She's coming to us from her gym, where she's fit us in her busy schedule. As other members walk around her holding court into her Mac, AirPods firmly in position, she's pulling us into her gravity. Two Gs worth.

Miss Arizona, as she likes to call herself — unofficial, sure, but Lord help you if you disagree — is never not on the move. Which is just what you'd expect from someone who sets her life by her schedule, not her diabetes.

"Diabetes now fits my life," Kemak said. "I don't have to choose my life to fit diabetes."

Glitter Glucose Enters, Stage Fright
Paloma Kemak was born on a chicken farm near Maricopa, Arizona — not to be confused with the semi-infamous county of the same name in the state — a town in the valley outside Scottsdale.

From a young age, she was always into being put together with the latest styles and trends. She attended Fashion Institute of Design in California and graduated with a degree in fashion merchandising before going to work as a sales rep for a fashion accessory company, traveling around the Southwest.

A dream job in her early 20s.

But her health was taking a nightmarish turn.

It didn't add up. Something was … off.

"I felt so tired and so thirsty and had no energy. And I was like, 'This is my dream job. Why am I not excited and energized?'" Kemak said.

2013. Diabetes.

Time and space being relative, the distance from her doctor's lips to really registering in her ears took something in the neighborhood of two years. Adulting is not always what it's made out to be. Her new reality was decidedly not in her plans and for those two years, she kept it to the side.

"Even though I had a glucometer and insulin and syringes, I wasn't doing it. I wasn't feeling any better," Kemak said. "When I got online and started seeing other people living with diabetes, it made me want to take control. And I saw people living their full life. Feeling good. Feeling healthy. And it reminded me of how I used to feel before diagnosis. That motivated me."

Finally, exhausted from not dealing with her situation head-on, she unleashed a new version of her truest self. And that is how Glitter Glucose was born.

"When I created Glitter Glucose, I was like, 'This is me. These are my people, this is my community,'" Kemak said. "Initially, 100% of my followers had diabetes. But at this point, only about 60% have diabetes.”

Her site is "not just like, diabetes diabetes diabetes," she said. "When I started, my page was, 'I'm a diabetic.' And then I transitioned to, 'I'm a girl with diabetes.' And now it's just like, 'I'm a girl living my life who happens to have diabetes.'"

And her site has a growing community of people looking to learn from her situation and feel the same relief.

"I've gotten so many messages from moms as they're in the hospital, and they're Googling 'diabetes' and they're like, 'I found you!' when my kid was diagnosed," Kemak said.

The takeaway for those moms — "My kid's OK. My kid's gonna live their life." — is for everyone, really, and billions more over the next decade.

Live your life. Paloma Kemak is living hers.

Our time with Glitter Glucose is too short. The call is nearing its conclusion. You can feel her gravity letting us go, like we're floating back to our previous existence. Our sojourn to visit the Glitterati's queen is coming to an end. By now, it's clear it's not just her hands. No part of her is stopping. There are places to visit, people to see, all the things to do.

"Diabetes comes where I go," she said. "I don't have to think twice. I don't have to hesitate. I just feel great."

Till next time, your highness.

Reference
¹Fingersticks are required if your glucose alarms and readings do not match symptoms or when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol during the first 12 hours.

*Paloma Kemak is a paid ambassador for FreeStyle Libre portfolio. The views expressed are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. Individual symptoms, situations and circumstances may vary.