Meet #MiniMedChampion Spencer

MiniMed Champion Spencer Bolesta has spent more than 50 years of his life with type 1 diabetes. A retiree currently living in Clearwater, Florida, Spencer was diagnosed with T1D in 1973 and has used MiniMed insulin pumps since they were first introduced in 1983. With family and friends around the country and world, and hobbies ranging from gardening and traveling to playing computer games or rounds of Texas 42 with friends, Spencer has never let diabetes stand in the way of living a vibrant life. Here’s his story:
 

Being diagnosed as a young adult 

My initial diagnosis of T1D was back in the day when it was called juvenile onset diabetes, but I was 19, so my healthcare team called it adult-onset diabetes. I was in the U.S. Coast Guard at the time, and my biggest fear was being told by the doctor that I would be lucky to see 50. Being a healthy 71 now, my hope is to double that 50!
 

Making the jump to pump therapy 

In 1973, I started taking oral medication because my doctor initially determined I was an adult-onset diabetic. Soon after that diagnosis changed to juvenile onset diabetes, I started taking multiple daily injections (MDI), progressing to a mix of regular and NPH insulin (isophane) every morning. That went on for 10 years. 

In 1975, my doctor first started talking about a new technology: insulin pump therapy. I’ll rarely start on something new without proof of time, but our conversations convinced me that it was the way to go, so in 1983, I made the leap to the pump.
 
My first pump was called the “blue brick,” but it was better than MDI because the control was much better. Today, I am on the MiniMed™ 780G system, and have been for two years. I have stayed with MiniMed because they kept improving, while staying with their vision and eyes on the future for their patients.

They are moving back to being MiniMed, which may seem like a step backwards, but is really a giant step forward. Medtronic was great for MiniMed as a company, but even greater for every pumper — MiniMed had helped us survive a disease that was deadly for so many centuries.
 

Advice for others 

My advice for people newly diagnosed with diabetes, and even those who refuse to go with the newer technologies, is to consider an insulin pump. And, from my experience, the MiniMed 780G system is a great choice! 

My top three tips for managing diabetes are: 

1. Listen to your care team (that may include your doctor, pharmacist, endocrinologist, and any other -ologists you may have). Their guidance is here to support you, so take their advice to heart and follow through. By working together, you can stay in control of your health and live your life to the fullest!
    
2. Listen to your own body. No one knows your body better than you, so no matter what you feel — good, bad, or neutral — listen and learn. And then respond accordingly. 
    
3. Don’t stop living just because you have diabetes. Live smart and be active. If you want to do something, do it, but with your diabetes in mind.

Tackling misconceptions about diabetes 
 

One big change with diabetes is that it’s no longer as scary as it used to be — there are so many ways to manage it now. The biggest misconception is that you can’t live a long, strong, and prosperous life. 

Take me for example: I have lived all over the U.S. and have traveled to Europe, Central America, the Caribbean islands, all 50 states and their capitals, and nine Canadian provinces and two of their territories. I have had pets, kids, and grandkids, fished and hunted, and played sports such as golf, tennis, and softball — all while wearing a tubed pump. And not once in 50-plus years have I caught the tubing on something that ripped the site out of my body. 

If a person gets educated about it and does what they should do, they should be able to live a normal life.

I am a MiniMed Champion because I can have a voice that says to the insurance industry, “Don’t judge every diabetic the same.” My 50-plus years of experience as a person with diabetes should mean something to both new and old T1Ds alike.

Guest writer: Spencer Bolesta, MiniMed Champion