This in from IW NHS in their own words. Ed
David Savill from Cowes has been attending the Diabetes Centre at St. Mary’s Hospital for the past 40 years and receiving regular care.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes means your body cannot produce enough insulin or when the insulin that is produced doesn’t work properly. If untreated, it can cause very serious health problems. Being diagnosed with diabetes means making lifestyle changes. People with diabetes often need additional treatments such as medication to control their diabetes, blood pressure and blood fats.
First diagnosed in 1955
Mr Savill was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1955 and has been under the care of healthcare professionals at the Diabetes Centre at St. Mary’s Hospital which is a specialist resource centre offering advice and care for people who have diabetes and the healthcare professionals who look after them.
The Lawrence medal was presented to Mr Savill by Dr Al-Mrayat, Consultant Physician at St. Mary’s Hospital on Tuesday 14th July.
Dr: “Beacon of hope to many patients”
Mr Savill’s wife and carer, Joan, also attended. Speaking at the presentation, Dr Al-Mrayat, said,
“Living with any chronic medical condition such as diabetes for 60 years is a huge and admirable achievement. Many advances in the field of diabetes have come about over such a long period and to be able to adapt to the daily demands of treatment and new technologies and therapies takes significant personal efforts and a great deal of self-management in partnership between the individual and healthcare professionals.
“Such advances include progressing from water boiling of glass syringes and cumbersome glucose testing kits 50-60 years ago to the latest flexible insulin preparations, insulin pumps and injection pens.
“Mr Savill is a beacon of hope to the many patients who are diagnosed daily and an excellent example that, with appropriate management, one can have an active long life and be able to live with, rather than for, diabetes. We congratulate him on this significant milestone and wish him the very best.”
A way of life
Speaking about living with diabetes, Mr Savill, said:
“Diabetes has become a way of life for me. I think that I worked out I have given myself over 33,800 injections over the years so I’m getting pretty good at it. But I don’t like to think that I am ‘suffering’ with diabetes at all, I’m living with it and it’s just a bit of me that doesn’t work.
“The care at St. Mary’s Diabetes Centre is excellent. I only see them every 6 months now as I’m a good diabetic.”
If you would like to know more about the signs and symptoms of diabetes go to the Diabetes UK Website where you can also access a test to see if you are at risk of developing diabetes.
