Hey, I'm Jessica!

Wife • Mother of 5 • Professor • Parenting Coach • Homeschooler

I understand that raising a child with Type 1 Diabetes requires more than medical care — it calls for emotional resilience, clarity, and support.

I’ve spent over twenty years as a professor, teaching in settings ranging from universities to girls’ group homes and even a state penitentiary. With a PhD in English, a background in women’s studies and mothering studies, and training in embodied health work, I created T1D Family to help parents, like yourself, regain control post T1D diagnosis and create a family culture that is prepared, connected, and thriving.

Our Family Story

My husband, Eric, and I have five children and we both work as university professors. When our two-year-old toddler slipped into a ketoacidotic comma, we were then thrown into a new reality of type one diabetes care. It was terrifying, frustrating, overwhelming . . . and expensive!

Everything was off.

Nothing seemed easy or controlled or even manageable.

It was as if we had a different child: mood swings, aggression, and complete meltdowns. Though these were, perhaps, not symptoms of type 1 diabetes, they were a direct result of the bodily trauma that our child had experienced through DKA and we realized that trauma it was lingering in his body.

The anxiety and overwhelm that we felt as parents forced us to a complete stop. It was one of the most pivotal moments in our family's history. It required us to reevaluate our family's diet, emergency protocols, and daily routines. We began integrating play therapy and sensory body work into our children's daily lessons. It wasn't easy, but it was transformative.

Eventually, we emerged out of survival mode, and embraced a new family life - one committed to preparation and connection. And that’s when our family began to thrive.