Shrayder Fischer’s life looks a little different than that of many college students. Day to day, she deals with Type One Diabetes. Type one diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body stops creating its own insulin. The body’s immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Insulin is the hormone in the body that helps move sugar into your cells to give you energy. If you do not have insulin, your blood sugar can rise too high, which can cause a diabetic coma. People with type one diabetes must take insulin injections or use an insulin pump. Dealing with and managing type one diabetes requires a lot of attention. Checking blood sugar is very important, as is treating low blood sugar with fast-acting sugars.

Fischer was diagnosed at the age of 16, which is a late diagnosis. Many people are diagnosed with type one as an infant or in early childhood. Sometimes it can be diagnosed in teenage years due to the attack on the pancreas being much slower. While she may look like a regular student, Fischer’s day-to-day requires a lot of discipline. She has a Tandem Mobi insulin pump. This is a wearable pump that tracks her blood sugar and delivers her insulin when her blood sugar is too high. Fischer’s pump connects with her phone and allows her to constantly know her numbers. Whenever Fischer’s blood sugar gets too low, she needs to consume fast-acting sugars. Some of her favorite things to use when her blood sugar is low are juice and Airheads. Airheads dissolve fast and raise the blood sugar very quickly. This makes them easy and reliable for raising blood sugar levels. Airheads are easy to carry around, especially when going to class. All of these tools help her stay safe during a busy college life.  

While Shrayder has learned to live with diabetes, it is important to her to find and reach out to others who are adjusting and living with type one diabetes. Type One Society is a club created on the IU campus in 2025 by Lilly Grimes, an IU student with type one diabetes. It’s become a way for students with diabetes to connect, talk openly, and trade experiences. Fischer found this club through Instagram and now serves as secretary. Finding a community like Type One Society has helped her connect with others. Fischer said her friends try to understand what she is going through; however, no one truly knows in her life, besides the people in this club. The club also gives back to others with Type one diabetes in a variety of ways. They recently wrote letters to kids who are in hospitals. The goal of these letters is to make kids who were recently diagnosed feel less alone. As the club grows and keeps giving back, the hope is to expand its reach and help many other students find a community.