innovative technology simplifies insulin management, freeing individuals with type 1 diabetes from the burden of multiple daily injections

now that andy maarschalk is retired, he’s more active than ever. the 66-year-old niagara falls, ont., resident, who used to work as a project manager for a software company, has swapped his computer keyboard for landscaping tools and a lawnmower.  

  when he’s not teeing off at the local golf course, he helps keep its fairways pristine as part of the lawn   crew. and he regularly walks to the spectacular falls near his home with his one-year-old cockapoo named tucker, enjoying the view that never gets old and feeling the spray of the mist on his face. in other words, maarschalk is not at a loss for things to do.  

“i used to hear people say they’ve never been as busy as they are in retirement,” maarschalk says. “i feel the same. i started helping a friend mow some lawns for his business, and ended up helping another person do landscaping, and i have a couple of clients now. i joined the niagara parks golf course and get up at 4 in the morning to drive the lawn tractor. i play a bit of golf. i do a lot of walking.  

“i’m keeping active,” he says. “i can’t just sit around.”  

although he lives with type 1 diabetes, andy maarschalk lives an active lifestyle in niagara falls, on., where he takes frequent walks with his cockapoo, tucker. credit: nick kozak

originally from south africa, maarschalk lives with type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition that he has had for 25 years.  

adjusting to life with type 1 diabetes was a steep learning curve for maarschalk. “i needed insulin injections right away, and in those days the needle was very thick,” he recalls. “it was so uncomfortable.” so was pricking his finger several times a day to draw blood to check his blood glucose levels.  

over the years, the needles have gotten thinner, but maarschalk still found the process of self- monitoring his blood sugar and multiple daily injection (mdi) therapy to be cumbersome, and then some. “it’s very unpleasant,” he says.  

these days, maarschalk manages his diabetes with the omnipod dash^® insulin management system, a wearable insulin pump that delivers insulin via a waterproof* pod. the only tubeless insulin pump in canada, the omnipod dash^® offers an innovative way to simplify insulin management, freeing people like maarschalk from the burden of having to inject insulin multiple times a day. it provides up to three days (up to 72 hours) of nonstop insulin delivery.  

users fill the omnipod dash^® pod with up to 200 units of u-100 insulin and wear it directly on the body. omnipod dash^® connects wirelessly to a handheld personal diabetes manager (pdm), which allows people to program insulin delivery, with different presets for various types of activities, and using the pdm to bolus as well. users can personalize insulin delivery based on their daily insulin requirements.  

the pod receives insulin delivery instructions from the pdm, then delivers insulin into the body through a small, flexible tube called a cannula.  

because there is no tubing, users can comfortably wear the omnipod discreetly under clothing or, depending on their comfort level, in plain view almost anywhere you would give yourself an insulin injection. it can be placed most areas where users would give themselves an injection of insulin, including the back of the arm, upper/outer thigh, abdomen, lower back, and buttocks.  

andy maarschalk wears his omnipod under his shirt, saying it doesn’t restrict his lifestyle at all. credit: nick kozak

despite the inconvenience and discomfort of mdi, maarschalk was initially reluctant to switch to the ground-breaking wearable technology. mostly, this was because he felt self-conscious about donning the device while working in his garden. having grown up in sunny climates, he loves being shirtless outside when the weather is warm. “i’m normally running around in the garden, and i wasn’t   comfortable with the idea of having a pump on me with my shirt off,” maarschalk says. “now it doesn’t bother me at all. it’s just part of my life. i enjoy being out and about and in the sun without a shirt on, and it doesn’t restrict my lifestyle.”  

maarschalk found that the omnipod training sessions helped him feel more at ease with the pump. he was teamed up with a certified pod trainer (cpt) for a month, who helped him set up the device and answered all his questions.  

it’s no exaggeration to say maarschalk’s switch from mdi to the omnipod dash^® has been life changing. “it’s night and day,” he says. “to me, it’s more a part of me than having medical stuff in a cabinet that i have to go and dig out each and every day. it takes me less than five minutes to fill the pod with insulin, then i don’t have to worry about it for three days.**  

“it’s far, far easier, and i am far happier.”  

*the pod has a waterproof ip28 rating of up to 7.6 metres (25 feet) for up to 60 minutes. the personal diabetes manager (pdm) is not waterproof.  

**up to 72 hours of insulin delivery.  

this story was created by content works, healthing.ca’s commercial content division, on behalf of insulet corporation, maker of omnipod ^® .  

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innovative technology simplifies insulin management, freeing individuals with type 1 diabetes from the burden of multiple daily injections

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