Kevin’s Law – Divabetic

12/23/2022

A Christmas Peril Mystery Podcast

Despite all of the ingredients for danger, Mr. Divabetic, our team of amateur sleuths, and his overly protective mother set out to find the real culprit in the hopes that his name isn’t on a lethal naughty list.

Kevin Houdeshell’s tragic true-life story inspired our mystery podcast.

36-year-old Kevin Houdeshell ran out of insulin over the New Year’s holiday in January 2014. He ended up with dangerously high blood sugars that spiraled into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), leading to him dying alone in his apartment.

“He was young, fit, healthy. The pharmacy told him his script had expired and we’re sorry, but we can’t give you anymore. He tried three times to call his doctor’s office and, four days later, he passed away from not having his insulin,” Amy Houdeshell told USA Today.

Thanks to the Houdeshell family for their advocacy efforts on behalf of the Emergency Insulin Act of 2019 and the emergency prescription refill legislation. Known as Kevin’s or Howdy’s Law, it allows pharmacists to dispense an emergency supply of chronic maintenance medication if the doctor cannot be reached – a common-sense act that could save a life.

Starring Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, USA Best Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie Gentle, Terri Seidman, MaryAnn Nicolay, Trisha Artman, Catherine Schuller, Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, and Wendy Radford.

Special thanks to the Houdeshell family, and Pharmacist Mandy Reece PharmD, CDE, BC-ADM, BCACP.. Original music by Ivan Hampden Jr., Celine Dion’s vocals courtesy of SONY Music. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir.

In the spirit of Scrooge’s awakening at the end of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, we encourage you to honor Christmas in your heart by living in the Past, The Present, and the Future. Try to embrace the Spirits of all Three and the lessons they teach.

12/16/2022

Divabetic Holiday Podcast Inspired by Harry Connick Jr.

We’re talking about ‘Eating Right, Being Bright’ during the Holidays with musical inspiration from Harry Connick Jr. and his 16-piece big band on this podcast.

The holiday season can present problems for those living with diabetes. Add a global pandemic, and it’s even more challenging. Continuous care and support are essential to staying on track with your diabetes wellness goals throughout the holidays.

https://youtu.be/cAdDA0zjLmA

Harry Connick, Jr. is among today’s most successful and multi-talented artists and has garnered acclaim in music and acting. He won both Grammy and Emmy awards, as well as received Tony nominations. His album, Harry for the Holidays, features some of Harry’s best Christmas music, including the Bourbon Street-inspired renditions of Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Dan Houdeshell, Pendulum Glucose Control’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Orville Kolterman, and Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy, Author Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDCES, and Mama Rose Marie.

Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy is the go-to resource on why, what, and how much to eat for people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Readers find cut-to-the-chase advice in three easy-to-digest sections. Section one is: Nutrition and Health Eating Basics. Section two is: Foods by Group, in-depth detail about each food group, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, sweets and desserts, and convenience foods. Section three is: Putting Healthy Eating for Diabetes Control into Action, covering how to preplan, supermarket shop, read food and nutrition labels, eat healthier restaurant meals, and much more.

This year Harry Connick Jr. released his fourth holiday album, Make It Merry, featuring Harry’s definitive take on Christmas classics, including Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and Jingle Bells, as well as newly-recorded versions of his originals and fan favorites like (It Must’ve Been Ol’) Santa Claus and When My Heart Finds Christmas, alongside two brand-new, original songs. Make It Merry is the first of the original songs, along with On This Christmas Morning, set to be featured on the album.

Throughout the podcast, we feature music from Harry For The Holidays album courtesy of SONY Music. Harry Connick, Jr.’s second Christmas album, Harry for The Holidays, is as much a salute to his New Orleans musical roots as it is to the season.

09/28/202109/28/2021

A Christmas Peril Debuts on Thursday, September 30, 2021

Join us for Divabetic’s Annual Mystery podcast, A Christmas Peril, scheduled for this Thursday, September 30, 2021, at 6 PM, EST. This year’s live mystery drama stars Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, USA Best Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie Gentle, Terri Seidman, MaryAnn Nicolay, Trisha Artman, Catherine Schuller, Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, and Wendy Radford.

Here’s a Short Synopsis:

The Holidays are full of surprises— especially after Mr. Divabetic gets a new job as the pastry chef at the St. Nicholas Nursing Home nestled in a cozy Christmas Village. But adjusting to life in a Christmas Village is not all sugarplums and candy canes. Especially when a cantankerous resident, a real-life Ebenezer Scrooge, named Mr. Pincher almost dies——shortly after eating one of Max’s peanut butter swirl brownies. Despite all of the ingredients for danger, Mr. Divabetic along with our team of amateur sleuths and his overly protective mother — set out to find the real culprit in the hopes that his name isn’t on a lethal naughty list.

Our story was inspired by Kevin Houdeshell’s tragic true-life story. Thanks to the Houdeshell family for their advocacy efforts on behalf of the Emergency Insulin Act of 2019 and the emergency prescription refill legislation. Known as Kevin’s or Howdy’s Law, it allows pharmacists to dispense an emergency supply of a chronic maintenance medication if the doctor cannot be reached – a common-sense act that could save a life.

In the spirit of Scrooge’s awakening at the end of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, we encourage you to honor Christmas in your heart by living in the Past, The Present, and the Future. Try to embrace the Spirits of all Three and the lessons that they teach.

Special thanks to the Houdeshell family, and Pharmacist Mandy Reece. Original music by Ivan Hampden Jr., Celine Dion’s vocals courtesy of SONY Music. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir

05/26/2021

Kevin Houdeshell’s Tragic Death Inspires This Year’s Divabetic Mystery Podcast

Tonight is the second rehearsal for this year’s Divabetic Mystery podcast, A Christmas Peril. Our take on Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol aims to raise awareness for the real-life story of Kevin Houdeshell.

Kevin was doing his best to stretch out his supply until the New Year. He ran out of insulin and may have been taking the T2D-targetted metformin to help keep his blood sugars down until he could get an insulin refill, reports Healthline.

He went to the pharmacy on New Year’s Eve, but his prescription had expired. They couldn’t give him anymore without a new prescription. He tried to contact his doctor’s office but wasn’t able to reach them and left without the insulin because of the holiday.

Within days, Kevin began having what appeared to be flu-like symptoms of vomiting, cramps, and overall not feeling well. He left work one night and went homesick. When his family and friends hadn’t heard from him, a friend went to his apartment and found him there alone. It appears Kevin had gone at least four days without insulin before the end.

In the aftermath of that horrible tragedy, the Houdeshell family fought for a new law in their state, Ohio, to allow pharmacies to distribute an emergency supply of insulin to those who needed it. In the years since Kevins’s death, 5 states have passed Kevin’s Law, and several other states are looking to join the ranks.

“It’s something that has to be done. If we can save one life, it’s worth it,” Dan Houdeshell said during a phone interview with DiabetesMine. “Kevin would do anything for anybody, so we just have to. We couldn’t let it lie without trying to help other people.”

“Our mystery podcasts are one of the year’s most popular podcasts,” says Max Szadek. “I asked Dan if we could advocate on behalf of their family and share Kevin’s story in our mystery radio drama. Then I consulted with Mandy Reese PHARMD, CDCES, BC-ADM, BCACP, FADCES on the related medical information. I’m grateful to our cast, including Mama Rose Marie, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, and MaryAnn Nicolay Med, DTR, Wendy Radford, Catherine Schuller, Trisha Artman, Seveda Williams, Terri Seidman, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic,’ Lorraine Brooks and our producer, Leisa Chester-Weir for helping me advocate for Kevin’s Law. This year as an added treat, Ivan Hampden Jr. has agreed to produce original music for our performance.

The Holidays are full of surprises— especially after Mr. Divabetic gets a new job as the pastry chef at the St. Nicholas Nursing Home nestled in a cozy Christmas Village. But adjusting to life in a Christmas Village is not all sugarplums and candy canes. Especially when a cantankerous resident, a real-life Ebenezer Scrooge, named Mr. Pincher almost dies——shortly after eating one of Max’s peanut butter swirl brownies. Despite all of the ingredients for danger, Mr. Divabetic along with our team of amateur sleuths and his overly protective mother — set out to find the real culprit in the hopes that his name isn’t on a lethal naughty list.

There’s a good indication that murder might be part of the recipe when Nantucket’s ten-time reigning Baking Champion’s last name is ‘Coffin’ in last year’s Divabetic Mystery podcast, Kill Me Madam. But resentment, greed, and Britannia’s own bad dealings turn everyone into a suspect when she’s found dead in the parking lot just before the Annual Decadents on Deck! Bake Off competition is about to kick off.

Delusional baker and amateur sleuth Mr. Divabetic is even shocked to find himself being treated as a suspect in the case by the local police, after meeting her just once!

As if his life wasn’t crazy enough before, escaping a murderous mishap in New York and attempting a fresh start in Nantucket has turned into a complete and utter baking disaster, now Max, along with his friends and nosy mother, have to add tracking down a murderer to his To-Do list, as well.

Can our team hunt down the real murderer before they strike again? Will he become the next victim? Can Max ever manage to bake a cake that’s actually edible?

12/04/2020

Tune In to December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast featuring Holiday Music from Harry Connick, Jr.

We’re talking about ’Eating Right, Being Bright’ during the holidays with musical inspiration from Harry Connick, Jr. and his 16 piece big band on December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast scheduled for Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST.

Harry Connick, Jr. is among today’s most successful and multi-talented artists, who has garnered acclaim in both music and acting. His won both Grammy and Emmy awards as well as received Tony nominations.

Harry Connick, Jr.’s wife, Jill Connick is a breast cancer survivor. The couple credit timely screening and early detection for her good health and well-being. Together they have teamed up to encourage people 50 years and older to talk with healthcare providers about colon cancer screening, including the modern, noninvasive options.

Podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Lorraine Brooks, Dan Houdeshel, Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’ and Pendulum Glucose Control‘s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Orville Kolterman and Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy Author Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Harry For The Holidays album courtesy of SONY Music. Harry Connick, Jr.’s second Christmas album, Harry for The Holidays is as much a salute to his New Orleans musical roots as it is to the season.

TUNE IN

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with special guest, Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Thursday, December 10, 2020, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

03/26/202003/26/2020

Kevin’s Law on Diabetes Late Nite Podcast

It’s been six years since 36-year old Kevin Houdeshell died from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) after he wasn’t able to fill an expired insulin prescription and couldn’t reach his doctor over the New Year’s holiday.

Since then, Kevin’s parents – Dan and Judy – have been advocating for legislation that would allow pharmacists to give patients an emergency refill of life-saving insulin, even without an up-to-date prescription. Their proposal – dubbed “Kevin’s Law” – became law in Ohio, Florida, Arkansas, Arizona, Illinois, Wisconsin, Idaho, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia in 2019. In many states, votes in favor of the legislation were unanimous.

Tune in to our interview with Dan Houdeshell on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross podcast.

Additional Tribute podcast guests include Fonzi Thornton, Keith Anthony Fluitt, Diabetes Advocate Dan Houdeshell, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian, Zhacary Smith, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach.

Throughout the podcast we will be playing music from Luther Vandross’s “Forever, For Always, For Love” album courtesy of SONY Music.

LISTEN NOW

**Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes Mystery Podcast**

We’re hoping to call attention to the need for similar legislation in other states by featuring Kevin’s story in Divabetic’s upcoming Diabetes Mystery podcast scheduled 2021. In the meantime, we encourage you to act like a detective and troubleshoot diabetes self-care issues with your doctor. Tune in to Divabetic’s 2019 Mystery podcast, ‘Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes’ now!

The mystery is set in the fictitiously decadent world-renowned Gingerbread Men Cookie Baking Competition in New York’s Central Park Zoo. Mr. Divabetic’s healthy culinary misadventures continue in this year’s escapade as he enters the competition with headless cookies and pureed kale hot cocoa for the judges to sample. As if this dreadful combination wasn’t bad enough to land him at the bottom of the throwdown, his mother, Mama Rose Marie, is accused of poisoning one of the celebrity judges! Things go from bad to worse when the snake phobic Mr. Divabetic hears about the giant python’s escape.

Now, the happy healthcare host must decide to face his fear of snakes and recipe rejection or throw in his apron and risk getting caught up in another murder investigation. Can Mr. Divabetic and his team of amateur sleuths hunt down the real killer and get Mama Rose Marie out of jail? Will he be the next murder victim? Can he ever create an edible recipe?

Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from the original Broadway cast recording of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes courtesy of SONY MUSIC.

LISTEN NOW

04/07/201904/07/2019

One Cocktail A Day Could Cause High Blood Pressure

A recent study reports that as little as one cocktail a day may contribute significantly to high blood pressure (hypertension) according to an article on Everyday Health.

“If you only drink a moderate amount of alcohol ( 7 to 13 drinks per week), ask your provider to check your blood pressure at each visit,” said Amer Aladin, MD, lead author of the study and a cardiology fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. “If your blood pressure is elevated you should take appropriate measures to reduce it, which possibly means reducing your alcohol consumption.”

Why Does Alcohol Stress the Heart?

People who drink alcohol may be more likely to eat unhealthy foods and exercise less. Alcohol consumption may also increase inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, which may have a negative effect on heart health.

“The takeaway is that if you are suffering from high blood pressure, take a look at your alcohol consumption,” says Sarah Samaan, MD, a cardiologist with Baylor Scott & White Legacy Heart Center in Plano, Texas,. “If you drink regularly, cutting back to just a few times per week may make a significant difference.”

Tune in to April’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast to hear more about diabetes and heart health with musical inspiraion from Luther Vandross on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6 PM, EST

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Guests include FANDROSS CEO Seveda Williams, Keith Anthony Fluitt, Diabetes Advocate Dan Houdeshell, Pam Henry MEd, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian, Zhacary Smith, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach. Throughout the podcast we will be playing music from Luther Vandross’s “Forever, For Always, For Love” album courtesy of SONY Music.

Did you miss Divabetic’s new outreach program, Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, on Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City? Don’t worry, you can still enjoy plenty of great information about diabetes and heart health at: Know Diabetes By Heart

03/18/201903/18/2019

How Kevin’s Law Is Helping Save Lives of People Needing Life Saving Medications Like Insulin

On April’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast, Dan Houdeshell will share how his son’s untimely death, Kevin, spurred his family to take action to pass legislation to help save the lives of millions. Tune in to our exclusive interview on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST.

Kevin Houdeshell, who was living with type 1 diabetes died at 36 years old because his pharmacy refused to give him insulin after his script had expired.

“He tried three times to call his doctor’s office and, four days later, he passed away from not having his insulin,” his sister, Amy Houdeshell told USA Today.

His parents, Dan and Judy Houdeshell, were stunned to learn what had happened. “In the wee hours of the morning, we are wondering how can your son, or anyone, stand in front of a pharmacy desk and be turned away for a life-sustaining medication,” says Dan.

Kevin’s unawareness about his worsening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) may be due to a pervasive lack of information within the community reports Insulin Nation.

“I have been in contact with so many people [with Type 1] since Kevin’s death [who] are not aware of DKA, its symptoms, the results if not rectified, and how fast DKA can kill someone or put them in grave danger,” Dan told Insulin Nation. “Many (others) in the medical profession (including ER hospital settings) are not are not aware of what can happen if someone goes without their insulin for any amount of time.

A year after Kevin died, he appeared with his wife and daughter on local TV and their heart-wrenching interview helped trigger what is now known as Kevin’s Law in Ohio.

Kevin’s Law allows pharmacists to give up to a 30-day supply of even expired prescriptions of life-sustaining drugs.

“I never imagined we would reach so many people with that one little story about my brother,” Houdeshell said.

Currently HB 64 (also known as Kevin’s Law) has been passed in 12 states and allows a pharmacist to dispense an emergency supply of insulin to a patient without a current prescription.

“No one should have to die because of an expired prescription and can’t get hold of your doctor,” said Amy and Kevin’s parents, Dan and Judy Houdeshell.

Dan Houdeshell feels that there is still much work to be done even in states that have passed legislation. “It’s important to note some versions of the law have flaws,” he told Pens & Needles. “Some states allow only one refill, EVER. That is not acceptable.”

Diabetes Late Nite inspired by Luther Vandross

TUNE IN: April’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST. Guests include FANDROSS CEO Seveda Williams, Keith Anthony Fluitt, Diabetes Advocate Dan Houdeshell, Pam Henry MEd, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian, Zhacary Smith, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach. Throughout the podcast we will be playing music from Luther Vandross’s “Forever, For Always, For Love” album courtesy of SONY Music.

Don’t miss Clued Inn, the first-time ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience scheduled for Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City. Register now: https://cluedinn.org/