connect with Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition, or DPAC, at: © Stephen Shaul
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Diabetes By The Numbers
01/06/2017
Diabetes By The Numbers
I can't tell you how excited I am to finally share a conversation with Christel Marchand Aprigliano. In three parts. Christel, as I mention in the introduction, is a force in the diabetes world. Until there isn't a diabetes world any longer, we can only hope to have advocates like her who get in the trenches and fight for the things that are important to those of us living with this disease. In part two of our conversation, you'll hear about one of the hot topics of the day, insulin pricing, where roles are slightly reversed, and I'm the feisty one. Part three will cover Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition, and how using the easy button can help you get your diabetes advocacy started, and up your diabetes advocacy, all in less than two minutes. Those episodes are still to come, and you're not going to want to miss them. Today, we talk about the unique gathering known as the Diabetes UnConference. Christel covers all the things that make the UnConference life-affirming. We discuss the No Social Media policy that exists during the sessions on Saturday and Sunday, and why that is so important to attendees. And Christel admits that her intentions in creating the UnConference were not entirely altruistic (her words, not mine). She needs it just as much as the rest of us. If you’re in a place in your walk with diabetes where you could use some space to vent, or learn, share, and meet new friends, whether diabetes has been in your life for days, weeks, months, or years, this is the podcast episode you’ve been waiting to hear. Full disclosure: I will be a facilitator at the Diabetes UnConference in both locations this year. I am not compensated in any way for this interview, except in the good vibes that come with going one on one with a person whom you admire and trust and learn from at every turn. Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic Christel Marchand Aprigliano writes about life with diabetes at: Find out everything about the Diabetes UnConference (and read experiences from attendees too), by going to: The Diabetes UnConference will be held February 10, 11, and 12 at the Westin Las Vegas. Register by January 24 by going to:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
11/09/2016
Diabetes By The Numbers
Diabetes By The Numbers is back, with the first in what I hope will be a series of episodes in which I'll investigate healthcare in countries other than my own. Helping me get started is Mariana Gomez. Mariana is a super diabetes advocate, through the diabetes community in Mexico City where she lives, as a writer at her personal blog, , and as Community and Social Media Assistant for the Hispanic Market at Diabetes Hands Foundation. In addition to that, she's a licensed practicing psychologist. And oh, by the way, she's been living with Type 1 diabetes for over 30 years. Mariana is uniquely qualified to discuss diabetes at any time, and certainly qualified to discuss the state of healthcare for those living with diabetes in Mexico. As I said, this is the first in what I hope will be a series of interviews on healthcare from a number of countries. If you're living in a country outside of the USA and you'd like to talk about healthcare where you live, please send me an e-mail at happymedium[dot]net[at]gmail[dot]com and let's talk. Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic Mariana Gomez is Community and Social Media Assistant for the Hispanic Market at Diabetes Hands Foundation: You will often see Mariana at DHF's Spanish-language community site: Mariana has a wonderful personal blog:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
10/26/2016
Diabetes By The Numbers
About three weeks ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the MiniMed 670g, Medtronic's hybrid closed loop system, for people with diabetes over the age of 14. This news has generated a lot of excitement, and also a lot of questions. I was fortunate enough to connect a little over a week ago with Karrie Hawbaker and Michael Hill of Medtronic Diabetes (which is why then I was saying the approval was two weeks ago), who went on the record about how the 670g works, the new CGM sensor associated with the 670g, and the upgrade pathway for existing Medtronic customers. Which is still a little murky, but they recognize that every customer is different, and they're willing to talk to you about it. There's also a little at the end about how Medtronic is leveraging IBM's Watson supercomputer to crunch data. Here then, is everything you want to know about the 670g. Thanks Karrie and Mike! Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic: Karrie Hawbaker is Senior Manager of Social Media for Medtronic Diabetes, and Michael Hill is Vice President of Global Marketing in the Intensive Insulin Management business unit at Medtronic: If you're an existing Medtronic pumper, and you're interested in upgrading to the 670g in the spring, here is all the information on the Priority Access Program:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
10/13/2016
Diabetes By The Numbers
Original air date: October 14, 2016 Today begins one of my favorite times of the year. Every year, sponsors the Big Blue Test. Now until November 14 (World Diabetes Day), you and your loved ones, plus anyone else you know, are encouraged to get moving. And log the results. And help diabetes groups doing amazing work to build community and help others. Here’s how it works: first, check your blood glucose. Not living with diabetes? Skip this step. Then get out and get moving for 14 to 20 minutes or more. You can walk, run, swim, bike, play badminton, ride a Big Wheel, whatever. Then do another BG check (or skip it if you don’t live with diabetes) and log the results at . Or make it easy on yourself and download the Big Blue Test app on your or device, and do the same. For the next month, every Big Blue Test logged will result in a $3.00(US) donation, split evenly among three wonderful diabetes non-profits: Three fantastic organizations providing help, education, and support to those living with or at risk of living with diabetes. Today, Mike Lawson, Senior Director of Programs and Marketing for Diabetes Hands Foundation, joins me to talk everything Big Blue Test, including a little about this year’s grantees, the goals for this year, and a new way for exercise groups to get involved in the Big Blue Test initiative. Have a listen.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
07/18/2016
Diabetes By The Numbers
Welcome to year 2 of Diabetes By The Numbers! Asha Brown is a unique individual. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of five. She later developed diabulimia, a dangerous condition. Fortunately, she was able to overcome diabulimia, and she has been in recovery for seven years now. The really cool thing about Asha is that she co-founded We Are Diabetes, which works with families patients, and health professionals across the USA to help and support those living with diabetes and eating disorders. Today, we talk about diabulimia, how We Are Diabetes serves and supports, and the challenges faced by patients post-treatment. This was a conversation I've wanted to have for a long time, and I came away with a lot of knowledge that I didn't have when we began. Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topic Asha Brown is Founder and Executive Director of We Are Diabetes, which provides information, hope, and support to people living with diabetes and eating disorders:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
03/31/2016
Diabetes By The Numbers
Daniele Hargenrader is one of the hardest working people I know of in the diabetes community. Both on a personal and a professional level.She's a nutritionist, a health coach, a certified professional trainer. She's an international speaker, and an author too.Today, Daniele talks about the things that motivated her to lose weight, get fit, and rock her diabetes. She talks about why nutrition is focus number 1. She talks about her book, Unleash Your Inner Diabetes Dominator: How to Use Your Powers of Choice, Self-Love, and Community to Completely Change Your Relationship With Diabetes for the Better. And she talks about her latest project.Seriously, I don't know how she does it all, but she does it well.Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topicDaniele Hargenrader writes blog posts, hosts video chats, teaches online courses, and more through her website:Daniele mentions using MyFitnessPal to log her food choices:Want to pick up Daniele's fantastic book? You can find it on Amazon right here:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
03/16/2016
Diabetes By The Numbers
After a brief hiatus, the Diabetes By The Numbers podcast is back.Today's podcast features Dr. Medha Munshi, Director of Joslin Diabetes Center's Geriatric Diabetes Program. She's co-authored a recent (and first ever) American Diabetes Association position statement designed to help homes and other skilled nursing facilities care better and more appropriately for senior patients with diabetes.Dr. Munshi shares key points on the position statement, and great insights on caring for older people with diabetes.Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topicDr. Medha Munshi is Director of the Joslin Geriatric Diabetes Program and an an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. She's also a staff geriatrician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. to find out more about Joslin's Geriatric Diabetes Program.To read the American Diabetes Association position statement co-authored by Dr. Munshi,
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Diabetes By The Numbers
02/02/2016
Diabetes By The Numbers
You read that right... it's Diabetes Podcast Week!Brainchild of at the podcast, this is a week where a dozen diabetes podcasters will be uploading new episodes and helping to raise money for the campaign. Listen to the beginning and the end of this episode of Diabetes By The Numbers for more information on the Spare a Rose, Save a Child initiative and what an amazing difference it makes for children living in developing countries throughout the world. Insulin should not be a luxury.This episode of Diabetes By The Numbers features the Superwoman known to her friends and compatriots as Merle Gleeson. In our opening round question, she describes herself as vivacious, committed, and reliable. She's that and a lot more.Merle has been living with Type 1 Diabetes for over 50 years. Around nineteen years ago, her and a few friends started something called the Type 1 Diabetes Lounge, which holds regular meetings, fundraisers, educational sessions, parties, and more in the Chicago area. It's quite an operation, and if you're looking to kick start a local diabetes meetup or amp up the meetup you already have, you can do a lot worse than listening to Merle.One other thing, though we don't talk about it during the podcast: Merle Gleeson was one of our first Champion Athletes With Diabetes medal winners. She does it all, and . It's worth a read.Here then is my conversation with Merle Gleeson, and a special message about Spare a Rose, Save a Child.Help save the life of a child living with diabetes in a developing country by donating to the Spare a Rose, Save a Child campaign today:Reference Material - Click below for more information on this topicMerle Gleeson is founder and CEO of the Type 1 Diabetes Lounge in the Chicago area:More about Diabetes Podcast Week can be found at Stacey Simms' blog:Spare a Rose, Save a Child is an initiative of the non-profit Partners for Diabetes Change. To find out more about Spare a Rose, Save a Child:
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Diabetes By The Numbers
01/07/2016
Diabetes By The Numbers
Welcome to Episode Ten of Diabetes By the Numbers.Today we have our first returning guest. It's Molly McElwee Malloy, Head of Patient Engagement at TypeZero Technologies in Charlottesville, Virginia. TypeZero is in the news this week for two big undertakings.First, there's a 12.7 million dollar artificial pancreas study funded by the National Institutes of Health. It will begin very soon. In this study, they'll be testing TypeZero's inControl platform, using a spiffy new device.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
11/30/2015
Diabetes By The Numbers
Mary Beth Withers Wyss has been living with Diabetic Macular Edema for some time. She went through a two year clinical trial of an experimental drug designed to treat DME. She talks about her experience, about why clinical trials are perfect for a patient like her, and even why she is still a Cleveland Browns fan (to put the timeline into perspective, this was recorded before the Cincinnati Bengals had lost a game this season, and now they have lost two).Mary Beth frankly talks about the difficulties of living with DME, and living with the fact that the best treatment available to her involves injections directly into her eyes.Want to know about Diabetic Macular Edema from someone who's been there? Want to know about clinical trials designed to find a viable treatment for DME? Then you'll want to listen to this podcast.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
11/20/2015
Diabetes By The Numbers
I'm so grateful to my endocrinologist, Dr. Vivian Pao, for taking the time to speak with me on the complex relationship between a diabetes patient and their endocrinologist.This is the third and final part of our conversation, and in this episode, we talk about the importance of being honest with your endo, and what keeps her up at night.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
11/13/2015
Diabetes By The Numbers
Some people only get to spend about 40 minutes each year with their endo... I got to spend close to an hour with her last week. The conversation was so good that I've broken it up into four parts.In this episode, we talked about how an endocrinologist considers outside factors, including depression, in treating a Person With Diabetes. Also, she talks about how she stays up on the latest and greatest in her profession, including a reference to Dr. Oz and some "raspberry, ketone thingamajiggy".This is part two of our conversation. We get into a lot more in part three. I hope you'll join us for that. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this installment.©Stephen Shaul
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Diabetes By The Numbers
11/06/2015
Diabetes By The Numbers
“Who is this Dr. Vivian Pao anyway?”, you might ask.She’s my endocrinologist.Some people only get to spend about 40 minutes each year with their endo... I got to spend close to an hour last week.Together, we talked about what exactly an endocrinologist specializes in (in addition to diabetes). We also covered what she’s looking for from a diabetes patient at the quarterly appointment (and more importantly, why); and why she made me wait before allowing me to begin on my insulin pump. Hopefully, you’ll begin to understand why I believe in her so much. She is a huge, important part of my diabetes care team, and I value her input very much.The best part is, this is just the first part of our conversation. We get into a lot more later on. But you’ll have to wait for that. Sorry. Our talk was too good to just cut out questions for the sake of brevity.Part 2 is coming in the next installment. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this view from both sides of the desk.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
10/13/2015
Diabetes By The Numbers
Diabetes By The Numbers is back, this time with the CEO of Diabetes Sisters, Anna Norton. Her passion and enthusiasm for leading this groundbreaking organization for women living with diabetes practically knocked me over from 700 miles away.Today, Anna and I talk about the mission of Diabetes Sisters, the various programs that the organization provides to educate, support, and empower women, and what’s on the agenda for 2016. If you don’t know much (or anything) about Diabetes Sisters, or if you’re just looking to reconnect, this podcast is for you.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
08/05/2015
Diabetes By The Numbers
Everyone living with and affected by diabetes is excited about artificial pancreas research and the various innovations spawned by this remarkable technology.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
07/30/2015
Diabetes By The Numbers
It seems nearly everyone knows Nicole Johnson. They remember her as Miss America 1999, they’ve seen her at conferences, on social media. All that, plus the fact that she always seems to have a smile on her face, makes people forget that she is actually Doctor Nicole Johnson, who is the first person to earn a Doctor of Public Health degree at the University of South Florida. Moreover, she is actually doing something important and meaningful with that distinction. That’s why you’ll hear me refer to her as Dr. Johnson, rather than Nicole, throughout our talk. She’s earned that right.In this episode of Diabetes By The Numbers, Dr. Johnson lets us in on the groundbreaking Postdoctoral Diabetes Fellowship Program that she’s running out of the University of South Florida.Part patient-facing, part research, five women from around the country will be taking part over the next year in a program that will develop and enhance their understanding of the complex relationship between human behavior and diabetes. Definitely a subject worth further scrutiny. The fellows will be mentored by doctors at the head of the class in this subject, including Dr. Johnson herself, Dr. Korey Hood at Stanford, Dr. Lori Laffel at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, and Dr. Jill Weissberg-Benchel at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.I would tell you more, but I prefer to defer to Dr. Johnson for the rest.Dr. Nicole Johnson is Executive Director of Bringing Science Home: Bringing Science Home is involved in a number of initiatives, including, but not limited to:Students With Diabetes Diabetes Partners
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Diabetes By The Numbers
07/22/2015
Diabetes By The Numbers
Bea Sparks has been living with Type 2 Diabetes since 2000. She lives in the Chicago area and is an amazing, outstanding advocate for everyone living with diabetes.
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Diabetes By The Numbers
07/04/2015
Diabetes By The Numbers
Katy Killilea joins me on the first episode of this new podcast.
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