Taylor Lucas, center, gives instructions about the two corn mazes at Sibert's Farm Fresh Produce LLC to members of Just My Type 1. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — When Shepherdstown resident Angelina Gray was in her second trimester of pregnancy with her first child, she was tested — as all expectant mothers are — for gestational diabetes.

The lab results soon came back positive for diabetes — though not the short-lived variety typically experienced during pregnancy.

The previously healthy 20-year-old was diagnosed with having Type 1 diabetes — an autoimmune disease wherein the immune system destroys the beta cells in the pancreas. Without functioning beta cells to produce insulin — the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels — Gray’s body all of a sudden needed to receive synthesized insulin to survive.

While Type 1 diabetes (T1D) typically has a genetic component behind its development, that was not the case for Gray, making her diagnosis all the harder to deal with. She had to quickly learn, without any inherited knowledge, how to successfully manage her diabetes so that it did not negatively affect the development of her son or her own future.

“I had to figure it out on my own,” Gray said.

Just My Type 1 organizer Angelina Gray, left, chats about her experiences as an adult with Type 1 diabetes with Breakthrough T1D Operations Manager Paul Himes, as they walk through one of the Sibert’s Farm Fresh Produce LLC corn mazes. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

Over the 26 years that have passed since then, Gray has seen many new developments in technology and medication related to T1D. She no longer has to use a syringe and breakable glass vial to administer her insulin or prick her finger multiple times a day to make sure her blood sugar levels are stable. Today, she wears an insulin pump and continuous blood glucose monitor on her body, which connect with her cellphone to simplify the maintenance of her insulin levels.

Although these developments have made life marginally better for those with T1D, they have not made living with the disease easy, by any means. So when Gray moved with her family to the area a few years ago and began running into a number of people with her disease, she began to think about building an online T1D community with in-person events, for those in the Eastern Panhandle.

“I knew a lot of people who needed a community,” Gray said. “I’ve been OK for years on my own, but I also value community and fellowship. In that community and fellowship, it’s great for people to get ideas and support, without the commitment of being in a high stress organization.”

This past summer, Gray founded the group Just My Type 1. They have regular meetups for families who have children with the disease, as well as for adults with it. Meetups have so far included a meal at MJ’s on German DeliCafe — a restaurant in Shepherdstown owned and operated by a man with Type 1 — and an afternoon at one of the Sibert’s Farm Fresh Produce LLC corn mazes. Upcoming events include a wine tasting event on Jan. 16, complete with a professional sommelier and award-winning diabetes educator talking about the effects of alcohol on blood sugar, and a hot cocoa and craft event on Dec. 23 at Panagiota’s Taste of Greece.

At the corn maze, the Cullum family could be found talking about their own experiences with the disease, since their 12-year-old son, Gus, was diagnosed a year ago.

“Type 1 diabetes wasn’t on my radar,” said his mother, Ashley Adams, mentioning she is still in the grieving process over her highly active son developing this disease. “For the longest time, I didn’t want to talk to anybody about it. It’s very overwhelming. But I have slowly gotten more comfortable with asking questions and can definitely say that being in this group has been beneficial to us.”

To learn more, visit the Facebook page for Just My Type 1 WV Eastern Panhandle.

Twelve-year-old Gus Cullum, left, climbs with his sister on top of a hay bull with his 9-year-old sister, Eloise Cullum, at Sibert’s Farm Fresh Produce LLC. Photo by Tabitha Johnston