About D.I.B.S.

About Us

Less than two weeks before our son’s 9th birthday, we found ourselves in the hospital learning that our lives had changed forever. He was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

Like any parents, we were devastated. But the hardest part wasn’t just the diagnosis—it was what it did to him. Overnight, his world became scary, uncertain, and full of burdens no kid should have to think about. Everyone kept saying "It's going to be ok." or "it's ok."

The truth is yes, we were going to adapt and survive, but also, NO. NON OF THIS IS OK!

In one 24 hour period my kid was poked for glucose monitoring, and insulin over 30 times.  

Our son was having an emotional meltdown. "Why is this happening?", "what did I do wrong?", "when I get home is this over?" Everyone kept trying to comfort him saying "it's ok." I snapped. "Kiddo, this isn't ok. This sucks! I want you to get mad, and get it out. How does this make you feel? Yell, scream, come on." After confirming that he could say whatever he felt without getting in trouble for cursing, he yelled.

We told him he could feel however he wanted about it.
His response?

“Diabetes is bullshit.”

And honestly… he’s right.

What made it even more frustrating is that out of our five boys, he was the healthiest eater. His favorite food is salad. He loves fruit. He barely touched junk food. Everything we thought we knew about diabetes got flipped upside down overnight. We had experience with Type 2 diabetes in our family, so we thought we understood it—but we didn’t. Not even close.

After leaving the hospital, we learned quickly. We educated ourselves. We adapted.

The problem? Everyone else didn’t.

From strangers to people close to us, we kept hearing the same garbage:
“You must have fed him too much sugar.”
“It’s because of white bread.”
“Milk probably caused it.”

No. Just… no.

Nothing we did caused this. Nothing we could have done would have prevented it.

That’s where D.I.B.S. — Diabetes Is BullS#!t — was born.

It started as a way to cope. A way to give our son—and others like him—a voice. A way to push back against ignorance and judgment.

Because here’s the reality:
If our son eats without insulin, he could die—even if it’s fruit or vegetables.
If he doesn’t eat enough, he could die.

So when someone says, “Maybe skip the donut,” what they’re really doing is adding to the fear, and shame, not helping it. As a parent who struggled with an eating disorder, we are not perpetuating guilt or shame with food. 

D.I.B.S. is about changing that.

It’s about education without lectures.
It’s about attitude without apology.
It’s about supporting kids and adults living with Type 1 Diabetes—and reminding the world to stop judging what they don’t understand.

And beyond that, we have a bigger goal:

To build something strong enough to give back—helping families who can’t afford basic diabetes supplies, and contributing however we can to the fight for a cure.

Most importantly, its about our son finding his voice, and honoring the processing of his emotions, because that is where healing starts. 

This brand is personal.

This fight is real.

The awareness of the corruption in our politics/ insurance companies is real.

The education and mental load is real.

Finding our path back to living a full life is real.

The healing is real.

And yeah… diabetes is still bullshit.