Showing Results for: “diabetes”

Living with Type 1 Diabetes and Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

Eating well is key to managing diabetes. Learn about diabetes plate method, non-starchy vegetables, protein, fruits, fats, and diabetes superfoods.

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes (GDM) in 1984, at the age of 24, with my first pregnancy. It was actually the beginning of my journey with type 1 diabetes and I was devastated and afraid for my future. I had been practicing as an RN for three years and had worked with many people who had diabetes. After diagnosis, I realized that I never fully understood what having diabetes meant and the many challenges that were involved. Being diagnosed with diabetes gave me a new perspective. I recognized how I previously made judgements without really knowing the story. I became certified as a

Jeris, from Mechanicsburg, Ohio, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) when she was just under two years old —but she hasn't let it hold her back. This is her story.

Niketa lives a busy life as an actress, acting coach and producer, but she still finds time to stay involved with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and advocate for the diabetes community. This is her story: I've been living with type 1 diabetes for 7,785 days, given myself 43,060 fingerprints and have changed my pump 650 times since being diagnosed in 1999. All I previously knew about diabetes was Julia Roberts dying from childbirth in Steel Magnolias. I wasn't even on the right medication until grad school in New York some five years later. It wasn't until 2011 that I met another

I’m a 66-year-old person with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes has been the prevalent disease in my family for almost 60 years. The seventh with type 1, my 21-year-old niece, was recently diagnosed. I can remember in the mid-60s and '70s when my mother would wring out my brother's diapers for the coveted five drops of urine mixed with ten drops of water in the test tube and the pill to check whether they were negative or 4+. I’ve had type 1 for over 40 years and have used a glucometer since 1983. Due to complications due to my diabetes and other health problems, I’m now an assisted living resident

I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2008. I had no idea that I was a diabetic until I went to a free clinic that was given during that time, and that is when I found out. Growing up, I always craved sweets and would practically eat those things that I liked and would even add extra sugar to it. I am the only diabetic in my immediate family, but there are several relatives that also have the disease. In fact, I lost both my paternal and maternal grandmothers to the complications of diabetes. As a diabetic, I strive to eat the right things as well as take my meds.

Erica was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just 7 years old. Her goal is to show that diabetes doesn’t have to control you—you can control it. Erica lives with type 1 diabetes and resides in Tampa, Florida. She is a studio music teacher and enjoys singing, writing music, and kayaking.

Melvin was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at just 5 years old. He hopes to help educate people about the complications of diabetes and inform people about what can happen when diabetes is not properly managed. Melvin lives with Type 1 diabetes and resides in Cassopolis, Michigan. He is a travel agent and in his free time enjoys yoga, traveling, hiking, and cooking.

“I ADVOCATE TO GIVE OTHERS HOPE!” By Jahna Houston I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes eighteen years ago in my 50s. It was surreal. For several years, I watched mom deal with her late-age diabetes diagnosis and I knew how I wanted to handle mine differently while supporting her. Unbelievably, her passing in fall 2019 at age 93 was NOT due to complications of diabetes directly. She was insulin dependent and worked hard to bring her A1C down from 8.1 to 5.8 over a seven-year period. I had always thought that diabetes was a sentence to forbidden foods, possible amputations, blindness, even