Six Until Me
Six Until Me (aka SUM) is a diabetes blog about the life of patient opinion leader[1] Kerri Morrone Sparling and her experiences with type 1 diabetes. Started in May 2005, Six Until Me is an example of a Health 2.0 and ePatient website. Its main audience is people living with diabetes, their caregivers, and others living with chronic illnesses.
Updated Monday through Friday, the blog is written primarily by Sparling, with contributions from guest bloggers within the diabetes community. SUM also regularly features videos by Sparling, dealing with specific experiences about a life with diabetes. The website does not offer medical advice. Instead it speaks about personal diabetes experiences, telling readers to consult with their medical team before making any changes to their regimen.
About Kerri Sparling
Kerri Sparling (née Kerri Morrone) was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1986. She currently uses an Animas insulin pump, a glucose meter, and a Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring device to manage her diabetes. Married in 2008 to screenwriter Chris Sparling (writer of Buried), Sparling gave birth to their daughter in April 2010. She started the blog Six Until Me because she felt alone with the disease and wanted to connect with a broader diabetes community.
Kerri is a contributing columnist at dLife with Generation D,[2] at the diabetes online magazine diaTribe, edited by Kelly Close, on the Animas website with "Life Uninterrupted",[3] and HealthCentral.[4] She is also a speaker at health and digital media conferences such as BlogHer, Blog World Expo and e-Patient Connections. Kerri also serves as an advisor to the Diabetes Hands Foundation.
Awards
Six Until Me was voted Best Patient Blog in 2008 by Medgaget[5] and was nominated again in 2009.[6] The blog also won a Gold Dosie for Best Patient or Caregiver Blog in 2010.[7]