FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR- Brandy Barnes, MSW

Hello! My name is Brandy Barnes. I am the Founder and Executive Director of DiabetesSisters. I am a native of Hickory, North Carolina and I have resided in the Chapel Hill, NC area for the last 15 years. I am a 33-year-old married, mother of one who has lived with diabetes for 18+ years. It was at the age of 15--as a sophomore in high school-- that my life changed forever with a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. It signaled a huge turning point in my life. Although I always had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, my initial experience with diabetes peaked my intellectual and emotional curiosity. Knowing very little about diabetes, I read everything I could get my hands on. Knowledge became my power. The more I knew, the more I could help myself and help others.

As editor of my high school newspaper, I wrote articles to educate my peers about diabetes. While in college at UNC Chapel Hill, I majored in Psychology to feed my interest in the human mind and how we train ourselves to overcome obstacles in life. In college, I also organized a group of my college peers with diabetes to meet for a monthly diabetes support group. It was through this 'peer experience' that I saw the impact people can have on each other just by providing support and knowledge. This strengthened me in my pursuit of helping others with diabetes. As a result, I attended graduate school at UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work.

My concentration in Graduate School was "Social Work in Healthcare Settings." While attending Graduate School, I also worked full-time at the UNC Diabetes Care Center as a Clinical Trials Coordinator. I coordinated the North Carolina site of the American Diabetes Association's GENNID (GENetics of Non-Insulin Dependent diabetes) project. The purpose of the study was to isolate the gene that causes Type 2 diabetes. I also assisted with a number of clinical trials on diabetes medications that are currently on the market. I have also served on the North Carolina Diabetes Advisory Council since 2002. I began wearing an insulin pump in 1996. In 2005, I had my first child, a daughter named Summer. Currently, I am employed in medication sales in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. After many unsuccessful internet searches for answers and support related to my own diabetes experiences, my vision for this organization began to materialize. I hope that DiabetesSisters helps every woman with diabetes find the support and education necessary for them to reach their full potential in life!

A Special Thank You to Dr. John Buse and his staff at the UNC Diabetes Care Center in Durham, NC for their support and assistance with this project.

Click HERE to read about my 'Ah Ha!' Diabetes Moment

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR- Laura Ely

Hello! My name is Laura Ely and I am the Assistant Director of DiabetesSisters. First and foremost, I would like to say that I am both honored and extremely proud to be a part of such a wonderful organization! To me, DiabetesSisters has the power to have a positive impact on the lives of so many women with diabetes. Although we all come from a very diverse set of backgrounds, we all share the knowledge of knowing what it feels like to live with diabetes. And even though everyone’s experience with the disease is different from woman to woman, I believe that our strength lies in the fact that we can all learn something from one another. I know that already I have learned many things from your stories; here is mine, I hope you enjoy!

I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 4 years old. I am now 23 and looking back on all of my experiences with diabetes; I know how important it is to be able to have a strong support group of people who are familiar with the daily ups and downs of living with this disease. When I was younger I used to be painfully shy about being diabetic. I was embarrassed to eat snacks during class at school, check my blood sugar, or even treat a low. It was very hard on me because I felt like I had to deal with the disease on my own. That all changed for me when I was ten years old and my mother shoved me out the door and told me that I was going to diabetes camp. As much as I protested at the time I now realize that going to camp changed my life in the best way possible. In literally one week I went from being a shy little girl who had a hard time dealing with her disease to a strong young woman who would brag to all of her friends at home about how “cool” it was to have diabetes. (Not to mention, at that time I honestly believed that diabetic boys were much cuter than the “normal” boys at home). I can attribute this change to one huge lesson that I learned at camp. It was there that I learned all about having “PMA.” What is PMA, you may ask? Positive. Mental. Attitude. PMA is the most important thing that I carry with me on a daily basis, well, perhaps second to insulin. If you take care of yourself and always try to see the positive in any given situation, you can conquer the world!

FORUM MANAGER- Lyndsay Riffe, RD, LDN, CDE

Diabetes has basically always been a part of my life. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1985, at the age of 3. Thru experiences working with a Registered Dietitian thru the years, I decided to pursue my own career as a Registered Dietician. During my college years, I never thought I would focus on diabetes professionally, as I didn't want to eat, breathe, sleep, and "work" diabetes. However, it did not take long before I realized diabetes education was where I could have the biggest impact and make a difference. I am now a Certified Diabetes Educator working at an adult endocrinology clinic in Chicago. I am married to my best friend, Dan. I love to travel and enjoy any activity outdoors.

I first heard about and joined DiabetesSisters when I received an email from a friend about the Triathlon Team forming. Since joining the DS Triathlon Team, it has been exciting to experience the awesome support system of DiabetesSisters. As women with diabetes, we learn so much through our own experiences as well as through others! I was thrilled to join this organization!

BLOG MANAGER- Suzanne Bourgeois

I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in September of 1990, when I was 9 years old. I have been on the pump for the past 6 years or so and I absolutely love it. It has been over 17 years since my diagnosis and I have spent the majority of that time pretending as though I didn't have diabetes at all. My A1c's have been up to at least 15% and I have spent years neglecting my health and fighting my disease

I graduated from law school in May 2007 and was married to my amazing husband in September 2007. Then in December 2007 I decided that I could have such an amazing life ahead of me if only I gave myself the chance. I had to make the choice to face my demons and to become well. I became a "born again diabetic" and I am on my way to becoming healthy again. It has been a long, hard road, but I feel so strong now that I know so many others who fight the same fight along with me. I am encouraged every day by your stories and I now know that I am so far from being alone in my battle.

For more of my story, please see my blog at "Facing New Life as a Born Again Diabetic" and please feel free to email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have questions or just need a little extra support! I am more than happy to share my own experiences with anyone, especially those who have felt as alone as I did. You CAN fight this battle, and you are very far from being alone!