Tyler Howard
Type 1 Diabetes Success Story
Tyler Howard had just turned five years old when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). He doesn’t remember life before diabetes.
He credits his parents with providing a support system to help navigate day-to-day life with T1D. “There are ups and downs,” he said. “Some days are better than others. Technology continues to improve and that helps a lot.”
Sharing his blood sugar readings with his parents’ phone provided peace of mind to them as he was growing up, and also kept Tyler accountable.
“When I first took full responsibility for my diabetes management, there were some fluctuations with my numbers,” he said. Sometimes I’d forget to bolus and didn’t always make the best decisions.”
While his A1c did go up after the transition to independence, he has since learned to stay on top of his diabetes and make self-management a priority.
His A1c dropped a whole point when he started using the Tandem/Dexcom insulin pump/ continuous glucose monitor (CGM) combo.
An avid skateboarder and snowboarder, Tyler participated and served as a coach at Riding on Insulin events at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area. He attended a coaching camp in Montana with 30 other young people living with diabetes.
“Riding on Insulin is a great event because most people there have T1D and we all understand each other,” he said. “It’s a group mentality and a good feeling to be surrounded by people who are all dealing with the same issues and concerns.”
Now in his 20s, Tyler’s advice to a newly diagnosed child is “it could always be worse.” He admits that diabetes requires attention and responsibility all day, every day; however, “there are lots of people in this world dealing with health issues much worse than diabetes. Don’t let it stop you. Stay positive!”