83 Years of Living Well with Diabetes
Posted on: Thursday, July 12th, 2007 at 4:38 amI found this great thread over on diabetesdaily.com about a short story on Gladys Dull who has had diabetes for 83 years. I thought it might be cool for others to read and grab inspiration from. She was diagnosed in 1924 and 60,000 shots later she is still truckin along better than ever.
It really puts things into perspective for those of us living with all the grand “modern medicine” and our fancy pumps and CMG’s. I mean, I know how thick the needles and lancets were 15 years ago when I was diagnosed but I can only image what they had to deal with 30, 40, 50 years ago let alone 80.
So give it a read, some of us “youngsters” should take heed.
A quick snippet:
“In November 1924, three years after the discovery of insulin in 1921, six-year-old Gladys Dull began her long life of insulin injections. To our knowledge, she is the longest-living person with diabetes to date.Born in North Dakota, Gladys lost her birth parents during a flu epidemic in 1920 when she was only three years old. Fortunately, she and one of her sisters were soon adopted by some neighbors who were part of the farming community there. She remembers feeling sick before her diagnosis and needing to urinate all thetime. After traveling the nine miles from her country home to the nearest doctor, she was diagnosed with type 1. The smalltown doctor, who did not know how to treat diabetes, suggested that her adoptive parents take her to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Gladys remembers the long train trip from her home to the clinic, where she was immediately admitted to the hospital for treatment with the newly available, Lilly-made insulin.
Related Posts:
- Tony Blair on UK Diabetes, Glaxo causing heart attacks and just what is Gestational Diabetes?
- How Many Years Have You Had Diabetes?
- Fay ….here she comes
- (Type 2) Diabetes Up In England Amid Rising Obesity
- About SugarStats
- Just spoke to another Diabetic struggling with the costs of diabetes healthcare…and I don’t mean just money!!!
July 12th, 2007 at 4:42 am
I had it 35 years ago and it was primitive compared to today. Just the change in syringes is amazing. The glass/steel ones were HEAVY.
I know that several of us see the current treatments and just improved versions of what’s been around since the mind 1920s—but those are REALLY BIG improvements. I’d hate to give any of them up!
July 13th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Bernard,
Yeah, man thats pretty crazy. I’d hate to give any of it up either