Lala Jackson
2015-12-05
Working in communications and content strategy for more than a decade across for- and non-profit companies, Lala has been in the diabetes non-profit space for the past seven years. A bit of a nomad, she grew up primarily bouncing between Hawaii and Washington state and graduated from the University of Miami in Florida with a communications degree focused in advertising. She is a published non-fiction author who is currently trying to teach herself how to write fiction. You can usually find her reading, preferably on a beach. She has lived with type 1 diabetes since 1997.
For all editorial inquiries, please contact editor@beyondtype1.org.
Written by Lala
Dexcom G7 Continuous Glucose Monitor Approved by the FDA
The Dexcom G7 CGM is now approved for use in the U.S. for people with all types of diabetes ages two years and older.MORE
Better Data Saves Lives: Introducing the T1D Index
According to the T1D Index, 3.86 million people would still be alive today if everyone had equitable access to diabetes healthcare and tools.MORE
Lilly to Discontinue Old School Glucagon Emergency Kit at End of 2022
With several modern and ready-to-use glucagon options available, Lilly will discontinue the old, red glucagon emergency kit in all markets. MORE
New Program Offers $35 Monthly Copays for Sanofi Insulins
Sanofi has announced a $35 per month insulin copay program for uninsured individuals in the U.S, effective July 1, 2022.MORE
Fighting For a Type 1 Diagnosis: Vincent’s Story
For the six months before ER staff almost sent him home with a blood sugar over 900 mg/dL, 25-year-old Vincent had been feeling less and less like himself. MORE
How Civica Rx Aims to Change the U.S. Insulin Market
We sat down with Civica Rx board chair Dan Liljenquist to talk about how Civica Rx aims to create modern insulins for $30 or less per vial.MORE
Civica Rx Aims to Bring $30 Insulin to Market in 2024
Launching to market in 2024, Civica Rx aims to make insulin available for no more than $30 per vial, regardless of insurance status.MORE
What’s Up With All the New Glucagon Options? With Alissa Segal, PharmD
Even if you've never had a severe low blood sugar before, if you take insulin or a blood sugar-lowering medication, you need glucagon. MORE
Omnipod 5 Receives FDA Approval
Omnipod 5, a closed-loop tubeless insulin pump with smartphone control that integrates with the Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor, has now received FDA approval.MORE
Is COVID-19 Causing Type 1 Diabetes?
There’s so much we don’t know about COVID-19 that will take years to research and learn. One big question: can COVID cause type 1 diabetes?MORE
Fight the Stigma: How to Respond When People Are Ignorant About Diabetes
Every type of diabetes is hard but ignorant comments from people who don’t understand can make it harder. Here, we have some ideas for how to respond.MORE
Get the Most Out of Your End-of-Year Insurance
At the end of the year, you've probably already hit your health insurance deductible. That means it's time for free or lower-cost healthcare!MORE
Have Diabetes and Enrolling in Medicare? Start Here
Medicare can be hard to navigate and even more complex when you have diabetes. This step-by-step guide makes the process a little easier.MORE
COVID-19 Vaccines For Kids Ages 5 to 11 With Diabetes: What to Know
COVID-19 vaccines are now available for kids age 5+! Learn about safety and managing side effects for kids with type 1 diabetes.MORE
Back to School with Diabetes Amidst the COVID-19 Variants
Kids with diabetes need to get back to school, but how can we best keep them safe? Experts weigh in.MORE
We Asked An Immunologist Your Questions About COVID-19 Vaccine Safety
Dr. Bernard Khor, an immunologist who works in autoimmune diseases, shares what he wants people with type 1 diabetes to know about the COVID-19 vaccines.MORE
Here’s Why the CDC Updated Their Mask Recommendations (Again)
Masks are crucial to slow down the spread of the newer and far more contagious COVID-19 delta variant. The great news: masks work!MORE
Have Diabetes and Hesitant About COVID-19 Vaccines? Read This
If you have concerns about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, we’re here to give you trustworthy science and fact-based information.MORE
US COVID-19 Cases Are Rising Again – What Does This Mean for People with Diabetes?
COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in the US. How did we get here, what does this mean for people with diabetes, and what can we do about it?MORE
Just Diagnosed with Diabetes? Here’s Who You Need on Your Team
Just diagnosed with diabetes or feel like you need more support with an existing diagnosis? Remember - you don't have to do this alone.MORE
Healthcare Providers Will No Longer Be Allowed to Issue “Surprise” Bills
The healthcare regulation is designed to decrease medical financial hardships by banning surprise billing starting January 1, 2022.MORE
Out of Pocket Cost for Your Insulin Just Change? It’s Your Insurance Formulary
Every July, PBMs update contracts between insulin manufacturers and insurance companies, which can change what you pay for insulin.MORE
Over Insulin Pricing, Mississippi AG Sues Insulin Manufacturers and Pharmacy Benefit Managers
MS attorney general Lynn Fitch filed a lawsuit against PBMs & insulin manufacturers for allegedly working together to inflate insulin prices.MORE
COVID-19 Vaccines For Kids + Teens with Diabetes
COVID-19 vaccines are now available for kids ages 5+! Learn about safety and managing side effects for kids and teens with diabetes.MORE
Why are Black and Hispanic Youth with T1D Using Less Diabetes Technology?
We interviewed Dr. Shivani Agarwal about the racial-ethnic and socio-economic disparities in type 1 diabetes care. Here's what we learned.MORE
What if a Pump Could Deliver Both Insulin and Glucagon?
After more than a decade of development, dual hormone artificial pancreas systems - using insulin and glucagon - are on the horizon.MORE
FDA Approves New Glucagon Option from Zealand Pharma
Available in June 2021, the FDA approved Zealand Pharma’s Zeagalogue, a new form of glucagon for people with insulin-dependent diabetes.MORE
When Should You *Actually* Use Glucagon?
I was taught that glucagon is only ever used after someone with diabetes has passed out from a low blood sugar. Turns out, that's not true.MORE
4 Things You Need to Know Before Your Next Low Blood Sugar
For everyone who doses insulin, low blood sugar (also called hypoglycemia) is the most immediate and severe possible side effect. MORE
Don’t Have Health Insurance Right Now? Read This
You may qualify for subsidies that lower the cost of your insurance; here's what you need to know to pick a Healthcare.gov plan for 2022.MORE
How Rebates—Most of the Cost of Your Insulin—Work
The rebate system creates up to 70% of the current list price of insulin in the US, and it doesn’t have to be this way. MORE
Inside the Senate Report on Rising Insulin Prices
A January 2021 Senate Finance Committee report dug into the rapidly increasing cost of insulin. Here, we summarize and explain their findings.MORE
Why is Black History Month Important in the Diabetes Community?
We have a responsibility to work against barriers that make diabetes care more difficult for Black people, while also celebrating Black people in the diabetes community for exactly who they are.MORE
Get the Facts on Insulin Pricing + The Presidential Transition
A flurry of misinformation is stoking fears that the Biden Admin paused or reversed a previous Trump Admin policy that lowered the price of insulin. MORE
Beyond Insulin: The Future of Dual Hormone Treatment
Insulin isn't the only hormone at play in blood sugar management. We spoke with Zealand Pharma to learn more about glucagon & better ways to deliver it.MORE
New Year, New Administration: What’s Coming For US Healthcare Policy
With a new governmental administration, it is likely we will see notable and impactful movement in healthcare policy. What can we expect? MORE
How to Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine
If you have Type 1 diabetes, you may be a little confused about how and when to get your COVID-19 vaccine. Here, we clarify...MORE
Diabetes + COVID Vaccines: What You Need to Know
If you have diabetes, here’s everything you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccines.MORE
Diabetes And… What Impacts Your Life with Diabetes?
Many things beyond diabetes impact our lives so we're sharing our stories with the hashtag #DiabetesAndMORE
At What Cost? The Impact of Diabetes on Your Budget, Part 3
We’re digging into the impact that living with Type 1 diabetes has on your money. In Part 3, one month in DC on a $67,000 annual salary.MORE
COVID + Diabetes: The Work and School Safety Guide
For those living with diabetes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, extra precautions must be taken for work and school.MORE
COVID-19: What Your Friends with Preexisting Conditions Need You To Know
Here's what your friends with preexisting conditions want you to know, now that we know a little bit more about COVID-19.MORE
Study Links COVID-19 to Increased Rates of DKA at Diagnosis in Children
In a German study from March to May 2020, nearly half of minors had DKA at type 1 diabetes diagnosis - double previous years - amidst COVID-19.MORE
At What Cost? The Impact of Diabetes on Your Budget, Part 2
In this series, we’re digging into the impact that living with diabetes has on your money. This time, one month in London, Ontario on a $17,537 salary.MORE
United Healthcare to Begin Covering Tandem Insulin Pumps
On July 1, 2020, United Healthcare (UHC) announced they will begin covering the Tandem t:slim X2 insulin pump, a departure from UHC’s four-year policy to only provide health insurance coverage for M...MORE
Lauren Cox: The First Player with Type 1 Diabetes in the WNBA
Lauren Cox was drafted third overall in the 2020 WNBA draft and is the first ever professional women’s basketball player with type 1 diabetes.MORE
Disparities in Diabetes and Diabetes Care—What Can We Do About It?
At this ADA 2020 session, systemic racism and implicit bias were clear contributors to poor health and healthcare outcomes for Black and Latinx communities.MORE
Celebrating the First Commercial Pilot with Type 1 Diabetes
This Spring, Pietro Marsala made history as the very first insulin-dependent pilot to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly commerciallyMORE
Be Prepared + Know Your Rights: Your Guide to Protesting with Diabetes
Protesting is one of many ways to create change and is a right of all Americans under the First Amendment. But if you have diabetes, there are extra things to consider before attending. MORE
Medicare Part D Senior Savings Model Caps Insulin Costs at $35 per Month
The Senior Savings Model caps out of pocket insulin costs at $35 per month for seniors enrolled in eligible plans.MORE
How can we be better allies?
How can white people with diabetes use our experiences with advocacy to be better advocates for Black people in the United States?MORE
England’s NHS Releases Study on Risk of COVID-19 for People with Diabetes
This week, the National Health Service (NHS) in England released the first study of its kind, breaking down COVID-19 mortality risk by type of diabetes.MORE
10 Ways to Stop the Spread of COVID-19
As many of us are nearing almost ten weeks of physical distancing and social isolation, we’ve had to get creative with how we follow the behaviors that can keep the most people safe from COVID-19.MORE
At What Cost? The Impact of Diabetes on Your Budget, Part 1
In this new series, we’re digging into the impact that living with type 1 diabetes has on your money. First up, one month in Pembroke, New Hampshire on a $44,000 salary, with type 1 diabetes.MORE
Minnesota Passes the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act
The Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act was signed into law in Minnesota, providing MN residents options for emergency and ongoing insulin access for those who qualify.MORE
Novo Offers Free 90-Day Insulin Supply to People Recently Uninsured Due to COVID-19
Novo Nordisk announces program offering a free 90-day supply of Novo Nordisk insulin for those who have recently lost their health insurance coverage due to a change in job status because of COVID-19....MORE
What to do If You Need Insulin Right Now
If you need insulin immediately but are not sure how you’re going to get it, there are multiple ways to access the insulin you need to keep yourself alive. MORE
New Insulin Approval Pathway Could Increase Competition
The new regulatory pathway “is expected to increase patient access, adding more choices and potentially reducing costs of these vital therapies.”MORE
Living with an Invisible Illness During a Pandemic
From well-meaning people, I’ve heard a lot of “everyone will be fine, only the sick and elderly are going to be hit hard.” I imagine they're not thinking about who is on the other end of th...MORE
The Power in Numbers: Change.org’s Affordable Insulin For All Movement
As insulin prices continue to increase in the United States, Change.org is equipping those affected with the tools to speak out.MORE
New Medicare Plan Will Cap Insulin Copays at $35
On March 11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new plan for some Medicare Part D participants to pay a maximum $35 copay for their monthly supply of insulin. MORE
A Lifetime of Sleeping With Diabetes Tech
Lala shares her take on spending much of her life sleeping with diabetes technology and how she deals with it when it gets in the way of her rest.MORE
The FAA continues to ground commercial pilots with insulin-dependent diabetes
Pilots with diabetes remain in the dark following the Federal Aviation Administration's updated medical certification guidelines.MORE
New Evidence Shows Vital Importance of Screening For T1D in Children
By screening for type 1 diabetes in children, Bavaria was able to decrease rates of diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis.MORE
