The connection between COVID and diabetes has been all over the news, but I hadn’t met anyone who can speak to this until interviewing Racheal Jacques. In this episode we discuss her family history of chronic conditions, including Type 1 diabetes, and how she received her T1D diagnosis shortly after recovering from COVID.
BIO: Rachael received her type 1 diabetes diagnosis a year and a half ago after having COVID. She
knew it was likely the case as she was exhibiting the classic symptoms of excessive thirst and
weight loss. T1D also runs in Rachael’s family as her younger brother has lived with the same diagnosis for over 30 years.
Prior to navigating her own journey with T1D, she worked in the community health education
space and was inspired to develop concrete, accessible tools to facilitate injection site rotation.
In 2010, she brought to market Tartoos (targeted tattoos) with the hope of making one aspect
of diabetes management a little easier. Since that time, she has pursued a career in children’s
mental health and is passionate about advocating for the unique mental health needs of those
living with diabetes.
Thankful for the supportive community around her, especially for her brother, family and
friends with T1D, Rachael has felt the power of peer support and is looking forward to
continuing to learn, grow and thrive with T1D.
Rachael, her husband and 3 boys love spending time hiking, making music and playing with
their goldendoodle, Hutch.