There’s Something about Mary! This Young T1D Influencer Went from Trying Teen Years to TikTok Fame and 1 Million Followers!

You have a very serendipitous type 1 diabetes diagnosis story!

I was diagnosed with type one diabetes when I was 9 years old, 17 years ago. Leading up to my diagnosis I was extremely thirsty, losing a lot of weight, needing to pee lots, all the typical symptoms of T1D, however my family and I just had no idea that I was a diabetic.

Now the day of my diagnosis is a bit silly. I had woken up one day, and told my mom that I didn’t want to go to school and faked a sore throat so that I could stay home that day (who knew this sore throat would potentially save my life though!). My mom knew I was faking it and said she would bring me to the doctor if I wasn’t going to school. 

Now, she really did drive me to the doctor’s office… I wasn’t expecting that. On the way to the doctor’s office, I remember needing to stop twice to get a drink – I was that thirsty! Once we got to the doctors, I started going unconscious in the waiting room. My mom asked the doctor if they could test me for diabetes, and so I did a urine and blood test. My blood glucose came back as 44.4 mmol/L (nearly 800 mg/dL), extremely high. And that was when I learned I had type one diabetes.

I got rushed to the hospital and took insulin and learned how to check my blood sugar. I then came back for a few days to train privately with an educator on diabetes. Normally they train you with a group of kids that were just diagnosed, but guess what? I got a private room because I also had lice… what a great week.

How has diabetes management been for you at different stages of life…from being a child newly diagnosed to a teen to a young adult?

It started off being quite the challenge. So much to learn, lifestyle changes, going to school, sports, friends’ houses, everything I would normally do suddenly had a new challenge added to it – my diabetes! Although if anything, it was more difficult for my parents. They held most of the responsibility and let me be a kid, I am grateful for that. My biggest concern at that age was getting used to the regular needles that come with T1D.  

In my early/late teens I struggled with not having the full responsibility, it was quite the opposite of how I felt as a kid. My parents were very concerned about me going low/high, making sure I was testing my BG and taking insulin. At this point I knew all the ins and outs of diabetes and I wanted to be the only one dealing with it. Although, I wasn’t the best at keeping my blood sugar in range, and I dealt with more high blood sugars. I understand why they felt the need to have reminders (I appreciate what they were doing now, but as a teen? I only felt the opposite!). I was growing up but had diabetes as an extra layer. I was experiencing driving, working, dating, parties, so many normal teen things for the first time, however I felt quite uneducated about my diabetes in a lot of these topics. As a teen I don’t think I really wanted to open up about them either or I didn’t feel comfortable about talking to anyone about them. I seemed to keep a good A1C through these years, but I was not prioritizing my health.

I am now 26 years old, and I can say that the last few years have been a little bit of a rollercoaster ride with my diabetes. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I decided to really take control of my diabetes. I thought I would feel like a pro after having diabetes for 17 years, but being diagnosed as a kid I felt like my parents knew more than me, and my education was outdated.

I started wearing a CGM just over 3 years ago and that was the biggest game-changer. I switched from a tubed pump to an Omnipod DASH pump. I found a new endocrinologist that was a better fit for me than my previous one. I learned so many tips and tricks online and even discovered some books that helped me with managing my diabetes. I had a large community of people living with diabetes online that gave me motivation and tips. I found a helpful dietician. I learned that I needed to prioritize my diabetes over anything to feel good, and make sure I was taking care of myself. I believe that there could be a better system in place for people transitioning from their teens to adults with type one diabetes – I felt quite lost! Over the last year I have really started finding what works for me and feeling more in control of my diabetes. I couldn’t be happier with what I have learned, and how I manage my blood sugars now.

What made you initially want to start posting videos about diabetes on social media, and how long ago did you start?

I posted my first TikTok video on diabetes in September of 2021. To be honest- it was completely random that I started posting about my diabetes! I would post random videos online but never thought about posting about my diabetes. One day I decided to post a video sharing my diabetes diagnosis story, about how I ‘faked a sore throat and then ended up being diagnosed with type one diabetes’. It ended up going viral, but I didn’t even think about posting about diabetes again. Well, I ended up doing another video about diabetes, and the next video about my diabetes went viral. And it happened again and again and again. I never thought anyone would be interested in hearing about my diabetes, but I slowly learned that most people watching or following me lived with it themselves!

Have you always had an interest in being an influencer? 

I always had an interest in it, but I never thought I would have the courage to post videos, and here we are!

When you were just starting out, how did you build your followers? Did you have a strategy, did it happen organically, or both?

The strategic side of building my platform was just being consistent and listening to what videos my followers wanted. It mainly happened organically. I think a huge part of my videos gaining so much traction, was that I was being 100% authentically myself. I was excited to make these videos as I had never shared this side of my life with anyone, but I also have always been such an open book, so it was easy to share this side of my life to millions of people! I ended up gaining 100,000 followers on TikTok in the first couple of months of posting.

What were you doing before you were a diabetes influencer, and when were you able to transition to working in social media full time?

I was working as a bank teller! And as somebody who is extremely creative, it wasn’t the career I was wanting long term. When I was working at the bank full time, I was also determined to work hard at my social media platforms. I would spend every lunch break filming, editing, and posting a video and use my other breaks to reply to comments. Just over 2 years ago I was able to quit my job at the bank and transitioned to working in social media full time. I was determined to make it happen!

How do you come up with ideas for what to post? 

I rarely have ever planned out my social media content. There will always be something to post about with diabetes. For example, if my Omnipod expires I will do an Omnipod site change and film it. If my blood sugar goes low, I might try out a new low snack on my blood sugar and film it. My life is chaotic (in a good way), but so is diabetes, so it works well together for content purposes!

Walk us through a typical work week. How do you navigate creating content, editing, going through comments, etc?

I start off every morning checking my emails and then planning a to-do list for the day. One thing with my work week is that every day can be extremely different. I have a small business, Energetic Diabetic, where I sell decorative stickers to go on top of CGMs. So, I normally save the first half of each day for packing orders, meeting with designers, going to the post office and so much more. In the afternoon I’ll normally be filming or editing videos that I have made in collaboration with other brands, attending meetings, filming my own videos, editing my videos, replying to comments, and whatever else the day may bring!

You recently hit one million subscribers on YouTube. Congratulations!! What do you find most rewarding — and most challenging — about being a voice for the T1D community?

Thank you! One of the most rewarding parts about being a voice for the T1D community has been the messages I receive from parents of a T1D child or teen. Being able to make site changes a little less scary, bringing some positivity and humour to the disease, and more, has been able to make diabetes a little less scary for others. There’s nothing more rewarding than hearing what positive impact my videos may be having on others.

How do you handle bad diabetes days, especially if you feel pressure to stay positive for your audience?

The biggest struggle that I have come across is that if I have a high blood sugar, or I’ve had even a couple days of some rollercoaster blood sugars, I don’t feel my best. I feel foggy, irritated, less creative, and a little more tired than usual and I like to show up as my “normal” self online, which tends to be quite energetic and positive! Most times these videos end up being a humorous, relatable rant about my silly high blood sugar, and I am honestly quite happy about the outcome of the video. (Well… I am happy about it once my blood sugars come down. I swear I am a different person when my blood sugar is high lol.)

Aside from your work in social media, have there been any other positive things in your life that have happened because of having type 1 diabetes?

The main one that comes to mind are all the connections that I have made with other people who also live with T1D. One time that primarily sticks out to me is when I went to a summer camp when I was younger that was specifically for other kids living with T1D. I spent two weeks doing normal summer camp activities, however everyone attending this camp was diabetic. Counting carbs, testing blood sugars, taking insulin, dealing with low blood sugars, it was the first time that everyone else was doing the same thing as me and it was nice for it to feel so normal!

What tools, technologies, or habits have made the biggest difference in your diabetes management?

A few years ago, I started wearing my first CGM (first the Dexcom G6, and now the G7!) and it was by far the biggest upgrade to my diabetes management. I spent many years only finger poking if my symptoms were telling me I was low/high, and once I started wearing a CGM I was mind blown that it was sharing my glucose levels with me every 5 minutes. Another upgrade was trying a different insulin pump than I was used to… I switched to the Omnipod Dash pump (a tubeless insulin pump) and I am happy that I did. Besides that, pre-bolusing has become my best friend. I also recently bought a walking pad for my home, if I am starting to go higher than expected walking on this for 10-15 minutes has helped me avoid a much longer, stubborn high blood sugar (with some insulin and water of course!). My biggest advice here is to always research what the best diabetes technology could be for you! I was stuck in my regular ways for so long, it was nice to be open to trying something new.

Has diabetes changed for you in any way since becoming an influencer?

Absolutely, and in so many ways. One reason I started wearing a CGM, and my Omnipod pump, was from my followers recommending them to me when I was first starting out on social media. I am so thankful for that. I used to only hear about diabetes information from my endocrinologist and even though that is great, it was also nice to take advice from people who actually live with T1D!

I spent the first 14ish years with type one diabetes not knowing many other people who lived with T1D. I have learned more about diabetes tech, learned more tips and tricks when it comes to blood sugar management, and now I have over a million people who I can relate to (and vice versa) about diabetes. To sum all of it up, I have never felt more motivated to take control of my diabetes!

What advice would you give someone newly diagnosed – in particular kids and teens? Anything you would tell parents of kids who are newly diagnosed?

My biggest advice for being diagnosed with type one diabetes is to take each day one at a time. There is a lot to learn, but every day you are going to learn something new and before you know it you are going to know SO much about managing T1D. Some of you may be scared of needles (and so was I.. extremely), but one day you aren’t even going to hesitate when poking your finger, or changing your site. I wish that when I was younger I had a “diabetic influencer,” or some role model to look up to with diabetes (I guess there was Nick Jonas) but try finding a person or social media page that makes you feel better about living with T1D! That could be helpful.

As for any parents, you deserve so much credit. I look back now and see how much my parents took care of my diabetes growing up. Don’t be too hard on yourself if your kid has a low or high blood sugar, tomorrow is a new day, and you are both doing the best that you can. I also want to say diabetes tech is only getting better each and every day. If you like to read, there are also some helpful books out there on diabetes management.

Join the Convo

Our teen video series featuring Mary and diabetes specialist Dr. Manasi Jaiman kicks off in July. Whether you’re navigating your first high school party, your first date, or you just want to hear from people who actually get what it’s like to juggle diabetes with everything else – this series is for you. Laugh a little, learn a lot (or learn a little and laugh a lot), and know you’re never alone!