Theresa Hastings on Open-Source AID: More Choice, More Responsibility

In this episode, Scott Johnson and Theresa Hastings talk about automated insulin delivery and open-source AID in approachable, everyday language. Theresa has lived with type 1 diabetes since 1998 and serves on the Nightscout Foundation Board. For years, she didn’t know anyone else living with T1D, and that isolation contributed to recurring diabetes burnout. Finding DiabetesSisters, and later the open-source diabetes community, gave her more than connection. It introduced her to people who understood the burden and were working together to build practical solutions.

Theresa recalls the first time she saw automated insulin delivery in action and how exciting the possibility was, but felt intimidated by the technology until experiencing a frightening low that ultimately helped her move through that hesitation. Together, they explore why some people seek open-source options and the additional choice these systems can offer.

They also talk honestly about the responsibility involved. Open-source AID requires ongoing learning, maintenance, troubleshooting, and a willingness to seek information without traditional customer support. Theresa describes what support looks like and the structured development practices behind established open-source projects while emphasizing that no technology is right for everyone. 

What You'll Learn

• How isolation and diabetes burnout shaped Theresa’s early experience with type 1 diabetes
• What changed when she found DiabetesSisters and the open-source diabetes community
• How automated insulin delivery brings together a CGM, insulin pump, and algorithm
• What makes an AID system open-source and how that differs from a commercial system
• Why some people seek the additional choice offered by open-source AID
• What users need to understand about ongoing learning, maintenance, troubleshooting, and personal responsibility
• How documentation, volunteers, peer support, and structured testing help sustain established open-source projects
• How to begin learning responsibly, and why the best diabetes technology is the technology that fits your own life

Key Quotes

• “The burden of diabetes is so great, and there are times when it is so scary. Knowing that there was a tool out there that could make it better, the only thing stopping me was my own fear.” — Theresa Hastings
• “Do it yourself does not mean do it alone.” — Theresa Hastings
• “I care more about somebody finding what works for them than using what works for me. Every person should just focus on what they need and finding the solution that works for them.” — Theresa Hastings

Resources & Links

• Diabetes Sisters - https://diabetessisters.org/
• The Nightscout Foundation - https://www.nightscoutfoundation.org/
• Loop and Learn - https://www.loopandlearn.org/
• LoopDocs - https://loopkit.github.io/loopdocs/
• TrioDocs - https://triodocs.org/
• AAPS Documentation - https://androidaps.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
• Theresa Hastings on Instagram - http://instagram.com/defiantt1d
• Blue Circle Health (learn more / sign up) - https://bluecirclehealth.org

What is Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D?

The US healthcare system makes it difficult, expensive, and often impossible for people with T1D to access the care, education, and support they need to live. Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D brings together voices from across the type 1 diabetes community to share real stories, expert insight, and practical support for living well with T1D.

Hosted by the team at Blue Circle Health, a U.S.-based program transforming type 1 care, this podcast helps people go from just surviving to truly living well with type 1 diabetes. https://bluecirclehealth.org/.