Helping Other Podders™ Gives Arielle Hope for her Future with Diabetes

My name is Arielle. I’ve been a Type 1 diabetic since I was 7 years old. I’ve been a Podder™ for 7 months, and I have worked for Insulet since July of this year.

Like many, my story began when I was younger. Visiting my dad for the summer, I began to not feel well, and he thought I had a stomach bug. Ginger ale was the drink of choice at that time to help stomach aches. Of course, my father not knowing the cause of my illness, continued to have me sip on ginger ale throughout the night until eventually I was rushed to the hospital. That’s when we realized I had diabetes.

Fast forwarding to now, 21 years later, the Omnipod® System has changed me. I have more confidence in myself and my diabetes. Working for Insulet has given me more freedom to feel “normal.” I used to never wear my pods where it was visible to the public because I was scared of questions and weird looks. Now I have conversations with random people who stop me in the supermarket because they are curious or live with diabetes too and have heard how great our product is.

I currently work in the Customer Care Re-order team. It is a rewarding feeling you get with your customers for something as little as placing or tracking an order. Because I can relate to my customers, they feel comfortable enough to talk with me about their personal situation. I am filled with hope when I talk to elderly individuals living with diabetes because I see them living a long, normal life. Similarly, speaking to pregnant women with diabetes gives me hope that I can one day be a healthy mother as well. My job is incredibly fulfilling, and I look forward to doing it every day!

I am proud to work for Insulet because we truly care about the diabetes community!

Written by Arielle Andino, Customer Care Specialist and Podder™ since 2019