This month, Kay is starting soccer—and while that sentence might sound simple, it carries so much more meaning than just a new sport on the calendar. Soccer, for us, isn’t really about goals, drills, or even learning the rules. It’s about showing up. It’s about inclusion. It’s about giving Kay the chance to experience something…
There are milestones you expect to feel emotional about as a parent—first steps, first words, first days. And then there are the ones you don’t realize will carry so much weight until you’re standing right in the middle of them. Recently, Kay went on her first field trip with her ABA team to the Discovery…
A Letter to That Mom Dear me, On the day everything changed again— You don’t know it yet, but this is a second diagnosis day. And somehow, that makes it both familiar and completely unbearable. You’ve stood in this place before. You remember the first time a doctor used words that split your life into…
Every three months, we have an endocrinology appointment for Kay. These visits are a chance to look at her blood sugar trends, talk through any patterns we’re seeing, make adjustments if needed, and check her A1C. They’re necessary, but I’d be lying if I said they don’t come with a little anxiety every single time.…
When people hear about our life—appointments, diagnoses, therapies, service dogs—they often assume our days are anything but normal. The truth is, our days are normal. Just not in the way people usually imagine. A normal day starts before the day really begins. Numbers are checked. Routines are followed. There’s a quiet mental checklist running in…
Dear Kay, This letter isn’t about who you’ll be someday. It isn’t about milestones you haven’t reached or dreams projected too far ahead. It’s about you, exactly as you are right now, in this season of your life. Right now, you are curious and determined. You feel things deeply. You notice details others overlook. You…
Even with more awareness than ever, Type 1 diabetes is still widely misunderstood. It’s something I’ve learned quickly since my daughter, Kay, was diagnosed. Most misconceptions don’t come from a place of malice—they come from outdated information, assumptions, or confusing Type 1 with Type 2. But those misunderstandings matter, because they shape how people respond…
Answering the Question: “Is It Hard?” People ask this question a lot. Sometimes it comes softly, with care. Sometimes it’s awkward. Sometimes it’s whispered, like they’re afraid of the answer. “Is it hard?” And the truth is… there isn’t a simple yes or no. Yes—some days are hard. Managing Type 1 diabetes around the clock…
I get asked this question more often than people might realize: “Why do you share Kay online?” Sometimes it’s asked with genuine curiosity. Other times, there’s an unspoken concern tucked underneath it. The simple answer? Because representation matters—every single day, not just during awareness months. Kay exists in multiple worlds that are still widely misunderstood:…
Last night, our house was a little louder, a little fuller, and a whole lot warmer — the best kind of night. We had dinner with two of my dad’s cousins and their spouses. I think that makes them my second cousins and Kay’s third (family math has never been my strong suit), but titles…
