#41 Teddy Talks with Vanessa Messenger

Katie: 0:01

Hey everybody it's episode 41 of the sugar mamas podcast. And today I have the pleasure of talking with Vanessa messenger. Vanessa was diagnosed with type one diabetes as a young adult at the age of 24, and has recently written a children's book called Teddy talks. A positive story about type one diabetes. Teddy talks was inspired by Vanessa's real life pet, an adorable white Pomeranian puppy named of course. Not only that, but Vanessa is the hardworking mother of two. She has a 15 month old and just gave birth to her second child just weeks ago. We also get to hear a little bit about Vanessa's job outside of the home. As a product lead for Google. Vanessa is a hard working energetic mother, wife, author, and business woman. And today she's going to share a little bit about her type one journey thus far. At the end of the show, I'll let you know where you can find Vanessa's book and where you can follow the real life. Teddy on social media. Enjoy. You're listening to the sugar mamas podcast, a show designed for moms and caregivers of type one diabetics here. You'll find a community of like-minded people who are striving daily to keep their kids safe, happy, and healthy in the ever-changing world of type one. I'm your host and fellow T one D mom, Katie Roseboro. Before we get started. I need you to know that nothing you hear on the sugar mamas podcast should be considered medical advice. Please be safe, be smart, and always consult your physician before making changes to the way you manage type one diabetes. Thanks. Hey everyone. I am here with Vanessa messenger today and Vanessa, we're just going to jump right on in. So first things first, I'm going to have you introduce yourself to the listeners and tell us what your connection is to type one day.

Vanessa: 2:05

Yeah. Hi Katie. Thank you so much for having me. Uh, So I was diagnosed later on in life, the type one diabetes, and that was about 24 years old, which I know is a little bit unusual. Um, And the circumstance that I found out that I was diagnosed. Also a little unique, so we can go into that as well. But um, I'm a mother of two baby. Number two is literally on the way any day now. And. I've been thinking a lot about how can I explain the condition to my kids in a way that they'll be able to understand. And there's really an optimistic way of explaining type one diabetes. So I wrote a, a children's inspirational picture book called Teddy talks, a positive story about type one diabetes. And I'm so excited to share it with every.

Katie: 2:51

Oh, yeah. I'm excited to ask you questions about the book. I've had the opportunity to read it and. Great. The illustrations are great. The story is wonderful. So we'll, we'll talk about that in just a sec, but I want to ask you about your diagnosis story. Cause you said you were diagnosed as an adult and um, I just, I just want to know about that because most people I talk to are, are caregivers of type ones. So they have kids that were diagnosed at a young age. So what was that like for you being diagnosed as.

Vanessa: 3:21

Yeah, definitely. So it was really interesting because I fortunately didn't have any sort of really. Traumatic event that led to my diagnosis. It was more so I noticed I was really sluggish. I was always tired. I was constantly thirsty and, you know, giving credit to my mom as moms do. They're like, we need to get you into a doctor. And I went to an endocrinologist. I didn't even really know what an endocrinologist was at the time. And they were kind of puzzled. They were like, it doesn't seem like you would have diabetes. Um, And they weren't really sure what to think. Uh, But they tested me for the antibodies and they came back positive and I was fortunately still in the honeymoon phase. And I was like, you know, Still producing insulin at the time. Um, But it was certainly a big shift, you know, I know that there's kind of two different perspectives on undiagnosis. I think that, you know, when you're really young and diagnosed, of course is so challenging, but in some ways it can be a blessing because that's all you've ever known growing up and having this routine and this regimen. Um, And then, you know, to be diagnosed later in life, Is uh, you know, also very different, but in some ways uh, you know, it kind of flips your world upside down because I didn't really know anything about diabetes or so many misconceptions around it. Uh, My family and friends and I, we were just so in the dark. And so it was really just diving in and learning everything we could about.

Katie: 4:53

Yeah. Uh, I can't even imagine I did. So when you left the hospital, did you feel prepared? Because I feel like I've heard. A lot of people who were diagnosed later in life, you know, that the doctors just kind of are like, here's your insulin and good luck. So how did you feel leaving the hospital or maybe you weren't even hospitalized since you were diagnosed so early on.

Vanessa: 5:15

I wasn't actually got the news. I remember it very vividly. I was in my car. It was like nine o'clock at night. And I got a call from my doctor. I was sitting in the parking lot of my apartment complex in Chicago, and she told me, you know, we found the antibody and you have type one diabetes. Let's get you in, and this is what you need to do, but I, you, you know, I have these distinct memories of like being on the couch and YouTube being that, how to prick my finger and test my blood sugar and being so frustrated and going through strip after strip, after strip being like, why is this not like getting, why am I not getting this? Right? So it was a lot of trial by error. Um, You know, it was a lot of just learn as I go and I feel. Now, you know, approximately 10 or so, years later, I I've developed more confidence around it and I really have to attribute it to the community that I fall into online and finding a support group there. And really ducks Tom has completely changed my life. So having a continuous glucose monitor has just been an absolute game changer.

Katie: 6:22

Oh, yeah, us too. I mean, we only lived like half a week without a continuous glucose monitor, but I can't, I just can't imagine not having it. It's such a blessing. It's such a

Vanessa: 6:32

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. It's like so grateful for these advancements because I just would be so lost without it, like you said. Yeah.

Katie: 6:40

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, I mean, you've, it sounds like you've did a lot of uh, learning on the job, I guess you could say when. T one D management. Yeah. Uh, That, that must've been rough. I don't know. I guess they just expect older, you know, young adults and older adults to just kinda know what to do. I don't know. I even, your endocrinologist was stumped. It sounds like about your diagnosis.

Vanessa: 7:06

she got, she. was, and you know, it, it can, of course be so overwhelming and isolating and you just really. You know, or are you don't lean into it right away? At least I didn't. I was so scared by what I was hearing and being told, and as far as complications and all of this stuff, and it really wasn't until I fell into this online community and saw so many people that are thriving with type one diabetes, where I felt really empowered. I was like, wait a second. It doesn't have to be scary. This can be something that actually encourages you to lead a healthy, normal lifestyle. And ever since then it of course paired with the ducks time. It's it's really helped me just mentally have a more positive outlook on it. And that's what I really hope to share with people.

Katie: 7:57

Yeah. Yeah, I totally agree if it weren't for the online community and, and the podcast community too. I mean, I, I listened to juice box podcasts. I listened to diabetes connections with Stacy Sims. I mean, I I just feel like there's really a lot of great resources out there for the type one community.

Vanessa: 8:15

And in some instances, I've, I've learned so much more from, you know, those communities than I would have even in the doctor's office. And it could just be because you're overwhelmed and it goes in one year and up the other year. But when you hear it on a podcast, when you see it on a farm, you're able to have a conversation. It just really clicks it. So.

Katie: 8:33

Yeah. And you realize these people are real humans living this everyday, just like you. So just helps so much. Well, let's, let's jump into your book. Um, I want to talk about Teddy talks and. So, what was the, you kind of already mentioned the motivation behind it was having a way to explain your diagnosis to your children. Um, So, you know, did it just come to you one day? Have you always wanted to write a children's book? How did it kind of.

Vanessa: 9:03

Yeah, I've always wanted to write a children's book. And um, when I was on maternity leave with my daughter, it was in the thick of COVID and. You know, I was home alone. I had nothing to do. I was pregnant and I was like, I need to find me just chase after this dream of writing a children's book. And I thought, what better topic then to, you know, show kids that you can truly thrive with type one diabetes and educate kids. And. Too about the misconceptions around it. And um, you know, really be a good resource for families to have these conversations with people who are recently diagnosed, or maybe just not familiar at all with type one diabetes. Um, And my inspiration. So Teddy talks, Teddy is based on my little dog, Teddy. And uh, he is, you know, not a certified diabetic alert dog by any means, but he certainly in my eyes is a great support system. Um, And so I thought. I love him so much. I feel like he would make a great, a great character, a great vehicle to, I kind of explained the condition. So the book is about Teddy and his human who has a type one diabetic. And uh, what I love about the book is it really showcases a main character with a CGM. Um, And on top of that, it breaks out just common terms that you hear when you're first diagnosed. So it has a glossary with common terms for kids to understand, well, what does it mean if you're type one diabetic, what is insulin, things like that. Um, So I'm really excited to just share it and have it be a positive message that families can really anchor on.

Katie: 10:49

Yeah, I loved how you included that little glossary at the beginning of the book with common terms and, and for people to look at, even before they read the story. So when they come across a word they'll know, oh, this is, this is what she's talking about. This is what this means. Um, And I love how Teddy in the book. I won't give away too much, but he kind of like, you know, follows his human, his type one human around and just relates with. She is doing to kind of how he also lives his little doggy life every day. And he finds similarities between their, you know, their activities. And it's just so cute. It's so cute. And Teddy is adorable. Um, I love that Teddy is actually a real life dog. Um,

Vanessa: 11:31

Yeah, it's been, it's been so fun because you know, we've been in the marketing of the book. We created a tic-tac for Teddy. We didn't know that it would take off so, so much he's um, you know, touched 1.3 million people around the world, and it's been really fun to sharing his personality and. the fact that there is like a real entity behind the ball.

Katie: 11:50

Yeah. That's that's awesome. I know, I, I, of course had to hop on Tik TOK and check Teddy out and he's so cute. He's a D you might've already said this. I'm sorry. He's a Pomeranian, right?

Vanessa: 12:01

He's a Pomering and definitely is technically a Teddy bear Pomeranian, I guess. Um, And so very fitting to name him, Teddy,

Katie: 12:08

Absolutely. Yes. He looks like a giant little cotton ball. He's so cute. Um, We have a, not a Teddy bear. We have a giant dog, a giant lab named Henry, and he's also not a uh, an alert dog, but uh, man, he just provides so much emotional support, really? Mainly for

Vanessa: 12:26

uh,

Katie: 12:28

As the mom, as the caregiver and also for Sarah, like he tucks Sarah in every night and he jumps on her bed and snuggles with her and uh, not so much anymore, but at the beginning he would like jump on our bed and be there for like the Dexcom changes and the injections and stuff like that. So they just.

Vanessa: 12:45

dogs are so intuitive. They're just so special.

Katie: 12:48

they absolutely are. Um, So I want to let everybody know if you would like to check out the real life Teddy, you can find him on Tik TOK and on Instagram. Uh, His handle is the same on both platforms. It's at Teddy, the T1 dog, and Teddy. All the words are capitalized, right? Teddy, the T1 dog. Love it. Okay. So where can we find the.

Vanessa: 13:12

So it's officially launching on October 15th, leading up to that it's available for pre-order on Amazon Barnes and noble and target. Um, October 15th. It's it's available, wherever books are sold.

Katie: 13:25

okay. Wonderful. Perfect. I'm going to try to get this episode out before the launch, so people will be ready to find it. So Vanessa, you are a hardworking lady. You've written a children's book. You are. Uh, A mother of one, about to be a mother of two, but you also work at Google as a product lead. And I know this really has nothing to do with type one, but I just am so curious to know what it's like to work at Google. You know, that's such a huge, a huge organization.

Vanessa: 13:54

Yeah. You know, I've been there for I'm coming up on my ten-year anniversary. So I actually started working at Google around the time that I was diagnosed. So it was a lot of exciting changes at one time, I suppose. Um, But yeah, I basically work with advertisers that are specifically retailers. That are looking to automate their marketing campaigns. Um, And so I kind of sit in between our engineers and our sales teams and just educate about the product, influenced the product. And it's such an amazing company. All of the wonderful things that you hear about Google in my experience have absolutely been, been true. And I'm so grateful for, you know, The people that I work with, they've been so supportive in every way. I've had amazing teammates that have really leaned into wanting to know more about type one diabetes and Hey, if you're not family, well, what should I do? And it's just such a beautiful environment. So I feel very, very grateful to work there.

Katie: 14:57

Oh, that's wonderful. So are you guys in the building currently? Are you, or did you ever work from home during the pandemic?

Vanessa: 15:04

We've been working from home and we actually just got extended uh, to work from home until January, which, you know, I don't maternity leave currently. So um, I won't be going in for, for quite some time as is, but um, you know, they're, they're really kind of wanting to. Yes, absolutely safe as possible. And um, you know, I'm excited to be reunited with everyone, but at the same time, it has been a blessing because, you know, I was a type one diabetic, like the long commute and then not having any sort of childcare for my little wine. It's kind of been, it's been a lot. So I've been very fortunate to be able to work from home and, and uh, you know, just try to use the time wisely.

Katie: 15:44

Oh my goodness. Yes. How old is your.

Vanessa: 15:47

She's 15 months.

Katie: 15:49

Oh, my goodness, Vanessa. So I have, my oldest two are barely 16 months apart, so

Vanessa: 15:57

Oh, wow. Are they close then?

Katie: 16:00

they're very close. It's a, my oldest is a boy and then Sarah, who's my, who's my T one D um, they're very, very close and it was, I'm not gonna lie. It was very hard when they were, when they were little, I mean, I don't even like, I'm pretty sure I just went into a coma for about three years and then woke, woke back up when my third child is born. I'm like, oh, okay, here we are.

Vanessa: 16:24

I know, isn't that funny as moms, you just like that instinct kicks in and you're like, I think I blacked out for the last two years, but we pulled it off somehow.

Katie: 16:32

sure did. Yeah, you sure did. I mean, but it's great now. Like it's, it's wonderful to have, they are very close and, and um, yeah, they've, they've always been friends because they've never known a life. Without each other. Now my daughter and my third child, my other son, they're going to grow up. They're going to grow up to love each other so much one day. But right now they, they are working through some sibling rivalry. I know it most, half the time. I just sit back and laugh at their squabbles. And like, you guys are ridiculous, but one, one day you're going to work it out. I know it, there they are a little over two years apart. Um, But yeah, well, I'm excited for you. Congratulations on the

Vanessa: 17:15

Thank you.

Katie: 17:16

second. Um, I got to know too, just with, when you guys were in the building or even now with conference calls and stuff, like, have you ever, have you ever had to, you know, run out of the room for a T one D quote unquote emergency or are people just used to hearing your Dexcom alarms? Or how does that

Vanessa: 17:34

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Katie, I'm like in the middle of these hesitations and it's like, my going off? And I'm like, sorry, everyone. Just so you know, the type of everything's okay. Having a preface it, but they're, they're so great. I mean, they just, I don't know, maybe they have a great poker face, but they just let it, you know, totally pass on through. And you might be able to even hear going off in the back. Amazing how pregnancy affects your blood. Sugar's too. I'm like constantly just having to be like glued to my Dexcom and I, and I'm manual uh, or, you know uh, MDI. So I've just like had my Humalog pen, my decks, Tom, 24 7, right by me.

Katie: 18:17

Yeah. I want to know about that too. So you've been through two pregnancies now with type one.

Vanessa: 18:22

Yeah.

Katie: 18:22

I mean, if you could kind of summarize what it's like, I know everybody's different, but for you, what has it been like managing type one during a practice?

Vanessa: 18:30

Yeah. So, you know, technically it is a higher risk pregnancy and I have a team of amazing doctors that have been so helpful. And, you know, there, there is a bit more to it in terms of. Uh, Weekly sending in your blood sugar is having to track a journal of where your blood sugars are when you're fasting two hours after you eat how much insulin you're giving yourself. Um, I met the phase now where I'm having to go into the doctor's office and do twice a week. Non-stress. I don't know if people are familiar with those, but essentially you have to lay there and have a monitor on your belly and they want to see that the baby is reaching a certain heartbeat and staying there for at least 15 seconds twice within a 20 minute period. Um, And it was really funny because um, one of the times when I was doing my non-stress tests with uh, with my baby uh, this time he wasn't getting to the point that they needed to get added, they were like, we might have to bring the buzzer out. I'm like, what is the buzzer. And um, it's a little contraction that they actually like buzz your stomach and it doesn't hurt. It just kind of like scares the baby. But I had this sweetest nurse who um, her son actually was a type one diabetic, so we became fast friends and she was like, well, before the buzzer, there's this little hack, you can put your all phone up to your belly and play this Mozart song. And sometimes that does the trick. And um, sure enough, like, I, I, I put my phone up to my stomach and he was just like, moving like crazy. So from then on, I was like, I will swallow my AirPods and just bump Mozart 24 7 if I need to move these NSDs along. But I've been very fortunate. It's worked out really well. Um, Our, our first uh, you know, with the birth of our daughter, it was. Uh, A pretty dramatic experience when we, we call it. Although like in the moment, like we were kind of talking about before with even just raising the babies, you, you just kept it into this instinct mode. Um, But uh, you know, with the induction. Um, I spiked a fever and we weren't really sure what was going on and they want you on an insulin drip by we couldn't get the IVN and you're just like attached to all of these tubes and wires. You feel like a married or not. Um, But really like it turns out beautifully and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I would just feel very grateful and I'm just praying every single day that it's a good experience for baby. Number two.

Katie: 21:05

oh, absolutely. I'll be praying the same thing. Goodness,

Vanessa: 21:08

Thank you.

Katie: 21:09

like literally any day, maybe number two, like you might have to leave in two minutes to go give birth to your second child.

Vanessa: 21:17

Exactly right. Yeah. And it's so interesting because the first time around, you know, I was just assuming like, okay, well it's in the movie. It's like in the movies, your water breaks. And then you go to the hospital and I found out maybe a few weeks before my due date. They're like, oh, well, no, no, no, we have to induce you. Cause you're a type one diabetic. So, you know, 30. 37 30, 8, 39 weeks. We want to induce you. And so I was like, oh, that was a surprise. Um, And so at least this time around, we were, you know, expecting that where they don't really want to see you go beyond, you know, 39 weeks at the very most. But it is interesting because the first trimester you're in. Which I guess it sounds like it's fairly common. According to my doctor, your sugars tend to get very low. You drop a lot. And so your insulin needs kind of less than a bit second trimester, your insulin needs skyrockets. So I was really thinking more insulin than I was accustomed to. Um, Third trimester. Now things have kind of leveled out a little bit, but it's the, body's just amazing how it reacts to things. So it's been a crazy experience.

Katie: 22:27

I know it has been interesting for me to watch my daughters numbers and how, how they react to certain foods. And, and it just makes me think about my own body, even though I'm not a type one diabetic, I'm like my body's doing the same thing. It's just that my pancreas. Working and, and, you know, can, can tackle those spikes, but it really is amazing how, yeah. How our bodies are designed and how uh, how efficiently they work when they work. And it's, it's just crazy. Um, So I'm curious to know, oh, go ahead.

Vanessa: 23:00

I was just gonna say, I was listening to, you know, a previous episode of yours, like you were saying, your daughter, when she gets so excited, her sugars tend to get low and it's just so fascinating. Cause you would never think about that, you know, until you experience it and have to now consider all of these elements of not just, you know, what I'm getting, what I'm doing, but how am I feeling emotionally and mentally?

Katie: 23:24

Yeah, absolutely. Because that plays a big role in blood sugars, too, you know, emotional and. Wellbeing and stress levels and everything like that. So I'm curious to know, in your first trimester, you said your insulin, your numbers were pretty low on the lower side. And did you have any nausea or anything like that? Like, I, I was horribly sick for my first trimester, especially with my first

Vanessa: 23:47

Um, No.

Katie: 23:49

I know, I just feel like if you're, you know, if your numbers are low and then you're also nauseous, it'd be tricky. Did you experience any.

Vanessa: 23:58

You know what I was pretty fortunate. The nausea was for the most part kept at bay. So that was definitely a blessing, but I mean, that would be a huge challenge. Absolutely. So I, I just, I can't imagine like that on top of it.

Katie: 24:14

No. I know. I know. Well, I'm glad you didn't experience any of that. That's good.

Vanessa: 24:18

Yes. Thank you.

Katie: 24:20

Yes. So, Anything else you want to add? I'm I will put links to everything we talked about in the show notes, links to Teddy's Tik TOK and his Instagram. And I'll go ahead and put a link um, on Amazon, if you would, if that's what the site you'd prefer. I know you mentioned Barnes and noble and target too, but whichever website you would prefer that people be directed to, to pre-order the book, all put a link to that in the show notes as well.

Vanessa: 24:45

Oh, perfect.

Katie: 24:47

but

Vanessa: 24:48

Yeah. Thank you

Katie: 24:49

you want to add?

Vanessa: 24:50

Um, Yeah, I'd love to talk a little bit about just the partners that we're working with. Um, You know, I'm, I'm so excited for this book to come out. I feel like it's been a labor of love and I'm just so excited to finally share this with everyone. We've been really fortunate that it's already received a gold spawn choice award. So it's globally recognized as you know, a symbol representing the Boston family friendly products. And we received our first review, which is a five-star reader's favorite review uh, for the book means simple but informative approach to teaching young readers about type one diabetes. And because of that, we're really excited to donate a hundred. The children's hospital of Michigan and also partnering with an amazing nonprofit diabetes youth services um, that works to provide educational and supportive resources for young people to be with type one diabetes across Ohio and Michigan. Um, And then also don't donate the portion of the proceeds to benefit clinical trial is underway uh, at Dr. Crossman's lab who is working tirelessly, tirelessly to find a cure for type one diabetes. So we're really excited to be partnering with these amazing foundation.

Katie: 26:03

Hmm, that's wonderful. I was curious, speaking of uh, research and, and all that. When you, when you mentioned earlier about being diagnosed in the early, early stages, like still being in honeymoon and with the, with just having testing positive for the auto antibodies, did they try to get you in any type of a clinical trial?

Vanessa: 26:23

yeah. You know, I was, I was interested in participating and there wasn't too much at the time that. Really were pushing me towards, which I think was interesting thinking back in and kind of looking back in hindsight, but um, you know, I'm really encouraged by the work that Dr Boston's doing, and I'm, I'm so excited to see their work and, you know, hope that there are more clinical trials available and that we can, you know, eventually find a cure.

Katie: 26:54

Where does he work out of?

Vanessa: 26:56

So she is

Katie: 26:57

Oh, she I'm sorry. I don't

Vanessa: 26:58

a massive. No, no, no worries. Competency. So she is based out of um, Massachusetts, Massachusetts general hospital.

Katie: 27:08

Okay. And what is she, what type of research does she do? Is it with the beta cell encapsulation or how does

Vanessa: 27:16

Yeah, so it's um, immunology. So she is uh, well, so, so it's an immuno biology lab and they are working to understand the. Human immune system plays a role in autoimmune diseases and she's conducting multiple clinical trials using BCG, which is a generic vaccine as a treatment for established type one diabetics.

Katie: 27:42

Hmm. Okay. Wow. That's very interesting. I have, I haven't heard of

Vanessa: 27:47

She's very impressive.

Katie: 27:48

know. You'll have to, maybe if you have one, you'll have to send me a link so I can check out her work. Okay.

Vanessa: 27:53

Yeah, absolutely.

Katie: 27:55

Okay, well, thank you so much for coming on today, Vanessa. I really appreciate your time taking your time out of your work day and your mom day to come chat with me while I guess you're on maternity leave right now, but still busy as a mom. I know how

Vanessa: 28:07

you so much for you. Yes. Yes, definitely a full-time job. I really appreciate you having me on and it's been so great chatting with you

Katie: 28:15

yeah, it's really, it has been really fun. I really enjoyed it. Thank you so much. You have a

Vanessa: 28:19

you might hear Teddy now in the background

Katie: 28:21

Oh, I know Teddy. Um, I will, you'll have to send me some pictures of Teddy that I can share with um, with people once the episode goes,

Vanessa: 28:30

will. Yeah. definitely. Please let me know. And if there's any promotional materials that I should share, definitely let me know.

Katie: 28:36

Okay. Yeah. I mean, if, if your publisher is okay with like a picture of the cover of the book, I mean, I'd love to put that out there too, so people can know what it looks like.

Vanessa: 28:46

Yeah. I am self publishing so I can give you the green light for that right here.

Katie: 28:52

Great. Perfect. Love it.

Vanessa: 28:55

Thank you so much, Katie. I hope you have a great weekend.

Katie: 28:58

you too. Bye.

Vanessa: 29:00

Talk soon. Bye.

Katie: 29:06

Well, that is it for our show today, as always, I will link to everything in the show notes where you can find Vanessa's book, which launches officially tomorrow on October 15th, it will be on Amazon Barnes and noble and target. I will put those links in the show notes. Please go find Teddy on Instagram and Tik TOK. He is seriously the cutest thing you will ever lay your eyes upon. He is a white, fluffy little puppy who. I can't help, but smile, when you look at them. So you can find Teddy, like I said, on Instagram and tick-tock at Teddy, the T1 dog. I'm also going to put a link in the show notes to the diabetes research that Vanessa mentioned towards the end of the show that Dr. Faustman is involved with as always thank you guys so much for tuning in, and I hope you have a fabulous week living your life as the amazing insulin ninjas that I know you are chat with you soon. Bye.