Mary Mayfield

I sit here on the eve of my 47th “Diaversary” and wonder how in the world it can be that long! When I was diagnosed at age 10 on January 2nd, 1978, the world of diabetes was so very different from today. I was taught to mix long and short acting insulin and give myself ONE shot each day— that seems unfathomable now. I was also sent home with a kit to catch my urine and perform a Clini-test four times a day. I stayed in the hospital for 7 days, where my CDE, Nancy Cook, taught me all there was to know about diabetes. Nancy and I remain cherished friends to this day!

Some of my earliest memories of living with T1D include hearing the doctors tell my parents that I would “probably” never have kids. Today I have a 28 year old daughter and a 23 year old son!! I also remember one night at the dinner table when my brother asked (as I came back from testing my urine for sugar) “how long will she have to do that?” And hearing my parents tell him “forever”. For my first Valentine’s Day after diagnosis, my parents gave me a small box of white Russel Stover mints. If my Clini-test was blue (negative) all 4 times in a day, I got to eat one of those candies before bed. We kept a chart and crayons inside the closet door outside the bathroom and I would record my urine tests by coloring the squares blue, green, or orange. Orange meant 4+ and my parents would send me out to run around the block a few times to try to get my blood sugar down. Only years later did we learn that this was probably the worst thing they could have done.

I remember returning to 5th grade and hearing my teacher tell the kids all about diabetes—much of it incorrect. She had been type 2 but lost weight and no longer required medication. So my whole class thought I got T1D because I was overweight and I was not confident enough to correct a teacher. (Boy has that changed). My teacher also convinced my classmates that if they scared or startled me, I would have a low bs (or high-I can’t remember) but I clearly remember the response of one of my classmates who swore to ALWAYS be nice to me from that point on😂

While I was in the hospital, Nurse Nancy (as my mother STILL calls her) told me all about a camp for kids with diabetes. Camp Floyd Roger’s became my life’s joy. At age 11 with six months of T1D experience, my parents sent me off for TWO full weeks of camp. It was the best time I had ever had and life turned in to counting the days until camp started again. When I got married 15 years later, two of my five bridesmaids and my guestbook attendant were my camp friends! Still today, one of them is the first person I call with news. We vacation together and share a permanent camp sight.

I got my first glucometer in 8th grade and I was over the moon! The following year, I started taking two shots a day. It was somewhere in there that I saw my first insulin pump-about the size of 10 – 12 of today’s pumps. It stretched across my former camp counselor, Suzie’s, back and she told us that this was making it possible for her to have a healthy baby! About 7 years later, I decided that I, too, wanted to use a pump and the process began. I was one of the first handful of people with a pump in my area and I often felt like a star as people gathered to ask me questions and I was asked to speak to diabetes support groups. It is still hard for me to comprehend how common pumps have become and I frequently embarrass my kids when I get excited to see somebody else with a pump! My latest upgrade came with the invention of the CGM. What a life- changer!

As I was reflecting on all of this earlier, I remembered many years ago an old man (in my eyes, anyway) proudly showing off his 50 year pin. At the time I couldn’t imagine 50 years-I was sweating the 10 year mark. Since 50 years is now only three short years away, I decided to look in to this pin thing, and here I am.

I can not say that T1D has been a bed of roses-I’ve been to too many funerals for people gone too soon and watched a dear friend go blind, but all-in-all, I am so very grateful for the friends I have in my life because of T1D. I will admit that I am a bit blue on my diaversary every year, but always bounce back quickly and count my blessings for all of the advances that have been made to enable me to reach the 47 year mark. I will treasure my 25 year pin while looking forward to my 50th and allowing myself to imagine that even a 75th may be possible!