For most of my life, I gave approximately zero thought to my pancreas. Honestly, even after working in healthcare for two decades, I couldn't have given you a particularly impressive explanation of everything it did. I knew where it was—more or less. I knew it had something to do with insulin and digestion. And I knew one other rather ominous thing: If you got cancer in your pancreas, you were a goner. Or so I thought. Then cancer showed up in mine. And eight years later, aft

I did not develop diabetes because of my lifestyle. I developed it because cancer took my pancreas. And yet, in a recent exchange with my elected representative, Lindsey Graham , I was reminded just how often our public conversations about diabetes overlook stories like mine. I am writing this with a simple hope—that we can bring a bit more clarity to how we talk about diabetes, both in everyday conversation and in the policies that shape care for millions of Americans. A Wel