About - Double T1D Mom

Hi, I’m Katerina — and I’ve been living the T1D life for 21 years.

Not as a doctor. Not as a researcher. As a mom.

When my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 2, it hit me like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky. Everything crashed down at once — restructuring our entire life around a toddler’s medical needs, sourcing supplies, and desperately searching for a way to reverse what had happened.

I traced a connection between her last MMR vaccine and the onset of her diabetes, and I threw myself into finding answers. My little girl and I tried every known method to save her pancreas and stop the autoimmune attack. We tried herbal medicine in Tibet. Acupuncture in China. In 2005, we flew to Russia for a stem cell transplant — at a time when most people hadn’t even heard of stem cell therapy. We made thousands of attempts to change what felt unchangeable.

Eventually, I told myself: if I can’t cure this, I will make her life as normal and simple as possible — with the best blood sugar control that’s humanly achievable.

My daughter became one of only three children in our entire city to get an insulin pump — and later, a continuous glucose monitor. I taught myself how to program our first pump, inserting the first cannula with shaking hands.

And Then There Were Five

My daughter with T1D was our second child, and I was terrified to have more. But life had other plans — and soon we had five kids. As I watched them grow healthy, I slowly exhaled. Maybe lightning doesn’t strike twice.

But with every baby, the fear never fully left. I measured each child’s blood sugar several times a year — just to be sure. Just to breathe a little easier.

And then, five years ago, the sky fell again.

“Your child has Type 1 Diabetes.” Those words — aimed at my youngest son. He was 4 years old.

It was a blow. But this time was different. This time, there were no questions like “why him?” or “what did I do to deserve this?” I simply accepted it and started teaching my little boy how to live a new way.

Why We Left School

After my son’s diagnosis, I sent him to school believing they would keep him safe. They didn’t. His teacher told him to “wait until the break” when his blood sugar was crashing. When they finally let him go to the nurse, he had to walk alone across the school yard — a 5-year-old with a blood sugar so low he could have passed out on the way.

The stress was destroying him. Every morning, the school bus triggered an adrenaline spike — by the time he arrived at school, his blood sugar was 300 with double arrows up. He often didn’t finish his lunch, and nobody noticed or called me.

I pulled him out. We homeschool now. And it changed everything.

Today, my son plays travel hockey — a sport he’s loved since age 4. His blood sugar is more stable than ever. He has teammates, coaches, tournaments, and more friends than most kids in traditional school. Homeschooling didn’t isolate him. It freed him.

What 21 Years Taught Me

Now, with over two decades of real experience managing Type 1 Diabetes in two children — from toddlerhood through adulthood, from Tibet to Texas, from trembling hands on a first pump to confidently managing travel hockey tournaments — I have something most websites in this space don’t have:

I’ve actually lived this. Twice. Through everything.

What You’ll Find Here

This site is everything I wish someone had given me on day one:

Practical, real-world T1D parenting advice — not textbook theory, but what actually works at 3 AM when the CGM is screaming and your child’s blood sugar won’t come up.

Honest answers to the questions you’re afraid to ask — like how to stop the guilt, how to handle the fear, and how to let your T1D kid just be a kid.

Tested strategies for daily life — school, sports, birthday parties, travel, sick days, homeschooling, and everything in between.

Free resources and tools — printable checklists, carb counting guides, and emergency plans that I actually use in my own home.

What This Site Is NOT

I’m not a doctor, nurse, or certified diabetes educator. I’m a mom. Everything on this site comes from my personal experience managing T1D in my family for over 21 years.

This site does not replace medical advice. Always talk to your child’s endocrinologist before making changes to their diabetes management. Read my full Medical Disclaimer here.

My Promise to You

If your child was just diagnosed — take a breath. I know exactly where you are right now. The fear. The overwhelm. The feeling that your life just changed forever.

It did change. But it’s not over. It’s different, and different can still be beautiful.

I’m here to walk beside you. Not as an expert on a stage, but as a mom who’s been in the trenches for 21 years and came out the other side — stronger, wiser, and still counting carbs.