My name is Phyllis Kaplan, and I’m the Greater New England Chapter Community Engagement Manager at Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF). I have lived with type 1 diabetes (T1D) for fifty years and have seen first-hand many advancements over the last five decades that have made managing T1D a little easier.
A different way of managing T1D
When I was diagnosed in 1974, life with type 1 diabetes looked very different than it does today. Managing T1D was much more regimented and inflexible than today’s more personalized approach. A lot more was dictated by the medical practices of the time, which didn’t leave much room for variation or spontaneity in daily life.
My parents gave me one injection of Ultralente long-acting insulin and regular insulin each day. For a short time, the insulin I took was a beef/pork mix, which soon after was just pork, until the early 1980s when synthetic insulins came on the market.
Home blood glucose testing didn’t exist then. We figured things out using a sliding scale and urine testing with Clinitest tablets, which involved a glass test tube, an eye dropper, and a reagent tablet that changed color based on how much sugar was detected. The mixture quickly turned colors ranging from blue, which meant no sugar, to bright orange, signifying a lot of sugar. To this day, blue is my favorite color, and I can’t help but wonder if this has anything to do with it.
There was also no carbohydrate counting like we do today. Instead, we were given strict meal plans that divided food into categories like breads, fats, proteins, vegetables, and milk, with a set number of calories for each day.
A bright future ahead
The innovations since then have each made a real difference. We have gone from testing urine sugar levels and strict diets to using continuous glucose monitors that provide real-time glucose levels and automated insulin delivery systems that can correct high blood sugar or mitigate low blood sugar. It’s truly amazing! While none of these are perfect solutions, each step brings us closer to a better quality of life.
As good as the technology is now, though, people living with T1D and their caregivers still have to manage a lot of things related to the disease; it’s just a different type of work. Even on a great day, T1D hums along in the background. The constant mental burden—alarms, carb-counting, and decision fatigue—never goes away.
But every time I meet a newly diagnosed child or talk to a parent managing T1D with tools my parents couldn’t have dreamed of 50 years ago, I’m reminded why this work matters. We’ve come so far, and the future is even brighter.
To those who came before me, those walking this path alongside me, and those just beginning their journey, life with T1D can feel lonely, but know you aren’t alone. Keep going!
To the researchers and advocates working toward better treatments and, one day, cures, keep going!
Here’s to progress, resilience, and the next breakthrough!
