Raquel Baron

My T1D Story

I was the girl who wanted nothing to do with the T1D community as a child—and yet, here I am today with a completely different perspective on life with diabetes. My story began when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just before my 5th birthday. Thankfully, I wasn’t in DKA; instead, my pediatrician happened to check my blood sugar at my annual check-up and noticed an unusually high reading. Why all doctors don’t do this at yearly checkups, I’ll never understand—but I’m incredibly grateful mine did. I was one of the lucky ones.
Unfortunately, there were no hospital rooms available that day, so I had to wait at home with my family. To this day, I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been for them—terrified, uncertain, and suddenly responsible for a diagnosis none of us yet understood. Eventually, I was admitted to the hospital, where I received my official diagnosis. I still remember parts of those early days. I was absolutely terrified of shots. I even recall asking my mom, while sitting in my hospital bed, “Will I have to get shots every day for the rest of my life?” She replied with a quiet, tearful “yes,” and that moment has stuck with me ever since.

My birthday party was scheduled for one of the days I was in the hospital. My mom, desperate to lift my spirits, begged the doctor to let me attend since we had already completed most of the diabetes education. Miraculously, the doctor said yes! I was late to my own 5th birthday party—but I made it. I even got my first insulin shot outside of the hospital at the party, and while it involved a lot of tears, it also marked the start of my journey toward resilience.

As I grew up, I didn’t care much about having T1D friends. I went to the annual JDRF walks in Dallas and attended a one-week ADA summer camp each year, but that felt like enough. I knew I wasn’t alone, but I was content with my school and dance friends. That changed completely when I reluctantly attended a College Diabetes Network (now The Diabetes Link) meeting at the University of Texas at Austin. I walked in thinking it would be my first and last meeting—but I left feeling something I hadn’t expected: connection. It was refreshing to be surrounded by people who just got it.

From that moment on, I craved more T1D community. I dove headfirst into every resource I could find. I began interning at the JDRF chapter in Austin (now Breakthrough T1D) and loved getting more involved. My team there started connecting me with families looking for type 1 babysitters, and that quickly became my new side gig. It was so fulfilling to give parents a much-needed night off while mentoring T1D kids at the same time.

Word began to spread that I was available for T1D babysitting in Austin, and soon my phone was buzzing constantly with requests. I couldn’t keep up, so I started connecting my friends from CDN with families needing help. I fell in love with this work—and that’s when I decided to launch Type One Together as a babysitter connection service for families living with type 1.

Over the past six years, Type One Together has grown in ways I never imagined. Today, we offer support and community through babysitter connections, products, masterclasses, online courses, The 108 Podcast, and more.

Our team is made up of T1D parents who are committed to sharing the real, raw side of type one life—while offering encouragement every step of the way. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to diabetes, and our goal is to meet families where they are. We believe kids can live the joyful, active childhoods their parents dream of and have blood sugars that make them feel their best. We celebrate the wins and support each other through the tough days. Diabetes isn’t easy, but community makes all the difference.

These days, I split my time between growing Type One Together and sharing my personal journey as a young adult with T1D on my Instagram page, @typeoneday.

I never expected to work in the diabetes space, but this community has completely transformed—and healed—my relationship with this disease.

I wake up every day excited to help others, and I’m endlessly grateful to be where I am.

Outside of work, I now live in beautiful San Diego with my boyfriend of four years and our two dogs. We love spending time at the beach, discovering new coffee shops, and traveling whenever we can. Life is good—and type 1 diabetes won’t keep me down!