Noreen Novotny

I was diagnosed May 14, 1974, on Mother’s Day. Not a great gift for my mom, dad, or me to receive. Back then, there were no home blood tests nor CGMs. It was a challenging diagnosis at age 7 and hard to manage. Fast forward to teen age years, which for all who wanted to fit in I ignored my T1 DM. Senior year in High School, my feet started to get numb. My doctor said if I didn’t start taking disease seriously, I would likely be in a wheelchair soon. Scary news to an 18-year-old getting ready to go away to college. I started to take the disease seriously and started exercising and eating better. Although not perfect and my blood sugar controls improved. I had great support from friends who helped me when hypoglycemia struck. I met my rock, husband Mike in college and we have been married for 30 years. We welcomed a healthy 7 lb, 10 oz, child, John in May of 1998 and my OB doctor said my blood sugar management was great which resulted in a very healthy outcome. I take my disease very seriously and do everything can to stay positive despite the daily challenges. I get my 10, 000+ steps per day and speak of the T1 challenges with others. I am fortunate to not have any complications and hope this remains the case. I try to take each day as they come and try not to stress when the numbers don’t cooperate somedays. I have been a mentor to a younger T1 work colleague during her pregnancy and it has benefitted us both to share stories and tips. I hope to make it to the milestone year!