When the complications of type-1 diabetes leave you feeling sick, fatigued and depressed it’s hard to do anything to make yourself better. Even opening Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution can feel daunting; let alone cooking a low-carb meal from scratch with an electronic scale that needs its batteries changed.

And as our body suffers from years of high blood sugars, so do our minds. I believe high blood sugars hardened not only the arteries in my brain, but also psychological patterns which keep me moody, stubborn and depressed.

We aren’t taught at school how to kick ourselves into action when faced with dire circumstances. We weren’t even taught how to think outside of the box. The best most of us were taught was to listen to our doctor and not think too much. Unfortunately, that system approach is deadly for the majority of type-1 diabetics.

Thank God I married a very compassionate, forgiving man who has worked hard to advocate for me. Without John I probably would be dead or in a pit of extreme depression. (Even worse, I could still be volunteering at bingo fundraisers to help support the Canadian Diabetes Association.)

John has picked me up more than once and dusted me off. He has spent hundreds of hours researching ways to improve my health. He’s spent thousands of hours of cooking healthy meals. And he’s filled in his share, when I was too ill, caring for our six-year old son.

Of course, not everyone has a flesh and blood spouse or friend to offer this sort of support. That is why John and I have started DiabeticDharma.com. Here we can document our experiments with managing (and maybe even curing) type-1 diabetes. You get the virtual support of seeing what someone in a similar (or worse) situation is doing.

We are not experts but regular people trying to make things better for me and our family. We want to offer you some virtual support when things look hopeless.

I know what it’s like to be “hopeless.” I still experience the roller coaster ride (albeit it is a lot better). Going it alone is hard. “If we were meant to do things alone,” John says, “we would have been born on our own little planet.”

Even if you feel like you do live on your on your own little type-1 diabetic planet, visit or subscribe to sites like this one for some support, ideas and inspiration.