Meet #MiniMedChampion Larry

Type 2 diabetes and technology

Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2001, MiniMed Champion Larry Mathias inspires us with his journey that shows how advancing diabetes technology and a strong community can make a difference. Now retired from a successful marketing career and one of our Champions with type 2 diabetes on the MiniMed™ 780G system, Larry spends his free time bowling in an amateur league, going on cruises, and traveling the world with his wife, exploring destinations from Alaska to the Bahamas to Europe.
 

Facing a family history of type 2

In September 2001, Larry began experiencing vision problems, which prompted a visit to his local eyeglass retailer. While he initially assumed he just needed glasses, within a week, he couldn’t see clearly at all. A suggestion from his eyeglass technician led him to an endocrinologist, and before he knew it, a routine checkup had escalated into a life-altering diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

Since his mother had also been diagnosed with type 2 and passed away at the age of 53 due to related complications, Larry was all too familiar with the daily struggles of living with the condition. For his mother, there were no insulin pumps available for people living with type 2 diabetes, and she had trouble managing it on her own.
 

Transforming daily management with pump therapy
 

While Larry’s own therapy journey began with being prescribed several drugs like Metformin, under the advisement of his healthcare provider, he decided that an insulin pump system, combined with diet and exercise, would provide better glycemic control. According to Larry, previous pump systems never quite seemed to catch up with his eating habits. Now his current pump, the MiniMed™ 780G system, acts like an artificial pancreas, helping stabilize his glucose levels throughout the day and night and eliminating the need for fingerstick tests while in SmartGuard™ technology.^† More than that, managing his condition is much easier, helping him get better sleep and providing him more freedom at mealtimes.^‡
 

Embracing the diabetes community

Larry credits being able to navigate his diabetes journey with lots of support and guidance from the MiniMed Champion community. One of his longtime friends introduced him to a Facebook group with over 20,000 members living with diabetes — a community that soon became a lifeline — offering advice, empathy, and a sense of belonging. Larry himself became an advocate, helping others navigate their own journeys and recommending diabetes technology to them.

His best piece of advice for others newly diagnosed?

Embrace technology, trust the system, and make lifestyle changes early — don’t wait to make behavior and diet modifications!

Footnotes
† Fingersticks required in manual mode & to enter smartguard. If symptoms don’t match alerts & readings, use a fingerstick. Refer to user guide. Pivotal trial participants spend avg of > 93% in SmartGuard.
‡ Refers to SmartGuard™ feature. Individual results may vary.

Important safety information: MiniMed™ 780G system with SmartGuard™ technology with Guardian™ 4 sensor

The MiniMed™ 780G system is intended for the continuous delivery of basal insulin at selectable rates, and the administration of insulin boluses at selectable rates for the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus in persons 7 years of age and older, and of type 2 diabetes mellitus in persons 18 years of age and older requiring insulin. The system is also intended to continuously monitor glucose values in the fluid under the skin. The MiniMed™ 780G system includes SmartGuard™ technology, which can be programmed to automatically adjust insulin delivery based on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor glucose values and can suspend delivery of insulin when the SG value falls below or is predicted to fall below predefined threshold values.

The Medtronic MiniMed™ 780G system consists of the following devices: MiniMed™ 780G Insulin Pump, the Guardian™ 4 Transmitter, the Guardian™ 4 Sensor, One-press serter, the Accu-Chek™Guide Link blood glucose meter, and the Accu-Chek™Guide Test Strips. The system requires a prescription from a healthcare professional.

The Guardian™ 4 Sensor is intended for use with the MiniMed™ 780G system and the Guardian 4 transmitter to monitor glucose levels for the management of diabetes. The sensor is intended for single use and requires a prescription. The Guardian™ (4) sensor is indicated for up to seven days of continuous use.

The Guardian™ 4 sensor is not intended to be used directly to make therapy adjustments while the MiniMed™ 780G is operating in manual mode. All therapy adjustments in manual mode should be based on measurements obtained using a blood glucose meter and not on values provided by the Guardian™ 4 sensor. The Guardian™ 4 sensor has been studied and is approved for use in patients ages 7 years and older and in the arm insertion site only. Do not use the Guardian™ 4 sensor in the abdomen or other body sites including the buttocks, due to unknown or different performance that could result in hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.

WARNING: Do not use the MiniMed™ 780G system until appropriate training has been received from a healthcare professional. Training is essential to ensure the safe use of the MiniMed™ 780G system.

WARNING: Do not use SG values to make treatment decisions, including delivering a bolus, while the pump is in Manual Mode. When the SmartGuard™ feature is active and you are no longer in Manual Mode, the pump uses an SG value, when available, to calculate a bolus amount. However, if your symptoms do not match the SG value, use a BG meter to confirm the SG value. Failure to confirm glucose levels when your symptoms do not match the SG value can result in the infusion of too much or too little insulin, which may cause hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.

Pump therapy is not recommended for people whose vision or hearing does not allow for the recognition of pump signals, alerts, or alarms. The safety of the MiniMed™ 780G system has not been studied in pregnant women or in persons using other anti-hyperglycemic therapies that do not include insulin. For complete details of the system, including product and important safety information such as indications, contraindications, warnings and precautions associated with system and its components, please consult https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/important-safety-information#minimed-780g and the appropriate user guide at https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/download-library .