Vicky Clanton

At the age of 18 months old I got sick ear infections wouldn’t go away and started to loose a lot of weight. It got to the point where all I did was sleep. I was too weak to really move. My mom was doubling the diapers on me to absorb the urine. She took me to the doctor’s, then the hospital, were I was diagnosed Juvenile Type 1 Diabetic and started me on insulin. My first injections were given from my glass syringe with disposable needles. My Insulin was N and R and at the time I was on one shot a day. Glucose was measured by urine tape (1+ to 4+). As a little girl, I use to have huge sunken in holes in my legs from the type of insulin that was used in those days. I was always getting sick with colds and flus. I often got DKA and was in the hospital a lot. I missed a lot of school. I was very self conscious about being diabetic and didn’t want people to know. At school, if I was low I had to raise my hand and the teacher would ask. “Do you need a piece of candy?” I had to walk up to the teacher’s desk to get it while everyone was looking and talking about me. When we had nap time, sometimes I wouldn’t wake up. They called Paramedics. I woke up on the floor looking at Paramedics. When I had sleep overs, which was hardly ever, the same thing would happen. Paramedics ending up coming. So growing up as a T1D as a child was difficult. I am so happy and relieved from research and medicines, today’s care for T1D is what it is and hope it continues.