I want to take a moment to thank all of you who have joined our new Facebook community! It’s wonderful to be able to share with/hear from you on a daily basis, as well as twice a week here at The LOOP. When joining us on Facebook, I know many of you also entered the contest to win a trip to Los Angeles to enjoy some of our local sights, tour the Medtronic facility and meet with some of our executives. The good news is, we’ve selected a winner! Read More >
One topic that customers often ask about when they call the 24-Hour HelpLine is the buttons on their insulin pumps. How durable are they? Am I pushing them too hard? Am I pushing them the wrong way? I can understand why - there’s so much riding on those buttons! The more than 1 million lines of computer code in a Medtronic insulin pump (interesting factoid for you!) are controlled by only four little buttons. Read More >
As many of you know, we launched the Medtronic Diabetes Facebook page a few weeks ago. We’re really enjoying the opportunity to connect with customers like you both on Facebook as well as here at The LOOP. In addition to answering your questions and providing tips and information, it’s been wonderful to hear from so many of you about the extraordinary (and ordinary) moments in your lives – from wedding days and birthday pool parties to softball games and mountain climbs. Read More >
Many people with diabetes tell the story of how, shortly after diagnosis, a friend, family member or healthcare provider says something along the lines of “You can’t be at truck driver or join the military, but career-wise anything else is open to you.” I’ve been lucky enough to meet people for whom “anything else” became a fireman, teacher, scientist, nurse, journalist, hair stylist, runner, singer or professional athlete. But meeting Michael Craig still wowed me... Read More >
In case you missed it last week, the diabetes community lost someone who made a significant contribution to the understanding of diabetes – Dr. David Lawrence Rimoin. Read More >
Today, I’m so pleased to share with you some exciting news about our new partnership with JDRF, in collaboration with the Helmsley Charitable Trust (HCT), to advance continuous glucose monitoring toward an artificial pancreas. The goal of the partnership is to accelerate the development of the Medtronic novel redundant sensor system, which combines two unique sensing technologies in one device. Read More >
July 4th is a great time to celebrate our nation’s independence with friends and family, outdoor activities and (of course) food. As Americans, this is a holiday where we traditionally love to go big. If you have diabetes, a little restraint and planning might be in order, but there’s no reason you can’t go big on fun. Here are a few tips from our clinical team to help keep you on track. Read More >
Meet the inspirational Natalie Strand, winner of the Amazing Race 17. Natalie proved to millions of viewers that diabetes does not have to hold you back from anything! A while back, Natalie gave a great interview to Diabetes Mine about her reality TV experience. Today, she talks to The LOOP about the important role her certified diabetes educator (CDE) plays in her diabetes management. Read More >
Today, meet 19-year-old Ross McDonald. Though diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 12, Ross continues to chase his dream of winning an Olympic Gold Medal. Now a two-time Massachusetts State Champion in the pole vault and a member of the University of Southern California’s track team, Ross credits diabetes for teaching him to face obstacles head-on instead of pushing them aside – a valuable lesson for both on and off the field. Read More >
Meet Maggie Hunts — international speaker, comedian, singer, and author. Having lived with diabetes for more than 25 years, Maggie travels the world sharing her experiences and showing others that you can live a happy and healthy life with diabetes. With her sense of humor and openness to tackle just about any subject, Maggie’s first post the The LOOP will answer a question that many of you may have: Will I Look Weird Naked? Read More >
Today we welcome Stephen Gray, Marketing Associate at Medtronic, who’s swinging by The LOOP to introduce you to his courageous friend Lenny the Lion – just in case you haven’t had the chance to meet him yet. As Stephen will tell you, Lenny’s a busy cat with a lot of friends, including Meri Schuhmacher and her four fabulous boys – three of whom have type 1 diabetes! Lenny is helping Meri celebrate her blogaversary (and recover from her adventurous trip to Disney Land). Read More >
In honor of Father’s Day this weekend, we have a post from one of our favorite D-Dads, Lane Desborough. A Product Strategist here at Medtronic working to develop an artificial pancreas, Lane came to work for us after his son Hayden was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Today he shares how, in many ways, his son’s diagnosis was as overwhelming as becoming a new parent again. Read More >
Recently our own Greg Meehan, Vice President and General Manager of Continuous Glucose Management and Hospital Products for the Diabetes business unit, joined the board of directors of the Los Angeles Chapter of the JDRF. Today, he discusses his personal passion for helping others as well our commitment to the JDRF and the diabetes community. Read More >
Today we hear from 14-year-old Claire Montgomery, founder and writer of her own blog where she writes about the many changes over the past few years, including being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and moving to Mexico. She talks to us today about the lessons she has learned since her diagnosis and the importance of being able to take more responsibility for her own diabetes management now that she’s growing up – an important lesson for many tweens and teens growing up with diabetes. Read More >
Last week, the Associated Press ran an article about 90-year-old Bob Krause, who recently celebrated his 85th anniversary with type 1 diabetes. That’s right, his 85th anniversary! To put it in perspective, the year Bob was born, Frederick Banting and John Macleod had just discovered insulin. Read More >
Summer is here and it’s time for many of us to hit the road – or air. Before you set out to satisfy your wanderlust, check out our answers to the top five questions we receive about air travel with an insulin pump and/or continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Read More >
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