Danielle Blanchard
Type 1 Diabetes Success Story
Date Posted: Thursday, May 23, 2024
Danielle Blanchard was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at 16 months old the day before Valentines Day in 1983. Living in Eastern Massachusetts at the time, she spent a week at Boston’s Children’s Hospital. After moving to Central MA at age 25 she switched her care to Worcester's UMass Memorial Diabetes Center of Excellence (DCOE).
She speaks highly of her diabetes care team of Endocrinologist Prateek Shukla, MD and Nurse Practitioner Christine Hoogasian. Danielle understands the benefits of the DCOE care team model that divides her four annual appointments between the two providers.
“Dr. Shukla is so gentle, understanding and empathetic,” she said. “He has a wonderful bedside manner.” She stays in touch with him through myChart messages in between her quarterly appointments as needed.
“Christine meets me where I’m at and asks excellent questions to determine what I need at each clinic appointment, instead of coming into the room with a pre-determined script.”
With an A1c consistently around 6%, Danielle’s T1D is currently in the best control it’s been in many years. She credits her care team, the latest technology, and surrounding herself with a diabetes community.
She first went on an insulin pump at age 21. Prior to that, she gave herself insulin injections and checked her blood sugars throughout the day with finger sticks.
Her worst blood glucose control was when Danielle was a teenager and her A1c was above 11%. It was the 1990’s and she only took two insulin injections each day; once in the morning and another before bed. “I was burnt out and didn’t want to inject at every meal,” she said. “Two shots a day was actually the norm at the time.”
She felt overwhelmed by her previous diabetes management. “When I came to the UMass DCOE, they delivered it to me in realistic, bite sized chunks that was not as intimidating.”
"Danielle is a phenomenal person with a tremendous zeal for life," said Dr. Shukla. "Despite significant diabetes related burnout and how her struggles affected her, she has made her health a top priority and models the perfect way a person can channel their energies in a positive manner."
From elementary through high school, Danielle was the only student in her school with type 1 diabetes. The only thing that made her feel “normal” was attending the Clara Barton Camp for children with diabetes in Oxford, MA. She spent eight summers as a camper, followed by eight more as a staff member, and eventually became Camp Director, a position she held for 6 years. “I love camp. Those 22 years were the best times of my life,” she said with a smile. “Camp protected and empowered me.”
Community is very important to Danielle. Her camp community has resulted in lifelong friendships. She founded the MA Type 1 Diabetes Meet Up group on Facebook that has grown to more than 500 members. It’s an online forum for people 18+ in Massachusetts, who often meet in person for outings and events.
She also enjoys participating in clinical studies. Danielle participated in a trial for the new iLet insulin pump. Both of her sons took the TrialNet T1D risk screening test and (knock on wood) neither of them has antibodies.
Danielle’s first insulin pump was a Medtronic device, then she switched to an Animas pump, which is no longer on the market. She was excited to switch to the tubeless Omnipod in 2013. “No tubing was important to me,” she said. “I wanted to be able to do a cartwheel whenever I wanted to, and wear a dress, which is difficult with an insulin pump that has tubing.”
After the birth of her second son in 2017, Danielle once again experienced diabetes burnout. She was overwhelmed by taking care of two babies, plus everyday life, and managing T1D - which she referred to as a third baby.
Her blood glucose became out of control, and she switched to the TSlim insulin pump. She had success with Tandem’s Control IQ algorithm that communicates in a semi-closed loop system with the Dexcom continuous glucose monitor (CGM). She eventually switched back to the Omnipod for the benefit of no tubing when it began integrating with the Dexcom CGM.
Some of her proudest accomplishments include two successful pregnancies during which she went through the UMass Memorial Diabetes in Pregnancy Program. She has since become a Certified Health & Wellness Coach and founded Diabetes Motivational Coaching, that provides one-on-one coaching for people who are struggling with diabetes burnout like she did.
"Danielle's numbers have continued to improve since I've met her, and working as a life coach, she is dedicated to helping others reach their goals too," said Hoogasian. "I’m very proud of her."
Danielle wants people who are newly diagnosed with T1D, or anyone struggling with blood sugar management, to know that diabetes management can be challenging but small steps can make a big difference. “T1D, although difficult, will not get in the way of anything you want to do in life,” she said. “Most importantly, there is a community of people who understand what you are going through and are willing to help!”