"Launched in 2019, Beyond Type 2 is a program of the nonprofit organization Beyond Type 1. Beyond Type 2 is a place for everyone impacted by Type 2 diabetes to share their stories, get connected to the community, and find resources on topics from daily management to mental health...Beyond Type 2 hopes to radically change what it means to live with Type 2 diabetes. We aim to unite the global community and empower everyone living with Type 2 to live beyond it. With the right resources, programs, and power of our combined voices, we can redefine what it means to be a person living with diabetes – of any type."

You won't regret taking some time with this website. Explore Beyond Type 2 at beyondtype2.org.

Thinking about a new pump? These websites have discussion forums where people share their experience using different insulin pumps, CGM systems, and other diabetes supplies. They are excellent independent resources to use when making a decision on what products to use, and they are also a great way to connect with other parents and people with diabetes to share experiences, resources, and support.

Since 2007, the blue circle logo has been used to raise awareness of diabetes and convey the unity of the global diabetes community. The combined strength of the diabetes community is the key element that has made this campaign so special. From the World Diabetes Day literature, "As we all know: to do nothing is no longer an option." The blue border of the circle reflects the color of the sky and the flag of the United Nations; the icon was originally developed for the campaign that resulted in the passage of United Nations Resolution 61/225 "World Diabetes Day."

World Diabetes Day takes place this week on Wednesday, November 14. But there’s plenty to talk about, so we’re starting early. This is a globally celebrated event and official United Nations awareness day. This year’s theme is “the family and diabetes,” with the tagline “diabetes concerns every family.” The goal is to raise awareness of the impact that diabetes has on the family and promote the role of the family in the management, care, prevention, and education of the condition. The logo for World Diabetes Day is a blue circle, the global symbol for diabetes.

I just learned about what a fascinating and inspiring man Earl Bakken was. He co-founded Medtronic in 1949 with the unassuming goal of repairing medical equipment. But in the mid-50s, a heart surgeon in Minneapolis asked Bakken to create a pacemaker that didn’t need to be plugged in, and a few weeks later, he had invented a wearable pacemaker powered by a battery. Mr. Bakken was an inventor from an early age, and his worked sustained him late into his life. Bakken died on October 21 at the age of 94, and back in 2010 he was using his second pacemaker and third or fourth insulin pump!

He worried that children no longer take gadgets apart. Even engineers “never get the sense of the actual object they’re designing on a screen,” he wrote. “They make faulty assumptions because they have never taken the real thing apart and put it back together again. They’ve never jiggled it in their hand, never gotten a feel for its density and heft, never lifted it to their nose and smelled it. What a pity for them—and maybe for the rest of us as well.”

We are thankful today to Medtronic Diabetes for providing insulin pump and CGM technology to many of our patients. Just like their founder, they are in the business of changing lives.

Diabetes Awareness Month 2018 starts today, and World Diabetes Day is celebrated globally on November 14 to raise awareness about both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes! Here are some ideas about how to get involved from some of our favorite advocacy organizations!

Happy Halloween! We love this story… A pumpkin sale recently helped Ian, a six-year-old who lives with Type 1 diabetes, and his family raise money for a service dog to help him manage his disease. In Sand Lake, Michigan, the Christensen family used their annual pumpkin sale as a fundraiser this year – and as a result, Ian will have a service dog trained specially to help him in less than a year. Ian’s diabetes service dog will be trained to detect the subtle smells in his breath and alert Ian before dangerous blood sugar lows kick in. We are so happy for Ian and his family!

“The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog.” ― M.K. Clinton

Kids and families participate in the 1K Dress-Up Dash at the 2018 Forever Home Run!

The Forever Home Run helps Michigan foster children find their forever homes and forever families. For the fourth year, Healthy Living Medical Supply was a gold sponsor of this 5K Run/Walk and 1K Dress-Up Dash event! The Forever Home Run raises awareness about adoption and raises funds that are used to support foster children and adoptive families through Lutheran Adoption Service.

Healthy Living ownership was at the event in Bloomfield Township on Saturday to give out awards to the top runners, and our team members also participated in the race! It turned into a beautiful morning and was bunches of fun for all!

Comment on the new Michigan Medicaid proposal via email, phone, fax, or letter.

Share your experience and thoughts, and let your voice be heard! Michigan Medicaid has proposed a new policy that will allow coverage of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) for eligible members. Now is the time to review the proposed changes in Medicaid policies and procedures. Your comments are due soon — September 26, 2018.

The proposed effective date is December 1, 2018. Our Healthy Living team has already submitted a letter to Michigan Medicaid to express our support of continuous glucose monitoring therapy as a highly effective way to help people with diabetes manage their disease.

Healthy Living Medical Supply recently participated in the Michigan Associate of Health Plans Conference in Traverse City, Michigan, which took place from July 18-July 21. Our team really enjoyed meeting and reconnecting with representatives of health plans we currently serve and others we hope to work with in the future. The Michigan Association of Health Plans if a nonprofit corporation established to promote the interests of member health plans.

Recently, the Swing to Cure Diabetes golf outing celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Michigan Golf Course. As we have for several years, Healthy Living participated in this awesome event that benefits the JDRF and the Michigan Comprehensive Diabetes Center. Swing to Cure Diabetes was created by Rich and Chris Hewlett to help find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. They started the event after their son, Jeff, was diagnosed. These were Jeff’s thoughts on the event:

“I’m sure my parents started this event thinking, ‘Oh, this will help our son,’” said Jeff Hewlett, who was diagnosed when he was four. “For that I’m certainly grateful, but there are many people who are just like me and many other diabetics who are also grateful. It’s really impacting a lot of people, and you can see it in the research and the advances that have been made for Type 1 diabetes. Hopefully over the years as this thing keeps growing and as we continue with it, it will be something that can hopefully lead to a cure. That’s ultimately what we’re looking for.”

The Health Alliance Plan of Michigan's Balanced Living is filled with tips and suggestions on increasing your wellness and leading a more active and healthy lifestyle

One of our regular features on the Healthy Living Medical Supply Blog is our “What We’re Reading” segment where we shine the spotlight on resources that we find particularly relevant to our employees and customers. One such resource is Health Alliance Plan of Michigan’s “Balanced Living Blog,” which is routinely updated with excellent ideas and suggestions for maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle. Subscribe to blog updates by visiting the site and clicking the email subscribe link.

Below you’ll find links to four articles that we found particularly interesting, all of which relate to diabetes, which is our specialty.

Join Healthy Living at the 11th Annual JDRF TypeOneNation Summit! The Metro Detroit & Southeast Michigan Summit will take place on Saturday, May 12, in Belleville from 8:30 am – 2:00 pm. This free, educational event will bring together people of all ages and stages of type 1 diabetes, their loved ones, and the medical community. This year’s theme is “Living with Diabetes: A Family Day of Inspiration, Hope, and Education.” Register here.

The TypeOneNation Summit was developed by a group of leading endocrinologists and diabetes educators. This one-day event will be full of education, information, and inspiration. Keynote Presenters include Dr. Alvin C. Powers and Dr. Korey K. Hood. In addition, there will be many break-out workshops and presentations on topics relevant to individuals and families living with T1D.

The JDRF Summit Youth Program will welcome pro-snowboarder Sean Busby. He is the founder of Riding On Insulin and will talk, inspire, and share his experiences with kids and teens.

We’ll have a table in the sponsor area, so please come and say hello!! We're in network with most major insurances for insulin pumps, insulin pumps supplies, continuous glucose monitoring systems ("CGM"), and testing supplies. This includes Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Health Alliance Plan of Michigan, Priority Health, Michigan Medicaid, and Medicare.

This is a great event – we learned so much last year when we attended the workshops. Hope to see you soon!

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Blog is a great resource for members and non-members alike! It covers categories including community health, chronic disease, healthy living, care delivery, and BCBS news.

Check out their article “Know where to go: How to choose between the doctor’s office, urgent care and the ER.” This blog offers guiding advice to help you decide where to go when a need arises, based on the urgency of your health situation and your budget. Blue Cross Blue Shield suggests that you call your primary care doctor first in non-emergency situations. Urgent care centers are a good option if you can’t reach your doctor or need health care outside of regular business hours. Most of the time, the out-of-pocket cost of a visit to the urgent care is less than than you will pay for a visit to the emergency room. ERs are best for treating urgent, acute, and life-threatening conditions.

Healthy Living Medical Supply is in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for insulin pumps, CGM, Omnipods, and testing supplies. Find out more about how we can serve BCBS patients and visit our Easy Enrollment page! We're also in network with most out-of-state Blue Cross Blue Shield plans when the member is a resident in the state of Michigan.

Are you looking for more positive resources related to exercise, nutrition, diabetes, and your healthy living journey? Check out Diabetes Strong! Originally called “TheFitBlog” (established in 2015), Diabetes Strong is led by Christel Oerum, who has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1997. She is the main content creator on Diabetes Strong, an active diabetes advocate, public speaker, and diabetes coach. Christel also offers online diabetes coaching to support clients in reaching their health and diabetes goals. On Diabetes Strong, you will find a lot of great content on many subjects, including:

In words directly from the Diabetes Strong website: The goal of Diabetes Strong is to provide a platform where people living with (any type) of diabetes can find all the information they need to live healthy and active lives. The information on Diabetes Strong always takes a positive approach to diabetes and follows Christel’s motto that “There is nothing you can’t do with diabetes.”

It’s November, and this month the T1 & T2 diabetes communities join together to raise awareness about diabetes, the challenges that come with living with this condition, and the overall impact that diabetes has on millions of Americans.

It was really a glorious morning for the JDRF One Walk on Sunday, a couple of weekends ago! There was a lot of great energy on the Detroit Riverfront with music, snacks, and kids’ activities (like bouncehouses)! Many teams, big and small, came ready to walk in support of their friends or family members with T1D.

Healthy Living sponsored a table, and we had a good chance to talk with a lot of people. We greeted them, offered stress balls and bubbles, and also had the opportunity to answer questions about our services. The hit of the morning at our table was giant Jenga. Many groups of kids played, and some of the race volunteers put a lot of concentration into the game. One young guy built a tower to the point where there were no more possible moves. (Check out the picture attached to this blog.) Very impressive!

JDRF always puts on amazing events, and we were proud to participate in this year’s Detroit One Walk.

The JDRF One Walk has one goal: to create a world without type 1 diabetes (T1D). This year, Healthy Living Medical Supply will again be sponsoring the JDRF One Walk and will be at the Detroit event on the morning of Sunday, September 17th. We would love to see you there! Come out and walk the mile to help raise money to support life-changing breakthroughs that give hope to everyone impacted by type 1 diabetes! Even better, Milliken State Park and the Detroit Riverwalk are beautiful in the fall and offer great views.