A Lifetime With Diabetes

When I was 11 months old, my parents were told I had "TB" (tuberculosis), but they did not think that I did. Finally my third doctor, who had Type 1 since he was thirteen, asked my parents for a wet diaper, from which to do a urinalysis. It came up positive for diabetes, and he sent me to the hospital immediately and told my parents that I had a 50/50 chance of living through the night!

I recovered after a month in the hospital, and my parents had to adjust to the routine of giving their infant daughter a shot. In those days shots were given through glass syringes and large steel needles - one to charge the bottle of insulin and one to administer the injection.

I am now approaching 50, and I have given birth to three healthy sons, and just recently became a grandmother.

I was only hospitalized when I was initially diagnosed, and my parents kept the whole family on the same diet. In those days a safe diet was very limited in choices, but I was fortunate enough to be under the care of numerous endocrinologists, some of which were very famous. My case was actually written up in medical books, for being diagnosed at such an early age was very unusual.

I thank my parents for taking such good care of me, because I did not suffer any of the possible conditions such as: blindness, kidney failure, etc. I am a relatively healthy person, and I enjoy not having to use glass syringes these days, and I love the new blood glucose meters, that do such a better job than urine tests. But most of all the choices in insulin is best.

I look forward to a day when no one will have to inject themselves.