I stopped to get some air for the car’s tires. Proper inflation saves fuel and handles better. Air cost money these days and I needed to break a bill to feed the air machine. Walking out of gas station office / mini market I heard someone call out. I looked up to see our pump rep Natalie.
Natalie was the subject of my first YDMV blog entry. She is nuts, psycho. I mean that in the very nicest way. She was at the gas pump, like this lady needs to be around more pumps. She wears two, one for insulin one for symlin.
She is THAT serious about diabetes care. I trust by now regular readers of YDMV know that I make a big distinction between serious and solemn. She ain't solemn at all. She is an evangelist of good diabetes care. Just seeing her makes you want to do better, not by a guilt trip, not an second pump, she is simply an inspiration. She cares diabetes care.
We chatted about the kids. Of course she asked how they were doing. Great! I told her about Connor's progress towards autonomy. She was truely happy to hear it.
Naturally I asked about what is coming from R&D. Something will be coming but she can’t talk out of school. Fair enough, I still have to ask. Our pumps are due for replacement in the next year or so, that is plenty of time for innovation and plenty of time to be making choices with care.
Taking time isn’t my nature. It clearly isn’t her’s either. Seriously who else wears a symlin pump? She is wearing a Dexcom 7 but ordered a Navigator to see how well it works. I mean you have to love this woman. She lives the edge of technology and knows it is about psychology!
She is a big part of why we use Animas pumps. Her passion and humor are as infectious now as they were when we had her over to first talk about the pump. She is an inspiration. Diabetes care takes a dose of inspiration now and again.
Diabetes care is a day in day out process. It is both tediously dull and at times piercingly immediate. Good care takes inspiration. Natalie is that. While we may wish for magic changes to our daily routines, inspiration to do it better makes a difference now.
Yeah I want an integrated CGM (with insurance coverage), faster insulin and longer lasting sets. They would all help A1Cs down the road. Staying positive and tinkering with what we have will improve A1C next visit.
Air in the tires, wind in the sails.
LY/MI Natalie
April 28, 2008
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Natalie sounds like a great character, a pump-packing rep. (As opposed to pistol-packing.)
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