Our Story
I’ve worked in the diabetes industry for twenty years as a consultant to diabetes companies. When people with type 2 diabetes would ask me where they could find information about diabetes, it always frustrated me that I didn’t have one great consumer-friendly resource that I could refer them to.
So a few years ago, my husband Fred and I decided to create a website where newly diagnosed patients and their families could learn the basics of diabetes and participate in an online community. Neither of us have diabetes, but we’ve seen many people with diabetes who have used the motivation of being diagnosed to change their lives and become healthier than they were before they were diagnosed. We wanted to give every person with diabetes the tools they need to do just that…
With a shoestring budget drawn from our savings and the guidance of many wonderful friends in the creative fields, we taught ourselves everything we needed to learn in order to translate the key elements of good diabetes management into a simple, easy-to-use video-based program that we hoped patients would enjoy.
In June 2015, we launched the website and have continued to add content and grow our community ever since. This is a site dedicated to education which does not promote specific branded products. We are driven by our passion to help people with diabetes (and everyone!) live healthy lives.
–Ansley
Lead Diabetes Care & Education Specialist
Melinda Maryniuk is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist. She has worked in the field of diabetes education for nearly 40 years and has spent nearly 30 affiliated with Joslin Diabetes Center. She has received many honors and national awards including the Outstanding Diabetes Educator from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Medallion Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Melinda received her Masters of Education from Tufts University. In her spare time (in addition to cooking and eating which most dietitians love to do), Melinda loves any excuse to be outdoors – biking, kayaking, skiing, hiking or just getting dirty in the garden
Get Involved
If you’re interested in helping people with diabetes and would like to know how you can help further our mission, send us an email at info@DiabetesWhatToKnow.com. We’re always looking for volunteers to help us create new videos, be an expert in our forums and mentor other folks with diabetes. We would love to hear from you!