My name is Whitney; I prefer Whit; I like everyone to call me that; I’ve adopted it as my real name, haha (: as for nicknames, I've got a million lol Dimm, Tink, Wittenburg, Spit… the list goes on, but Whit is best.

I grew up in Draper. My Dad moved us out here from Oregon when I was very young because he wanted us to know our grandparents in case they died young as he did. 

I have lots of whys for working here at DETS. My father is a T1 Diabetic. Growing up, he had never learned how to handle his diabetes, and he never seemed to have much control over it. It felt like our whole family experienced it all with him.

He suffered from a DKA, Comas, secondary issues like OSA, and a stroke. One year he had cataract surgery that wouldn't heal thanks to his diabetes. It was tough to grow up with a dad who was constantly teetering with death (by the time I was 18, I'd said goodbye to him 4 or 5 times, fully expecting he was going to die each time.) He finally took control of his diabetes.

Still, he is now living with the consequences of not being proactive with his care. I can't blame him entirely because when he was diagnosed at 12 back in 1978, he described his doctor's view of the diagnosis as a death sentence. I am passionate about helping other people with this diagnosis, not have the same experience my father had and realize that they can still live a long healthy life.

On the lighter side, my favorite color is Pink.  I don’t know that I have a favorite meal, I went plant-based about a year ago, and I will openly break it for pizza with real cheese. I try not to, but it's probably safe to say that pizza (even the vegan kind) is a fave. Fave drink is water, or wine, or apple juice, hahaha!

I've been to lots of much more excellent places, but I never seem to get tired of Hawaii (the big island). I don't watch many movies because I tend to talk too much and move around too much, but I love Hitch and The Great Gatsby. Movie stars are not my thing, and I don't know many of their names.

I'm a die-hard Ute! I LOVE football and don't care for other sports. I like to skateboard (how lame is it for a 23-year-old girl to the skatepark?) My favorite stress reliever is going on walks. I took up biking last spring and can't wait to continue once it gets warm again!

You can count on me to genuinely care and make my best effort to help you enjoy the best and most healthy life you can with diabetes or thyroid disorders. I have personal connections to how this affects people; I even have hypothyroidism myself. I want people to live the highest quality of life they can!

Whit