Diabetech Founder Justin Eastzer Simplifies Diabetes Technology with Humor and Heart

In May 2021, Justin was officially diagnosed with type 1.5 diabetes at age 30, but it wasn’t a straightforward path.

After experiencing typical signs of diabetes, Eastzer was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and put on the oral medication, Metformin. However, he continued to feel unwell and even switched physicians. The new doctor put him on long-acting insulin, but that wasn’t the solution either.

“For six months, I just felt like I wasn’t being heard, and no one was like, ‘let’s get you tested for type 1 diabetes (T1D).”

Due to age bias, overlapping symptoms, and a lack of testing, many adults who actually have T1D, or type 1.5 diabetes, are initially misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes, sometimes for months or even years.

When someone is over 30, many clinicians automatically assume it’s T2D, but autoimmune T1D can start at any age, well into adulthood. A lack of readily available antibody and C-peptide testing contributes to misdiagnoses, and the delayed insulin therapy can lead to dangerously high glucose levels and even diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

Eastzer, an early tech YouTuber, began posting TikTok videos about his glucometer. “I wanted to show how cool it was and how it sent readings from the device to my phone.”

The result garnered severe warnings from viewers. “It just blew up with lots of engagements and comments that said, ‘You don’t have type 2, you have type 1.5. You need to be tested, you need a CGM, a pump and an endo,” said Eastzer.

As his symptoms worsened, Eastzer began to take the comments seriously. “I decided to trust the diabetes community. I got my autoantibody test, and they were right.”

Who is Justin Eastzer?

Known for his educational, entertaining diabetes technology content, Justin is a strong authority in the diabetes space for go-to news, research and management tips.

After his diagnosis, Eastzer began sharing his journey through heartfelt and humorous videos that reveal the vulnerability of living with type 1 diabetes while helping to de-stigmatize the disease.

“I talked about each new experience. When I went to my endo and diabetes educator and learned to carb count, I’d make a video about it, so it was never this decision; it kind of just naturally happened.”

His affability and warmth are contagious, and his uplifting videos earned him thousands of followers across social media. In March 2023, he decided to turn his passion into a full-time career.

“I was already in the space to entertain and educate people through my YouTube channel, JustinTech, and when I saw that people not only enjoyed this content but found it useful, and that I could ask questions as well, because this was all so new to me too—it just seemed meant to be.”

He founded his platform and podcast, Diabetech, and his audience continues to grow on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, where his channel has reached 99.4K followers.

Eastzer realized all of the life-saving technology the space had to offer. “Since I was a tech YouTuber, I was like ‘Wow, I’m sure so many people have difficulties, because it’s just sort of inherent with technology, so I just started making more and more videos. My diabetes educator was a huge proponent of my content,” he added. “She said, ‘Justin, there is such a need for this.’”

Enter Diabetech

Living with diabetes means making countless daily decisions—and adding choices about pumps, CGMs, and other management tools that fit your lifestyle and budget can quickly become overwhelming.

If you need expert guidance to weigh your options and explain the various resources available, look no further than Diabetech, a diabetes hub of resources, news and tech tips.

Before founding Diabetech, Eastzer worked in television development in Los Angeles for Brian Graden Media and on shows like America’s Got Talent, where he served as a digital producer. Eastzer was also a senior producer and perspectives contributor/host for CNET.

Diabetech also delivers content that intersects advocacy with a touch of humor to lighten the load of this demanding disease. The platform reviews new products and technologies, while offering how-to videos and podcasts.

Eastzer’s Type 1 Accessory Must-Haves

When asked what his go-to items were that he can’t live without, Eastzer had a few.

Frio Packs

Frio packs for diabetes are reusable, evaporative cooling wallets that keep insulin cool without needing ice. “I really like the Frio packs, especially for going on trips where there will be a beach or pool time, just knowing wherever my insulin is, whether in the airplane or long car ride, my insulin will be protected.

Sugar Medical Bags

Another item Eastzer promotes on his channel is Sugar Medical insulated bags. These specialty bags are designed to help organize supplies, with compartments for glucose meters, pens, insulin, and other necessities. They come in various styles, including insulated travel bags, purses, and more rugged, waterproof options.

“I have them in different sizes, one is like my main big one that holds everything, so I can go through it and make sure I’ve packed everything I need, and the other is a smaller bag for weekend trips.”

Glow Gummies

For low snacks, one of Eastzers’ favorites is the fast-acting Glow Gummies. “They’re dextrose, they’re easy to bite and eat. The last thing you want when you’re having a low is something that’s difficult to chew, so I like the consistency a lot.”

Eastzer’s Diabetech Podcast

Eastzer hosts Diabetech: Diabetes Tech, Research & News, which features interviews with industry leaders and users of diabetes tech. He interviews regulatory and innovation experts and guests like the CEO of Dexcom.

The platform’s mission is to inform and empower, showing people the available tools and encouraging them to take charge of their care alongside their medical team. “Our commitment goes further—sparking honest conversations around mental health, resilience, and the power of community.”

A Spoonful of Laughter

Eastzer is now a sought-after producer in the diabetes space for his high-quality storytelling and coverage of diabetes innovations, conferences and experiences.

“A Spoonful of Laughter” is a creative campaign launched by the diaTribe Foundation to counter diabetes stigma through comedy. Eastzer, one of the featured advocates/comedians, worked with diaTribe to create and produce the campaign.

“They reached out to me with an idea to de-stigmatize diabetes through comedy, and I was like, that’s what I do, so this sounds great. I would love this opportunity.”

The goal is to use short films and sketches to educate, reduce shaming and challenge stereotypes around diabetes.

“They hosted a workshop in San Francisco, with me and some other comedians, where we learned strategies of using comedy to de-stigmatize diabetes.”

The comedic content invites people to share real-life experiences using #ASpoonfulofLaughter.

Eastzer’s knack for humor (comedic characters like Fran) highlights real-life struggles for people living with diabetes.

“I come from Long Island, where there are a lot of Jewish Italian mothers who are dramatic and offer tough love,” said Eastzer. The character Fran comes from a YouTuber back in the day, John Roberts, who did a sketch about a Long Island mother.”

“I thought, wow, I could do her as the mother of someone with type 1, and use that tough love to educate and entertain. I threw in some other characters, like the friend who doesn’t understand diabetes. I know I should be doing more, and now that I’m settled, I hope to do some more videos.”

Eastzer recently moved back to Los Angeles after working in New York for three years. “I lived in LA for ten years. It’s where I learned my skills in editing, directing, production, interviewing, and storytelling. I had incredible mentors, and now I have a wonderful group of people who work with me.”

Eastzer credits a talented team—including freelance video editors, part-time writers, a social media strategist, graphic designers, and a manager who handles collaborations—for helping bring his vision to life.

Innovations that Inspire Eastzer

Eastzer recently returned from the EASD (European Association for the Study of Diabetes) conference in Vienna, Austria, where Roche Medical hired him to raise brand awareness.  

“Roche wanted me to create content for their brand and introduce Roche to my audience. It was a cool project for me because I got to learn more about their company and how it’s evolved over time. They’ve been in the diabetes space for 50 years and the medical space for over 150 years. They’re working on a continuous glucose monitor available in certain areas of Europe that can predict glucose levels well in advance. It gives 30-minute predictions, two-hour predictions, and six-hour overnight predictions to let you know if you’re going to have a low glucose overnight.”

The EASD international conference brings together thousands of experts to discuss scientific breakthroughs, clinical trials and best practices for diabetes management.

What really stood out for Justin was all of the continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). “It made me hopeful about the future of accessibility in the CGM space, and will hopefully drive down the price and make it not a specialty.”

I thought Dexcom’s new Trends tab that’s coming out was very cool,” Eastzer said. “It adds a lot more information on the app, which I like to see, as I just reviewed the Libre3 Plus, and that app has a ton of statistics, so I think the trends tab will help Dexcom catch Abbott in that area.”

Tubeless Pumps

“All the pump companies are working on tubeless pumps. I think everyone would love—or could benefit from—a tubeless pump. I want people to have that option with their desired algorithm, interface and company. We’re seeing the Mobi go tubeless, Medtronic, Beta Bionics, even Tandem is working on another tubeless pump.”

Eastzer hasn’t tried all of the insulin pumps, but plans to try more. “My favorite pump now is the Omnipod, because it’s tubeless. I’m using it with DIY Loop now, and it’s a good setup for me.”

Longer-Lasting Infusion Sets

Along with tubeless technology, Eastzer is pumped about longer-lasting infusion sets.

“It’s something I can allow myself to be excited about, and I expect it to explode. I also got a hands-on demo with Tandem’s seven-day infusion set, which was very cool,” he said. “Medtronic now has its seven-day infusion set, Tandem is bringing theirs, to their tube pumps and the tubeless form of Mobi. I also hope we start seeing this with Omnipod and all future iterations of tubeless pumps.”

“Going from three to seven days is a huge leap,” said Eastzer. “Switching out my CGM every 10 days doesn’t feel like a nuisance—15 days is going to be even better, but 10 days feels totally fine. But my pump, every time I have to change it, three days feels really short. So the full week is going to feel so much better.”

T1D Life Lessons & Hope

Eastzer admits that when he was first diagnosed with diabetes, he worried he wouldn’t be able to live a normal life. “I thought, I’m not going to be able to go camping, and I’m always going to need all of these supplies with me, but what I didn’t realize and what I wish someone had told me was, “You’re going to be able to do everything everyone else does—except you’re just going to need to be prepared and pack things with you.”

Every day, Eastzer hears from followers whose stories remind him why he does what he does. “It’s just nice to know that I can help people who are feeling as lost as I was when I was first diagnosed, and I’m sure parents take it even harder in some ways.” 

“The ones that mean the most are the parents who’ve found my content and say, it gave them hope their child will live a full life, a normal life. There is so much hope for future technological innovations. And there’s a lot of research going on for a cure.”