Jeff Nobles

On September 24,1973, I was admitted to the ER of St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida. I had been losing weight and experiencing the other symptoms of type one over the course of that summer, but we did not know what the symptoms indicated. I was 15 years old and lived with my mother, who was divorced and worked full time. She managed to transport me to the hospital as I was entering a coma in a state of diabetic keto acidosis. She was a great mom and I know she was horrified.

I remained in a coma for three days and was hospitalized for 19 days. I learned to inject NPH insulin and to test my urine glucose. I was advised that I could expect to live until age 50 if I took good care. I’m now 65.

Three years later I began college at Princeton University. I was the first member of my family to graduate from college. In 1984, when I was in law school, I moved from daily injections to multiple daily injections, and also began testing my blood glucose with finger pricks. I began using an insulin pump in 2001, and a CGM in 2015. In 2022, I began using inhalable insulin for my basal needs. My diabetes management is better than it has ever been.

I married a wonderful woman, Angie, in 1982, and we have two adult daughters, Audrey and Claire. The love and care I have received from my family, and the technological advances in diabetes care, have helped me live a happy and productive life. I could not have imagined I would be able to have a long and successful career, a loving family, good friends, and a successful legal career. Managing diabetes has always been a struggle but I have been very fortunate.

I remain hopeful that there will be a cure for type one that will benefit younger people. I participate in research studies, contribute to organizations that support people with diabetes, and follow research and technological developments with great interest.

Thank you for the work you do supporting people with diabetes. It means more than I can say.