By Pat McAlister
71 YEARS AGO I WAS TOLD I HAVE TYPE 1 DIABETES. I had no idea what that meant at the time. I’m from a small town in Montana and there were no other type 1s. I always wanted to see one that was older to see what my future looked like.
I was told I could not have a child (I wanted a daughter named Beth), was told I’d never be a teacher, and was told I might live 25 years with it.
71 years later I am an example of what I thought was impossible.
SO 71 years later, I have my Beth and my Mike, taught computers at Metro State University in Denver for the Business School, and 25 years was a long time ago. My biggest problem growing up was I was not allowed to eat ice cream. I love vanilla ice cream, so I ate it and hid so no one would yell at me. At that time, there were no diabetic camps and I wasn’t allowed to go to other camps.
When I was 15, our choir was invited to Philadelphia to a National Music meet. I was ecstatic to travel beyond my small town and was so happy that diabetes couldn’t stop me from making this dream come true.
Eventually, diabetes put me in the spotlight and made me realize that I was going through something difficult, yet special. Maude Behrman, the dietitian writer for ADA Forecast, wrote a feature on me and later, I was followed by cameramen – they said “you are a human interest story. You have come all the way across the country with diabetes.” One man handed me a card and said you will be on TV tonight, but we didn’t have TV in our little town. I was also in several magazines and I was stunned. Should I have left my diabetes at home?
Yes, I’ve had complications, but I’ve survived. No, I wasn’t a perfect diabetic – we had no way to tell our blood sugars and took one shot a day. I’ve had a fantastic life and am grateful. My husband Kirby and my good friend Dr. Peter Chase (friend, never Dr. – I was too old) have helped me live a very full life.
I write a diabetic newsletter. It has Denver events, as well as a lot of diabetes news. You can see my latest one here. If you would like to be on my email list, please email me at kpmca@msn.com. I have printed copies if you would like to give them out. I also love being a mentor to those with type 1 diabetes so if you’re looking for someone to talk to about type 1 diabetes, please email me and I’d be happy to help.
