Finding Diabetes Joy: How Poetry Helped Ephraim Navigate a T1D Diagnosis

In this bonus episode of Diabetes Connections, meet Ephraim Sommers, an English professor and poet diagnosed with LADA (a slower-developing form of type 1 diabetes) in his early 40s.

Even though his father has type 1, Ephraim wasn't prepared for the fear, anxiety, and mental load of managing diabetes himself.

So he turned to poetry. Every weekday, he sat in a coffee shop and wrote about gratitude. Those poems became Diabetic Gumdrops, a new book about finding joy while living with diabetes.

We talk about shifting from fear to gratitude, advocating for yourself, and why poetry might help even if you haven't read a poem since high school.

Plus, Ephraim lives right here in the Charlotte area! We had a great time talking about the local T1D community and how important connection can be.

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