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Permalink Reply by T1Forever on December 12, 2011 at 4:22pm

Hey, I was nine--talk about forever in your life!?! The shoe does not have to fall. I have only had some retinopathy--easily lasered, As I say, Keep On Keepin On, Brianna!!!

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Permalink Reply by Johnben. on December 11, 2011 at 4:55pm

Good luck for the future,

JB.

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Collins on December 12, 2011 at 6:02am

Thank You for putting this up, I have had diabetes for 20 years, so far so good but as I get older I feel like I am on borrowed time - it's just a fear in the back of my head of what could happen even though I am completely healthy today. It's my First day on this website and I hope to see more posts like this!

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Permalink Reply by michael13 on December 12, 2011 at 3:59pm

Congratulations!
I'll be 49 years on December 28th. I've just started following Diabetics on line and it's all very interesting. What's the award/recognition everyone is talking about at 50 years. My Mom and Dad are still very much alive (I was 2). What should they do to verify?
Best and many many more to you.

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Permalink Reply by T1Forever on December 12, 2011 at 4:31pm

It is from the Joslin Clinic. Since 1975, they have only awarded 3000 medalis to those who have been insulin dependant for a long period of time. They do a great deal of good research, using the longtimers. It is a great cause and will help us all. Here is the link to basic information:

http://www.joslin.org/diabetes-research/medalist_program.html

Hope you get going NOW and not wait like I did. I think I felt Dad would live forever.

Best wishes, Michael. Let us know what happens, PLEASE!

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Permalink Reply by David G. on December 12, 2011 at 9:24pm

The Joslin medal for anyone who has survived for 50 or more years is worth trying to get. Two page application form available on the internet at the site previously listed by another member. You need some sort of verification as to when you were diagnosed. Since in so many members lives hospital records from that long ago aren't available any more they will accept letters from 2 friends or relatives if they have some sort of a reasonably verifible date in them(birth of a child for example)
Got mine in Feb.2011- 2 years later than it should have been because I didn't know about it before I found this internet site.
Was diagnosed before my 3 birthday in Nov. 1958. Now belong to a rather exclusive club- diagnosed under age 3 and survived slightly longer than 53 years. Not many members in this fraternity"

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Permalink Reply by T1Forever on December 13, 2011 at 2:23pm

Unforunately, I have no one left to write verification letters. Only my cousins and they don't remember. Kind of breaks my heart a little. It would have been nice.

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Permalink Reply by Tim on December 15, 2011 at 1:07pm

When I was diagnosed, the local newspaper carried notices of hospital admissions etc. (Long before health privacy laws!). Any chance of finding this in your hometown's newspaper archives?

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Permalink Reply by Trisha01 on December 15, 2011 at 6:05pm

Wow, Tim, I'm glad you posted this. :) I had forgotten all about it. :( It might help in my search for something, from 1967. Thanks for a reminder that was long gone.

Trisha

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Permalink Reply by Sheila on December 22, 2011 at 3:50am

I am in this "fraternity" I was diagnosed at age 3 in 1954. I have gone through so many different ways of "managing diabetes"...different trends, different doctors and different countries. I was born in Scotland, raised in Kenya, East Africa - then lived in UK - now living in USA. I am certainly well travelled and had quite a few "bumps" with D over the years. My endo. says he has know people who have D and after only a couple of years they get complications, amputations, renal failure.... and pass on. BUT he says he then has patients like me who just seem to go on forever. It is not because I must have taken care of myself over the last 58 years ? No, absolutely not true. Without the technology that we have now and the old fashioned pork/beef insulins it was very hard to control any form of decent blood sugars. Testing urine for glucose was no help because the kidneys have already flushed out the sugar from your body.....and it is about to leave your body in the urine. So is that really a good judge of what your blood sugars are ???
Anyway, I am glad that I am one of those "freaks of nature" or "perfect genes"... and that I am still alive and healthy.!!! It is not a science or any type of genetic testing that can prove why some live a lot longer than others and it certainly is not because of "good management".
Sheila

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Permalink Reply by Richard157 on December 22, 2011 at 6:58am

Sheila, Dr. King, head of the Joslin Medalist Study, announced that there is an estimated 2000 of us "freaks of nature" in the US at the current time. 2000 out of 3 million type 1's with long term diabetes and no serious complications. That means an individual type 1 has a less than 1% chance of being protected against complications. The Study is trying to determine the factor(s) within us that give us that protection.

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Permalink Reply by Sheila on December 22, 2011 at 9:08am

Thanks for "freaks of nature"....!!!
I have been called a lot worse in my time !!
That is a very interesting equation. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that we are singular in the genetics of families. I am the only one in my family. ?
Thanks
Sheila

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