From Diagnosis to Direction: My T1D Journey and the Path to Blue Circle Health
By Morgan Panzirer
Little did I know at the time, but being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at the age of six would play an instrumental role in my life both personally and professionally. This diagnosis came as a complete shock to me and my family, as we did not have any family history of T1D. But luckily, with my mom’s background as a nutritionist, she knew the signs. Not long after, we received the phone call that completely altered the course of my life forever.
Some people go through life wondering why they were put on this earth; what their greater purpose really is. This was never the case for me. As I grew up and embraced the new reality of navigating T1D along with the rest of life’s daily challenges, I knew there were gaps, and I knew there was enormous room for growth. That people with T1D deserved more.
As I got older and really started to become frustrated with all of these gaps in knowledge, misconceptions, and realities of the disease, I decided I wanted to make a change. This was what initially sparked the idea of writing a book about my journey. A way to turn my struggle into a form of strength.
It began as a kind of diary, if you will. A safe place where I could write about everything that I experienced with T1D. Things like how my health teacher glazed over it and just described it as “something that happens when you eat too much sugar.” While this was simply a sentence in a textbook, a concept to teach the class, it was so much more to me; it was (and is) my life. This is just one example of the many frustrations I encountered (as I imagine most do), growing up with T1D.
I wrote about all of these experiences in my sort-of diary. I did this for about four years, and then put it down and forgot about it. A couple of years later when I rediscovered it while going through my room, I decided that I should do something with all of these raw emotions. It was at this point that I decided to fill in the 4-year gap, and really transform these experiences into a narrative, and that is how my book, Actually, I Can. came to be!
After it was published in June of 2020, I was in shock at how many people reached out, and how positively they responded to what I had written. I knew I wanted to incorporate my passion from this personal side of my life into my professional life. In other words, I knew that this was my greater purpose; to use my time and energy to make a splash in the T1D space. I realized that maybe this diagnosis, that seemed so dark and grim at the beginning, was a gift. A sense of direction.
For the past four months, I’ve had the privilege of interning with Blue Circle Health (BCH) while completing my Master’s degree in Public Health. BCH is a virtual care, education, and support program that provides free services to adults living with type 1 diabetes—a mission that couldn’t align more closely with my own. What drew me to BCH was their commitment to filling the very gaps I experienced growing up: the disconnect between what people with T1D are given by the healthcare system versus what they need to thrive. Being part of a team that truly sees the whole person—not just the diagnosis—is incredibly rewarding. At BCH, I’m not just interning. I’m building the future I once needed. And to me, that is purpose in its truest form.
