14/11/2023
A little bit of diabetes history for your Tuesday 😊
Today, November 14, is World Diabetes Day, marked on this day as it is the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922. Hailed as one of the most significant breakthroughs of modern medicine, it meant that type 1 diabetes was no longer a death sentence, saving millions of lives, and untold grief.
Further to this, this year we’re celebrating the fact that it is 100 years since insulin was available on a larger scale. It led to one of the most dramatic moments in medical history.
In 1923, Frederick Banting, Charles Best and James Collip visited a Toronto hospital and administered insulin to a ward full of children dying from diabetic ketoacidosis. Before they reached the last dying child, the first few were awakening from their coma. One by one, all the children awoke. Those who watched the first starved, comatose children receive insulin and return to life saw something truly resembling a miracle.
Parents who were nearby, awaiting the inevitable death of their child were reunited with their little one. We can only imagine the joy.
However, 100 years on we also realise that, in some ways, type 1 diabetes has gone from being a death sentence to becoming a life sentence. The problem is that the amount of insulin (which can be both life-saving and life-threatening) required is dependent on so many factors, many of which are outside the individual’s control. And the relentlessness of managing a chronic condition for life takes its toll on so many things, particularly when the smallest management misstep can have dire consequences, creating anything from immediate emergencies to long-term damage to vital organs. Socially, type 1 can be isolating, brought about by navigating a world that can feel restrictive and judgemental.
Yes – the past 100 years has taught us that to truly thrive, people with type 1 need a wrap-around approach to support. We take this moment to show our own gratitude, and thank our major partners, Mineral Resources, Telethon7 Perth, and Arc Infrastructure for the support they provide, enabling us to help people impacted by type 1 become better equipped to manage their physical health, look after their mental wellbeing, and develop strong support structures, all required to manage this complex condition, and live a life not limited by the condition.
