The Corner Booth

Who remembers Kevin Covais from Season 5 of American Idol ? He was that nerdy finalist with glasses who America compared to Chicken Little. But lo and behold, he's also living with type 1 diabetes and has become a successful young actor as well as a diabetes advocate. (The Sky is Not Falling! Thank you, Kevin!) Today, Kevin is known as a successful singer/songwriter who makes regular appearances at the Children with Diabetes Friends For Life conference each summer. His face is becoming ever more visible these days as his blossoming acting career puts him on the silver screen and TVs across the world.  A native of Long Island, NY, Kevin was diagnosed with T1D as a kid almost two decades ago and is now living in Los Angeles in pursuit of his acting career. And we must say, it’s been remarkable to watch the 28-year-old embrace his dream for the past decade, since being eliminated in the final Idol round of 2006. He's since taken on roles in the Disney sitcom Good Luc...

Insulin affordability advocacy may be getting a major celebrity boost. That is, legendary rock singer Bret Michaels of Poison has vowed to add his name to the roster of those passionate about the #insulin4all fight. Remember he's one of us, diagnosed with type 1 during childhood. He made big news appearing on Celebrity Apprentice in 2012 (when Donald J. Trump was still just a businessman and reality TV personality!), and has traveled the diabetes event circuit for both ADA and JDRF over the years raising money for those organizations while also running his own Life Rocks Foundation that sends kids to diabetes camp. Now, Bret is stepping up with a promise to use his celeb voice to impact policy discussions on the Insulin Affordability and Access Crisis that has sparked national media coverage and quite a bit of grassroots activism among the Diabetes Community. In a March 14 (2018) post on his website , Bret says he's been "moved by a tragic diabetes story" of how a...

As I mark my 34th year living with type 1 diabetes, it's a perfect chance to pen a letter to my lazy pancreas. You know, the main culprit behind this chronic condition who managed to convince my immune system it ought to attack what it shouldn't. But before we get to that, let me recap my D-story for those who haven't heard it before. My Diagnosis Story Being 5 years old at the time, I don't remember too much. I'm not exactly sure when my diabetes anniversary actually is. I have self-designated March 10, because that's as good as any date. And because it happens to be Chuck Norris' birthday, so for me it adds a theme of karate-kicking diabetes into line. Anyway there was an overnight visit to my paternal grandparents' home. An unfolding of events that mirror many diagnosis stories -- waking up during the night, excessive thirst, frequent bathroom trips, moodiness (for a 5-year-old). My grandparents explained these symptoms to my parents, who instantly...