Former Syracuse TV anchor pens new book about health
Former Syracuse television anchor Stacey Simms has published a new book about struggles with parenting and health.
Simms released “Still the World’s Worst Diabetes Mom” in November in honor of Diabetes Awareness Month, as a sequel to her award-winning 2019 book “The World’s Worst Diabetes Mom.” Both are based on her experiences raising her son, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in 2006, just before he turned 2 years old.
“Diabetes stinks,” Simms says. “I don’t really know any parents of children with type 1 who think they’ve got every bit of it right. We’ve learned so much from this journey of having a toddler with T1D and having to do every bit of his care, to now having a high school senior who’s almost completely independent. I want other parents to know that it’s the mistakes that have helped us the most.”
Simms has embraced a parenting philosophy of “Not perfect, but safe and happy” as her son moves towards independence as a young adult. She aims to offer actionable advice for other parents by detailing questions and prompts for their child’s health care providers.
Her first book, which won American Book Fest’s Best New Nonfiction and was named a Top 100 Parenting Book by Book Authority, was inspired by her own parenting experiences she shared on her blog and social media, as well as the unforgettable feeling she got when someone on Facebook told her she was an awful parent. She also digs into the topic on “Diabetes Connection,” a weekly podcast for parents of T1D kids and adults with diabetes.
Simms lives with her family of four in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she worked in local TV and radio for more than a decade before launching her podcast in 2015.
She began her broadcast career in Syracuse at NewsRadio 570 WSYR while attending Syracuse University. She also worked at WKTV in Utica and spent three years as the morning anchor on WSTM (now part of CNY Central) as Jeff Glor’s cohost.
“Still The World’s Worst Diabetes Mom” is available for purchase at diabetes-connections.com and on Amazon. Her podcast can be heard on Apple, Android, Amazon, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.