Sherrie Toti-Johnson

I became type 1 diabetic at the age of 14. Teen years were especially hard to begin with, getting ready to go into high school, parents having problems, seems like a ton was dropped on me and then type 1 diabetes things seem pretty archaic. Then it was glass syringes that had to be boiled needles that were jagged at times testing urine, which never seems to work out. All in all looking back at it now we really didn’t know what was going on. Every day was extremely difficult for me. I couldn’t accept it I didn’t even take my injection. I ended up in acidosis many times in and out of the hospital and had a terrible experience in high school. Don’t have any good memories of it at all. Doctors told my parents I wouldn’t live to be 30 so I had this hanging over my head. Also, good thing I was strong willed because you needed to be.

I finished high school and went to college, but with no real ambition to continue because if I was going to die in a few years anyway, why not do some things after three years of college, I got jobs part-time job doing this doing that just having fun saving my money when I was 21 I went to Europe for the summer with a girlfriend looking back on this experience I don’t know how I made it or what the heck was going on with me it was a miracle anyway I had a great time and lots of memories came home and had to get another job and figure out what I was gonna do. I finally got settled in a really nice place with my girlfriend had my very first really low blood sugar and broke my foot didn’t know what happened I was on NPH insulin hadn’t eaten all day and that’s what happened I guess you could call that my realization moment I took on a whole new attitude with everything because I was young adult, who didn’t think she was going to die. I really started taking good care of myself. I do remember that I had ups and downs, but I did not ever end up in the hospital again.

Technology was changing a bit. There were disposable syringes. I could kind of test my blood with the dipsticks, but you had to time it just right or you didn’t really know. I tried to get several jobs but couldn’t because of the diabetes in those days they wouldn’t hire you first of all if you were a young girl second of all diabetes they just said they didn’t want you.

I decided to start my own business so I started a cleaning service. I lived in a beach community and seems like young men always needed their apartments cleaned because their mother was coming to visit all in all this worked out great for me, but I was tired of it after about six months. To my surprise my last client needed someone to work in his office so I went to work for him, which ended up in another job that was great. I had a career now as a special account customer service agent for an air freight company and I’d loved it.

I was on a schedule I went to work, went to the gym after work back to my apartment, rode my bike on the beach. I was in the best health of my life. I realize another thing at this time schedules were important and I felt so good because of it and also my family doctor put me on multiple injections so I was taking upwards of seven insulin injections a day. I never knew I could feel so good after so many years of just existing.

I continued with good health, met my future husband got married had a little girl at the age of 33. Well, pregnant I was on a schedule again there’s that word schedule, and I exercise every day swam in the pool, walked the dog at certain times. The whole world was different now you could actually test your blood with a machine it was rather large, but it did the job that was 1980.

Let’s fast forward to 1989 I was introduced to the Medtronic insulin pump. I signed up for it immediately as I wanted to do everything I could to make my life as good as it could be. That is my philosophy of this day. I want to be the best that I can be. I have now been on therapy for 35 years.

It was a life changer for me now. Technology has really come up with the wonderful system. I have a continuous glucose monitor with the tandem pump, and I can’t even compare how I started out with where I am now. Quite the life for someone who is going to die at 30.

Why did they tell us that what an awful thing to say to a child. giving us no incentive at all to take care of ourselves. I blame my being out of control as a teenager on the doctors and what I was told.

I am thankful that children today that get diabetes have a real good start and they have the tools in the technology to take care of themselves and can live a great life. No excuses.

It’s my life I’m in control and I am the best I can be every day