Three words come to mind when I consider my family and business this year: reopening, celebration, and reflection.

From the start, my wonderful husband and boys have been amazing Diabetes Education Services cheerleaders. They are not only enthusiastic supporters, they roll up their sleeves and help package orders, stuff PocketCards, and run errands for emergency supplies. Both of my boys worked at my company throughout high school and contributed so much in terms of new ideas and products.

As I wrap up my year, I wanted to share a little about me and my family with all of you.

I am thrilled that life has opened up again. It has been so fun to go to football games to watch my high school senior, Jackson leads the marching band as drum major. Our troupe started dancing again and we were invited to perform at a local art museum for a fundraiser. Our family traveled and traipsed all around Scotland and visited family in London. Plus, for the first time in over 2 years, I taught two diabetes seminars LIVE and in person. There is nothing like the deep and profound connection made with others in a shared community.

My oldest son Robert is moving beautifully into adulthood as he studies finance and navigates college life and internships. My younger son, Jackson, loves chemistry and is busy writing essays about his goals and life experiences for college. I have so enjoyed reviewing these essays and learning new details about this wonderfully curious human. My husband continues his work as a critical care pharmacist and hopes to start a residency program at our local community hospital in the future.

Celebration and Reflection:
Diabetes Education Services Marks 25 years in 2023

I started Diabetes Education Services in May of 1998, just after the world wide web was introduced and sending messages through something called “email” was possible. At first, my one-person company only offered live courses at hospitals and meeting sites around the country. To engage new customers, I created a 2-sided Medication Post Card (see image), that we would mail out for free in exchange for an email address. My whole family helped me stuff envelopes and handwrite addresses in an effort to grow our community.

My administrative space consisted of a 10×12 foot room in our home, where I juggled writing my monthly newsletter and updating slides, all while raising two busy toddlers. In 2010, I took a leap of faith and decided to try offering courses online. In addition, I hired an amazing marketing team to redo my website and make sure it accurately reflected our company values and message of inclusion and kindness.

Fast forward to today. We have since grown our business to include an amazing team of employees and a newsletter that reaches over 37,000 online subscribers. Our Online University includes over 50 CE courses that we update yearly, plus we offer a CDCES Coach app, blogs, an 8-sided PocketCard, keynote presentations, and more. Our working space has expanded to a studio just steps from my home. This spacious office has room to store all our books and teaching tools plus offers lots of natural light, a view of my pond with abundant bird visitors, and an upstairs recording studio.

2023 is a Year of Gratitude

The truth is, we couldn’t have done any of this without YOU, our community. I am forever grateful for your willingness to support and believe in a young Diabetes Specialist who had the vision to create a company that uplifted people with diabetes through a blend of science and compassion.

To thank our amazing community of diabetes educators and advocates, we will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary throughout the year. Stay tuned. We can’t wait to see what the future holds!

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The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the CDCES exam. CBDCE does not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES exam, except for those published by CBDCE.