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the savvy diabetic a survival guide book

The Savvy Diabetic: A Survival Guide is a collection of tips, tools, and techniques, borne out of experiences and mistakes and lots of “on-the-job” learning. After 43 years as a Type 1 diabetic, I had successfully and deliberately avoided hospitals. I was suddenly confronted with my worst fears: an emergency appendectomy 3000 miles away from my home. I was terrified of losing the control of my diabetes which I had worked so hard to maintain. And I was woefully unprepared. Wow, did I learn!

Five years later and several more hospitalizations and doctors’ appointments, as well as many experiences with travel and just life, I just want to share what I have learned. I hope my insights and experiences will help you to:

  • Live well and in balance with diabetes
  • Survive the medical system as a person with diabetes
  • Feel validated in your feelings about this disease
  • Have more tools to help support someone you love who has diabetes
  • Smile and even laugh about your own experiences
The Savvy Diabetic : A Survival Guide is terrific! You provide an incredible resource for anyone and everyone touched by diabetes. It’s about loved ones who deal with diabetes constantly. It’s about how they come to grips with the reality that there is no break, no vacation, no moment away from thinking about it. It’s 24/7; it’s always “there”. While those of us who don’t have diabetes will never be able to understand this in the same way as those who do, your book gave me a glimpse into – and a deeper appreciation for – their world. That gift alone makes The Savvy Diabetic: A Survival Guide worth reading. Thank you for writing it.”
Dick Allen
Grandfather of a 15-year old with Type 1 diabetes
Chairman of the Board of Directors, JDRF International
Strategic Advisor, Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center, Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach, CA
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