We are committed to the goal of driving easier access to information about the ways and means to manage diabetes to more and more people around the world. Yes you can get your blood glucose levels under control! Yes you can get become a little more physically active day by day! Yes you can lose a pound or two a week if you need to. Yes you can manage your daily medications. And yes; you can feel really great about regaining control!

That is what it will take for you to live “Type Free” and we are here to help.

We intend to do this within local communities, with partnerships and just through word of mouth. We intend for these key elements of sustainable lifestyle change to become pervasive within communities, and within the lives of all of us affected by the disease. While that may take a lifetime, the cause is too great to not be that committed!

Our Mission:

    To create easy, whole life solutions for Diabetes .

What does that mean?

For many affected by the disease, caring for it is hard. What does it all mean? I want to do the right thing, but I don’t know exactly how. I feel like I am losing control. Will I ever regain control? What do these medicines do, gee, how do I even pronounce the names? Does anybody understand what I am going through?

We have tried to address many of these issues and concerns in what we hope are easily understood and approachable ways. If not, tell us! We want this to work for you and many others. This can only be achieved with real time feedback from you.

Our Philosophy:

We believe that what we eat and how much we eat, our nutrition, matters a lot. We believe that physical activity, matters a lot. We believe that following your doctors’ orders matters a lot. We believe that making the personal choices each person needs to…matters a lot. And finally, we believe that staying upbeat, not getting beaten down, matters a whole lot!

These are all of the things we plan to help you achieve. With your help and personal commitment, we can probably make it happen.

Why Diabetes?

Within our families, we have many individuals affected with diabetes. Our family trees show even more. We are more than a little genetically disposed towards the disease. This means that our kids are more than likely, pre-disposed as well. Many of our friends have the disease. We have lost a very dear friend many years ago to Gestational Diabetes. We lost her and her unborn baby in her ninth month. We live the challenges of many people who are affected with Diabetes, one way to another.

We hate seeing family members suffer. Generally, it’s because they didn’t know something. Generally, it’s because they didn’t choose to do something. And generally, it is something we can help them do. We have made a choice to help. Not just them, but all of us and all of our children.

What’s Next?

Please spend time on the pages we have created for you and your personal care. We believe that armed with knowledge we can address most anything. Our “community rooms”: the forums, our blogs, the Creative Corner are all intended to provide a safe haven for you to meet people challenged by many of the same things that you are dealing with. Together, let’s create new solutions.

We are pleased to present this site to you and could not have done it without the help of many specialists in this field. Endocrinologists, Primary Care Physicians, Certified Diabetes Educators, Registered Dietitians and many patients like you. Researchers and of course, the writers who could simplify any language and make it all very accessible and easy to understand.   Importantly, we would like to acknowledge the many government resources that were more than eager to share and make open to you the very great work that the various agencies provide. Of note, a significant body of information was adapted from the National Diabetes Education Program, a joint program of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We will continue to keep you up to date on what’s happening in this world and remain committed to partnering with you in the quest for your unique solutions.

Ann-Marie & Ed Stephens

Founders