The CGM Blog - Dexcom Warrior Spotlight
Marisa lives a healthy life with type 2 diabetes
Real stories from Canadians living with diabetes.
For Marisa Cardinal, diabetes has always been close to home. On her father’s side of the family, at least half live with diabetes. She grew up in Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 Territory located in the Amiskwacīwiyiniwak region of central Alberta, a place she still proudly calls home and where she’s raising her own children.
Early signs, delayed diagnosis
Marisa experienced gestational diabetes during five of her six pregnancies. Healthcare providers encouraged her to return for follow-up testing, but life got in the way.
“I never went for the follow-up… because I was thinking, I feel fine. So therefore, I don’t have diabetes, it was just during when I was pregnant.”
“I was very overwhelmed. I had a lot of self-blame,” she says. “I thought diabetes would actually cause me to live a short life.”
Finding Dexcom CGM
Everything started to shift for Marisa at a diabetes conference.
“I like to ask questions,” Marisa says with a smile, remembering when she came across the Dexcom booth. She poked around, curious, and discovered how much more convenient the Dexcom G7 was compared to finger pricking.
“I was like, well, I would really like to try that. And that’s how I started.”
How Dexcom G7 has shaped her diabetes management
Seeing her glucose levels in real time was a bit of a shock at first for Marisa.
“It opened my eyes to see what food was actually doing to my body.” But soon, using the Dexcom G7 became a daily habit.
She now regularly checks her readings before going to the gym and uses the alerts to stay in tune with her body in case she misses a dose or needs to adjust after a workout.
“I dedicate a lot of my time to exercising because I know it’s working for me,” she says. “To be able to see it in real time… it’s always such a confidence booster.”
With her Dexcom G7 connected to both her phone and smartwatch†, Marisa tracks her numbers easily, wherever she is. “It’s just a part of me.”
She’s proud of how far she’s come and of her best A1C so far—a 5.4.
Raising awareness for her family and community
Marisa’s motivation for managing her diabetes goes beyond her own health. One of her daughters also lives with diabetes, a reality that’s deeply emotional for her.
“[It] always gets me,” she says, wiping away tears. “Seeing her struggle sometimes is something as a parent I wish I could take from her. But I like to encourage her that it’s not impossible. And I like being the person she can talk to.”
Marisa is also passionate about raising awareness in her community.
“I am very proud of the work that I do in creating awareness with diabetes,” she says. “I want people to understand that it isn’t the end of the world.”
A life defined by strength
Today, Marisa continues to stay active, advocate for others, and live with confidence.
“I’ve come a long way. And having the Dexcom G7 gives me such great confidence that I can honestly live a long, healthy life with it.”
For anyone navigating life with type 2 diabetes, her message is clear: “We can control our diagnosis and not let diabetes control us.”
Marisa feels a sense of pride each day as she tracks her progress right in the Dexcom G7 app. She is an inspiration on how to live confidently with diabetes and sets an example for her community and others living with T2D.
† Smart devices sold separately. For a list of compatible devices, please visit dexcom.com/compatibility.