Liam and I are working on an educational YT channel - "T1D Academy"

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I wanted to share something @Liam-M and I have been working toward for a while now, and that’s finally starting to take shape.

When he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, Erin and I had no family history, no roadmap, and no idea what questions we should even be asking. The weeks and months after diagnosis were overwhelming (as you all recall very well) — not just because of the medical side, but because of the emotional weight, the constant decision-making (including the second guessing and beating ourselves up over every high and low), and the flood of information that all seems to hit at once.

That experience is what led Liam and me to create T1D Academy, a YouTube channel focused on clear, empathetic, real-world education around Type 1 Diabetes.

The goal of this channel is to provide information around Type 1 Diabetes to those who are newly diagnosed, caregivers of those newly diagnosed, or anyone interested in the topics I’ll be posting videos about — the kind of information I wish I’d had when we were new to this. Not fear-based. No miracle cures. Just a practical understanding from a family who’s lived both the successes and the failures for a decade now — a parent’s perspective as a caregiver, alongside a child’s perspective from Liam, who’s lived with Type 1 Diabetes for nearly ten years.

So far, the channel includes a channel intro video and a video focused on the diagnosis period. We also have two additional videos in the works — one that tackles common myths around what causes Type 1 Diabetes, and another that walks through what Type 1 Diabetes actually is.

I wanted to share this here because we are genuinely excited about it, and he’s taken on the role of video editor for the channel. I love that he’s choosing to be actively involved, and I truly believe this is something that will be good for him — not just creatively, but for his confidence and long-term management of his own Type 1 Diabetes.

Here are the first two videos:

An intro to the T1D Academy:

And the latest video (The Diagnosis Period).

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That’s awesome!!!

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Hey that’s really awesome Harold! It’s a great project.

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This is wonderful – congratulations on a terrific start, Liam and Harold – these videos (and the channel!) will be so helpful for newly-diagnosed people and those who care about them. :heart:

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Very well done, @ClaudnDaye @Liam-M !

Can I send this (almost a decade) back in time to myself, please?

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@ClaudnDaye This is a great effort on your and Liam’s part. I looked at the casts and they’re straight forward and what people newly dx’d need to hear. The beginning is like drinking from a fire hose regarding all the info people need and it is a bit scary…a whole new world opening up! It’s great that Liam is involved and the point that other kids in the family still need attention is a great item to bring up! Good on the both of you!

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Common Myths for what brings on T1D:

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@ClaudnDaye this is really fabulous, and Liam is awesome!

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Awesome. I gave you some views and some Likes. Good luck!

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Hey, when you post a new one let us know! I’m terrible at keeping up with subscriptions and podcasts!

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“What IS T1D” should be posted by Sunday night. My goal is one per week. I have the script created for it, just have to record it and send it over to the Video Editor-in-chief, @Liam-M to do his magic.

I’ll post each new one in this thread in the future.

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@ClaudnDaye how neat! So glad you are doing this!

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What IS T1D?

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I’ve been giving some thought about what video should be next and I’ve decided I want to focus on single topics at a time instead of combining multiple topics into one. What’s guided my direction so far is reflecting back to 2016 with Liam was first diagnosed….what was most important for me to know at the time. What info was I feverishly researching to try and understand more and what was critical for me to “master ASAP” in order to most effectively help Liam.

Because of this, I’ve grouped all the videos so far into an “introductory” playlist. The next videos are going to focus on that span of time that everyone spends in the hospital “learning the new language’“ of T1D management. Erin and I spent 5 days there, some people may spend more or less, but the next videos in the series are going to cover all the critical topics that are just dumped on your in the hospital and you forget atleast 50% of it (well, I did anyway) by the time you leave the hospital due to the information overload. So, I plan to make videos covering individual topics that are learned in the hospital and, where applicable, maybe get Liam to make cameos in the videos for purposes of demonstrating basics…such as fingersticks.

Topics such as:

CORE MEDICAL SKILLS (Hospital-Taught Foundations)

How to Check Blood Sugar: Fingersticks Explained
How to Give Insulin Shots Safely
Where to Inject Insulin and Why Rotation Matters
Basal Insulin Explained: The Insulin You Always Need
Bolus Insulin Explained: Insulin for Food and High Blood Sugar
Insulin-to-Carb Ratios Explained for Beginners
Correction Doses: How High Blood Sugar Is Treated
What Are Ketones and Why Doctors Worry About Them
How to Use Glucagon for Severe Low Blood Sugar
What a CGM Is and How to Read the Numbers

I think making the videos in this way will result in short, succinct videos enabling anyone to find a subject at any given time, without having to search through videos that combine multiple subjects in a single video. The above is a very short list…I have compiled a list of over 30 different topics which will be added into the YT Playlist for what I’m going to call, “Hospital Stay Series — Core Survival Skills”

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A picture came up in my Google Photos (sometimes you’ll see “year” with a bunch of photos you took that year). This photo was just 3 weeks before Liam was diagnosed. He’s sleeping…the me now asks myself why I didn’t question more, why he was always so tired all the time even after sleeping all night. I don’t know how much sooner I could have helped get him diagnosed, and I know it wouldn’t have made much difference long-term, but seeing this photo just makes questions of lows and highs float around in my head. Was he experiencing a low or high episode in this pic? One that could have possibly been fatal? I try not to look backward in life, only forward, but this is really what’s inspiring me to provide some info out there to families who may know something’s not right, but just not be informed enough to know what it could be.

Liam before diagnosis - my inspiration
Liam before diagnosis - my inspiration960×2079 117 KB

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Sick Day Management: Nobody every talked to me about that!!!

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Most certainly!

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I think this is a super helpful approach! I’ve been loving the videos so far – even good reminders for me, all these years later. Good work, both of you!

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The Hospital Stay Following Diagnosis (First in a series of videos focusing all the things learned during that initial 5-day (or however long you stayed) stay.

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To all, do Liam and Harold a good turn by upvoting here, but watch it on YouTube and give it a thumbs up and for sure subscribe.

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