December 15, 1922 - "J. L." age 3 yrs. weight 15 lbs. February 15, 1923 - weight 29 lbs. (Photos courtesy of Eli Lilly and Company Archives)
There are times when I'm actually at loss for words to write about diabetes. This is either due to 1.) wondering if people are tired of hearing about it, 2.) not wanting to give it any more credit for invading our lives, and 3.) not knowing what to say that hasn't been said in the last 6 1/2 years.
Then I came across this photo. A photo I saw 5 years ago. One that I never forgot.
About the time this photo was taken, my great-grandfather was dying from type 1. Insulin had just been invented in Canada and was on its way to the US. Given a few extra months time, he might have survived.
Prior to the invention of insulin, there was no effective treatment for type 1 aside from a semi-starvation diet. Diabetic children and adults rarely lived a year after diagnosis.
Amazing advancements in the treatment have been made in the last 90 years. Multiple forms of insulin are on the market, needles have gotten smaller, pumps are standard, continuous glucose monitors are here, test strips require less blood, etc.
Some days it's just not good enough for me. I never got to know my great-grandfather the way my kids know my grandpa. Diabetes took that away. It took him from his wife and children. It makes me mad.
I don't want Chase and my dad to go another 90 years for that miracle. Most days I'm thankful for how far we've come. Today it's just not far enough.
