Screening our children for type 1 diabetes, writing adventure books and giving back with Rhodes and Alana Ritenour

What is screeening for type 1 diabetes? Who should be screened? Is it right for my family?

In this episode, attorneys turned authors Rhodes and Alana Ritenour discuss the potential benefits of screening and their decision to screen their own children.

Rhodes and Alana are no ordinary couple - they’re also the characters of their own book series, The Adventures of Rhodes and Alana. The series is based in part on Rhodes’ experiences of living with type 1 diabetes since he was diagnosed in 1983 at the age of 5.

One page at a time 8-year-old Rhodes and his best friend Alana turn the challenges of type 1 diabetes into intrepid adventures, normalising conversations about the things that make us unique.

Back to real world Rhodes and Alana, and alongside their positions on multiple advisory boards, founding their own Diabetes Support Group and educating their local community in Richmond, Virginia, the pair are advocates for type 1 diabetes screening - a relatively new autoantibody test that can determine if you will develop type 1 diabetes, giving families a chance to prepare for the transition to life with type 1 in the household.

In this energising and hopeful episode, the pair also chat about becoming authors, how diabetes impacts their partnership as a couple and as parents, giving back to the community and their hopes for the future of type 1 diabetes.

CONNECT WITH RHODES AND ALANA
Visit The Diabetes Support Group website.
Follow The Diabetes Support Group on Instagram.
More about The Adventures of Rhodes and Alana book series.

JOIN THE TYPE 1 ON 1 INSTAGRAM COMMUNITY
Come and say hi @studiotype1on1 on Instagram.

SPONSOR MESSAGE
This episode of Type 1 on 1 is sponsored by Insulet, the makers of Omnipod tube-free insulin pump therapy.

Using Omnipod 5 Automated Insulin Delivery has improved my diabetes management significantly with less diabetes decisions, and of course no multiple daily injections.

How? Well, Omnipod 5 automatically adjusts insulin every five minutes to help keep me in range, allowing life outside of type 1 diabetes to get bigger.

If you want to know more, head to Omnipod.com.

Type 1 on 1 is a podcast that delves into the obscure, complex and challenging world of life with type 1 diabetes.

Writer and broadcaster Jen Grieves, who was diagnosed at the age of 8, talks to compelling guests about their experiences of living with type 1 diabetes and how it’s shaped them - showing that there is no ‘normal’ when it comes to handling this complex and often misunderstood chronic condition.

• No. of episodes: 140
• Latest episode: 2025-05-08
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