In 2000, Gina Capone was a typical 25-year old; she was working as a graphic designer and spent lots of time with her friends and family. She knew that one day she wanted to be a mom, but it wasn’t a priority; she had plenty of other things to accomplish first. Then, in November of 2000, Gina started feeling “funny.” After a light walk, she would get dizzy and have to sit, and most of the time she just felt tired; she knew something was very wrong. Feeling scared and uncertain, Gina found out that she had Type 1 diabetes. Once touted as ‘childhood diabetes’, Type 1 diabetes is no longer rare in adults; it is a thoroughly permanent and life-altering condition.
As the shock wore off and the weight of truth settled in, Gina resorted to the one place she knew she could find answers to her endless questions: the Internet. After hours and hours of searching, however, Gina found that the Internet was flooded with information – and only a small portion of it was good or helpful. “What about all those people who, just like me, are struggling to find answers and need support and guidance during this difficult time?” she thought. With that in mind, she knew she had to take action.
Soon after her diagnosis, Gina co-founded DiabetesTalkFest, a site that hosts live chats with clinical and research professionals in the field of diabetes. She also started blogging about her daily experiences and struggles with the disease at diabetestalkfest.com/blog. She knew other people were undoubtedly going through the same tribulations that she was, and by giving voice to her own experiences, she was offering her support and guidance. Through it all, she maintained that, “If I can get through it, anyone can.”
Now, Gina is the President and CEO of TheDiabetesResource.com, a comprehensive diabetes directory covering every aspect of diabetes, such as medical professionals, diabetes support groups, endocrinologists, blogs, camps, insurance resources, accessories as well as national diabetes events, online monthly chats with experts and more. The site centralizes the pivotal information relating to the disease, and offers a network of support for those who need it.
Gina is now happily married and she can’t wait to start a family. Before getting pregnant, however, Gina needs to make sure her blood glucose is under control, which will ensure the safety of both she and the baby during pregnancy. These blood glucose levels are known as A1c levels. Early in pregnancy, high sugar levels may increase the risk of miscarriage and birth defects, and nearer to the time of delivery, high levels can cause the infant’s size and weight to be larger than normal, and can increase the risk of complications.
To ensure that her quest for a healthy A1c will be successful, Gina is using all the tools that are at her disposal. She is in regular contact with her doctor and uses a Medtronic Minimed Paradigm insulin pump, which is used to give her the proper amount of insulin when she needs it throughout her day and when she eats. She also uses an integrated Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) that checks her glucose levels every 5 minutes. The data from the CGM provides trend graphs and arrows indicating how fast and in which direction her glucose is moving, which is extremely important – especially while she’s trying to get pregnant or while she’s exercising. That important information will be even more helpful when she actually becomes pregnant. A CGM isn’t designed to replace her regular blood glucose monitor, however. The CGM is mainly useful for tracking data trends, so she uses her blood glucose monitor on a regular basis. While CGM’s are considered by diabetes advocates to be “the best thing since sliced bread,” it happens to be very difficult to get insurance companies to cover their costs. Gina believes so much in Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems, that she created the CGM Anti-Denial Campaign (http://cgm-antidenial.ning.com/), where she provides members with crucial information for obtaining coverage through their insurance companies.
Gina is the also community manager of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s (JDRF) type 1 diabetes social network Juvenation.org, where she strives to lend her support and diabetes expertise to those who may have recently been diagnosed, friends and family members, or even to longtime patients through her own personal stories and experiences.
The Diabetes Resource is growing every day, and soon, some very exciting new features will be added to the site. “It’s hard work,” said Gina, “but it’s so rewarding. I want everybody to have the pivotal information that I should have had when I was diagnosed.” Gina has become a social media entrepreneur, a diabetes advocate, and is considered a thought-leader within the diabetes community. She’s had ups and downs and everything in-between, but one thing is for sure: whatever the challenge, she can handle it.
Written by: Jen Allen, KAS Publicity
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