Using technology to live well with type 1 diabetes – Business Focus Episode 10

For most people, technology is about convenience.

For people living with type 1 diabetes, it can be the difference between exhaustion and freedom.

To mark National Diabetes Week in Australia, Business Focus host Brendan Ritchie, Chief Growth Officer at First Focus, sat down with Ross Sardi, the company’s CEO. Ross was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age five and has lived with it ever since. Over nearly four decades he has seen diabetes care move from brick-sized machines and glass syringes to tiny wearable sensors, Bluetooth pumps and open-source “artificial pancreas” systems.

This conversation is not a technical deep dive. It is a practical look at how technology is transforming life with type 1 diabetes, and what business leaders can do to better understand and support people in their teams who live with a condition they often cannot see.

Living with type 1 diabetes: Ross’s story

Ross was diagnosed in 1987, aged five, while living in regional Western Australia. The symptoms were classic but frightening: rapid weight loss, extreme fatigue, constant thirst and frequent trips to the bathroom. Things deteriorated so quickly that the family needed the Royal Flying Doctor Service to get him to hospital in Perth in time.

He does not remember all the details. In his words, it was probably more traumatic for his parents than for him. But he clearly remembers the early years of management:

• Large, clunky blood glucose machines
• Painful finger pricks
• Drawing insulin from vials into syringes
• Very manual, very invasive daily routines

Back then, even synthetic insulin was relatively new. Before that, insulin was extracted from animals like cows and pigs. Today, that sounds primitive. For Ross, it was normal.

Over time, the technology slowly improved. Blood glucose meters became smaller. Insulin syringes were replaced with insulin pens. But in many ways, the day-to-day experience was still the same: constant monitoring, constant injections, constant decisions.

The real revolution only began in the last five to six years.

From finger pricks to sensors and pumps

The first major transformation for Ross came with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

Instead of pricking his finger multiple times a day, Ross now wears a small sensor on his body. Early versions required him to tap his phone against the sensor using NFC (the same technology used for tap-and-go payments) to read his blood glucose level. That alone was life changing: no more finger pricks, instant readings, all day, every day.

Over time, the sensors advanced again. Many now connect directly to a smartphone via Bluetooth, streaming real-time data automatically.

Government subsidies, helped by advocacy from organisations like JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), have made this technology far more accessible. Today, most Australians with type 1 diabetes can access CGM at a much lower cost than in the past.

But the real game changer for Ross was combining sensors with insulin pump technology.

Traditional pumps were bulky devices with tubes, often awkward for people with active lifestyles. Ross avoided them for years. That changed when smaller “patch” pumps became available, tiny devices that stick to the body with no external tubing, and are controlled wirelessly.

Each patch lasts around three days, not because of technological limits, but because insulin degrades outside the fridge. Ross refills a new patch with insulin, attaches it, activates it from his phone, and gets on with his day.

The rise of closed-loop systems and the “artificial pancreas”

The real leap forward has come from connecting all the pieces together.

Ross uses:

• A Bluetooth-enabled glucose sensor
• A Bluetooth-enabled insulin pump
• An open-source software system that links them in what is known as a closed-loop system

Every five minutes, his sensor sends his blood sugar reading to his phone. The software compares:

• What his blood sugar is doing
• How much insulin is already in his system
• What it expects should be happening, based on his recent food and insulin history

If his levels are rising faster than expected, the system increases insulin. If they are falling, it reduces it. When he eats, he simply tells the system roughly how many carbohydrates he is consuming, and the algorithm does the rest.

It is not a magic cure. He still needs to:

• Log food (especially carbs)
• Create different profiles for exercise or different times of day
• Swap his pump every three days

But compared to the past, it is a radically different life. Instead of manually directing every dose, Ross is supported by an “artificial pancreas system” that constantly adjusts in the background.

For a data-driven CEO, there is another benefit: statistics. One of the key metrics for long-term health is “time in range” – the percentage of time blood sugar stays within a healthy band. Manually, Ross might have achieved 70%. With closed-loop tech, he often sits in the 90%+ range.

That translates directly into a lower risk of long-term complications and a better quality of life.

Decision fatigue and the mental load of diabetes

One of the most powerful parts of Ross’s story is not the hardware or the software. It is the mental load.

Researchers estimate that people living with type 1 diabetes may make hundreds of extra micro-decisions every day:

• Can I eat this now?
• How much insulin do I need?
• Am I exercising later?
• Will this food spike my levels overnight?
• Do I have enough supplies with me?

As Ross puts it, everyone makes choices about food and activity. Diabetics just have real-world consequences hanging over every choice. High blood sugar carries long-term risks. Low blood sugar carries immediate danger.

And there are no days off. No holidays from the condition. No weekends where you can ignore it.

Closed-loop technology does not remove diabetes. But it reduces the decision fatigue. It automates corrections. It acts like a clinician constantly watching your numbers and tweaking doses in the background.

For mental health, that matters.

Why organisations like JDRF matter

JDRF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, plays two critical roles:

Research funding

• Prevention
• Better treatments
• Long-term hope for cures or more advanced artificial pancreas systems

Advocacy and awareness

• Lobbying for subsidy schemes and funding
• Educating governments and the public
• Giving families and individuals a voice

First Focus has supported JDRF through fundraising and awareness activities, and Ross is keen to do more. As he notes, government decisions to subsidise technology like CGM are not simply acts of kindness. They are investments that reduce future healthcare costs by preventing complications decades later.

For business leaders, understanding this ecosystem matters. Many of your staff may be living with conditions like type 1 diabetes quietly, managing complex routines while still meeting work expectations.

What business leaders can do during National Diabetes Week

You do not have to be a clinician or a technologist to make a difference. As a non-technical business leader, you can:

• Start with awareness
  Understand that people living with diabetes carry a constant cognitive load, even if you cannot see it.
• Create a supportive environment
  Be flexible around medical appointments, technology use (sensors, pumps, phones for monitoring) and breaks needed to manage blood sugar.
• Encourage conversations, not assumptions
  If you know someone with diabetes, gently check whether they are aware of newer technologies that might help – many are, but some are not.
• Support advocacy and research
  Consider getting involved in or supporting JDRF fundraising events, or backing staff who participate.
• Champion policy change
  Where appropriate, lend your voice in support of funding and access programmes that improve quality of life and long-term outcomes.

Most importantly, remember that diabetes is often invisible. A colleague may look fine, perform strongly and never complain, while quietly managing hundreds of medically significant decisions each day.

A simple takeaway for National Diabetes Week

If you take one thing from Ross’s story, let it be this:

Technology cannot remove diabetes, but it can dramatically reduce the burden of living with it.

If you know someone living with diabetes who may not be aware of what modern tech can do for them, share this article, start a conversation, or point them towards people who can help. Ross has made it clear he is happy to talk, and you can connect with him or Brendan on LinkedIn to learn more.

And if there is a topic you would like Business Focus to explore in a future episode, reach out to host Brendan Ritchie on LinkedIn. The goal is simple: create content that genuinely adds value to leaders navigating technology, business and life.