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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just Diagnosed with Diabetes? Why and How to Find Mental Health Support


Just diagnosed with diabetes? No matter how you're feeling right now, you deserve help; here's how to find it.MORE