In this episode of T1D Stories, Adrian Gonzalez speaks with Marley McMillan — a broadcaster, former Division I hockey player, businesswoman, and mom — about being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as an adult. Marley shares the confusion and isolation of receiving her diagnosis at age 30, how she learned to advocate for herself, what it’s like managing T1D as an athlete, and the added challenges of pregnancy with type 1 diabetes. She also reflects on the emotional and mental load of living with T1D — and what a world without it would mean.
A Meaningful Moment from the Episode
One of the hidden challenges of type 1 diabetes is the mental burden. The calculations, decisions, adjustments, and vigilance never completely stop. When asked what a world without T1D would mean to her, Marley offered a perspective that may resonate with anyone living with the condition:
“The first thing I would say is just the brain space that that would open up for you if you didn’t have type 1 anymore… that whole part of your brain that is dedicated to thinking about that thing 30% of the day — and on bad days 100% of the day. What would you do with that brain space?”
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