The weekend was wonderful here in the Shire blue skies slight ruffle of the wind on your face for a bank holiday Whitsun it was nice Angel's sister Brenda came to stay and we drove to Ironbridge on Monday lots and lots of other folks had the same idea as we the River Severn flowed under the Bridge and there was even a cruise on the river for those energetic enough to climb on and off the boat.

It is like walking into the past crossing the Bridge until you look downstream at the power…

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When it comes to living with Type I Diabetes I'm impatient and frustrated. Since my first insulin shot in 1994 I've looked every day for the announcement for a cure. Sheila Thorne lived with it for over 80 years - receiving her first shot from the discoverer of insulin.

Before Dr. Frederick Banting made his Nobel Prize winning discovery a diagnosis of diabetes meant death - either from starvation or hyperglycemia. Luckily for Sheila Thorn, she was taken to see the pioneering doctor…

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Did you know that Lee Ducat established JDRF with a cocktail party? You heard me, a cocktail party! If this is news to you, you’ll be interested in today’s blog post that highlights her story. Read our post at Discuss Diabetes here.

Best, Laura K.

There’s plenty of tradition to go with St. Patrick’s Day, so we decided to share one of the most traditional recipes around – corned beef & cabbage. Read the post at Discuss Diabetes here and enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day! Best, Laura K.

We’re celebrating Women’s History Month with a timeline infographic showcasing inspiring women and their contributions to diabetes history. Here’s some girl power you won’t want to miss! Read the post and check out our infographic at Discuss Diabetes here.

Best,

Laura K.

I won’t forget those wise old words my Daddy said to me

As he sat down in his chair one night and perched me on his knee.

He said, ‘Son, diabetes wasn’t always so much fun,

So let me tell you how it was in 1931!’



Twice a day we’d drive to town, down to the abattoir,

Pick out a bovine pancreas and stow it in the car,

And when we got home Mum and Dad would mash that organ up,

And strain it through a muslin bag into a paper cup…



Then Dad would get some… Continue

We didn't have all of these sugar-free choices in sodas, or nutritional labels with carbohydrates and fats listed. All we had was Tab or Fresca, and that was it! To this day if I see a Fresca I will buy it, just for the fond childhood memories. (Tab was for the girls.)

And we tried to guess at "starch exchanges" rather than carb-counting, which was just fine because we took two daily shots of pork Ultralente and Regular (mixed in one syringe) so even if we somehow knew the carbohydrates it… Continue

So a friend tells me today that his wife visited The Banting House in celebration of World Diabetes Day. Not able to make an immediate connection, I learned that it was Dr. Frederick Banting that was one of the co-discoverers of the medical use of insulin. If there is something to learn today, perhaps it is this little bit of history.

The Discovery of Insulin

When I was diagnosed, the only other person I knew of in my family with D was my paternal grandfather. All I knew about it was that he took insulin, and had to have a sandwich before going to bed.



After my parents got divorced, I lost touch with my dad's side of the family. I recently found some of my cousins on Facebook, and added them as "friends". This morning I had a bit of a brainwave - I sent them a message asking if they knew of anyone else in the family with D. Apparently one… Continue

Spent a couple of hours watching a National Geographic Channel piece on "The Madness of Henry VIII". The premise is that, once possessed of the overwhelming need for a legitimate son and heir, Henry manipulated, and was manipulated by, events until the young, handsome king became a sick, overweight, middle-aged, paranoid despot... and that said despotism was indicative of psychological illness...



What piqued my interest, for the moment, was the description of the festering… Continue