My story

Friday, September 11, 2015, the day the whole world remembered the 9/11 attacks, was the day my world stopped for a moment. That Friday morning my doctor told me that I have type 1 diabetes and that I would have to inject insulin several times a day for the rest of my life. She immediately sent me to the hospital because I had to start injecting insulin immediately.

Let's go back to a month before that particular date.

In August I started to notice that I had lost some weight. I remember very proudly sending this picture to my sister: I could go back in a skirt from when I was 19 (I was 29 then)! In hindsight I don't understand why I didn't realize earlier that this wasn't normal, but at the time I didn't ask myself too many questions, I was actively preparing the fairs and showrooms for my work and I thought that was the reason used to be.

I was also so thirsty that month, I used to drink too little water, so now I was seen as 'normal' because I finally drank more water. No further attention was paid to it until I went to the Maison & Objet fair in Paris in September for my work.

I couldn't read the booth numbers anymore, so I thought I'd better make an appointment with the ophthalmologist to get my glasses adjusted. During exhibition days you don't eat the most varied meals during the day, especially when it was busy at the stand I just popped a Chocotoff in my mouth or drank some cola, not knowing of course that this would cause extra thirst.

The night before the fair ended, we went to an Italian restaurant and I ate a big plate of pasta. At night I woke up at 3 am with the greatest thirst I had ever had. I ran out of water in my room so I went to the reception to buy a large bottle of water. Once back in my room, it took me a good minute to finish that bottle of water and my thirst was still there. So I went back downstairs to get another bottle, and then another. The man at the front desk frowned, but I was still thirsty. That evening, I googled for the first time all the "symptoms" I had been experiencing in the past month, and diabetes came up as the answer.

On Tuesday evening I drove home from Paris after the fair and on Wednesday morning I went to the doctor to explain my symptoms. I had a fasting blood drawn and follow up was Friday September 11th. That day I spent a whole day in the hospital and received an enormous amount of information. I learned how to inject insulin, how to measure my sugar level, how to count carbohydrates... That day was the beginning of my new life, with type 1 diabetes.

Since my diagnosis, the feeling grew that I wanted to 'do' something with my diabetes. Learning from others living with this disease, sharing my own experiences and tips... After the birth of our son in July 2020, I found it difficult to combine my responsible job as a marketing manager with spending enough time with our son and managing of my sugar level. So at the end of 2021 I decided to quit this job (I still work for the same company but no longer full time and no longer in a responsible position) and start a webshop with diabetes accessories, tinsulin was born!

My goal is to help people with diabetes by offering accessories that make living with diabetes more practical, fun and fashionable.

If you have a specific need, an accessory you're missing in your life with diabetes or just want to say hello, don't hesitate to get in touch!