Marley Silverio: Sweet and Business Savvy

The LoveMeBerry Instagram page is loaded with gorgeous images of cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. Anyone scrolling through will most definitely get lost for hours gazing through the options of expertly designed treats. Behind the scenes of this picturesque site is the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center’s own Marley Silverio.

Marley is a medical assistant at the Berrie Center and along with her sister, a co-founder of LoveMeBerry. LoveMeBerry is a sweet shoppe based out of their home in Peekskill, New York. The business was officially founded in 2021, however Marley and her sister have been baking and experimenting with different flavors for as long as they can remember.

“Our very first cookbook was a Hershey’s cookbook when we were kids,” Marley said. “We started there, and thought, ‘Hey, maybe we can do this or that a little differently,’ so we added personal touches. Soon we started making everything from scratch because we realized it tasted so much better.”

The idea for a business started brewing in 2016. The women took time to perfect their craft and made desserts for small scale events. Guests would go crazy for their signature pina colada cupcakes. Requests began coming in from friends near and far. With a lot of hard work and encouragement from fans, LoveMeBerry was launched on Instagram.

The launch coincided with two other major moments in time—the COVID outbreak, and a life-changing medical diagnosis for Marley. After experiencing rapid weight loss, loss of appetite, hair loss and very high blood sugar, she was diagnosed with diabetes. At first, she was told she had type 2 diabetes and was sent home from a doctor’s appointment with an insulin pen and little instruction. This regime proved to be insufficient, as Marley suffered bad headaches, and eventually ended up in the hospital with ketoacidosis.

Not long after this frightening experience, Marley was advised to see Dr. Jacqueline Salas-Spiegel at the Berrie Center, who she said, “diagnosed me as a type 1 and thankfully, got me on the right track.” 

Today at the Berrie Center, Marley can be found in the lab where she has worked for the past three years. When a patient comes for an appointment, seeing Marley is the first stop. Her responsibilities include taking a patient’s height, weight, blood pressure, A1C, and uploading diabetes data to the cloud.

Marley offers a high level of compassion to all patients. She knows what this all feels like.

“Having type 1 diabetes takes a lot of work!” Marley said. “And as someone who loves to bake, it’s really hard! Before I was diagnosed, I wouldn't think about whether something had a lot of sugar and I wouldn't even think about carbs.”

Soon after Marley was diagnosed her sister gave her a cookbook with low-sugar alternatives for people with T1D. “I tried it,” she lamented. “But it wasn’t the same.”

Marley still enjoys the treats she loves but has learned strategies to indulge in a safe way. She counts carbs, pre-boluses and tries to limit her amount of sugar consumption. Although she admits, “It is not easy!”

Her biggest advice for other sugar-lovers with T1D: “I have none! I could use some myself!”

Make sure to say hello to Marley at your next Berrie Center visit and check out her site!