Type 1 Diabetes

by Aubree Richardson | October 15, 2023

Fourteen-year-old Leonard Thompson lay dying in a Toronto, Canada hospital. His condition? Type 1 diabetes. Doctors, Frederick Banting and Charles Best along with the help of John Macleod and biochemist, J.B. Collip were about to administer the first insulin injection in human history. First mentioned in ancient Egypt and later in India, physicians discovered that ants were attracted to the excessive sugar in the urine of those with the disease. They called the disease ”madhumeha” which means "honey urine.”
Type 1 diabetes, or insulin-dependent diabetes, is an autoimmune disorder that effects the pancreas. The cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are destroyed, causing sugar (glucose} to build up in the bloodstream rather than enter the cells. The condition leads to toxic levels of sugar in the blood and if not treated is life-threatening. 
My grandfather was diagnosed in his early 20s and in November of last year, my 11-year-old brother was as well. Many advances in treatment have been made over the years, making life much easier for those diagnosed. These advances include better insulin, better methods of monitoring glucose levels and insulin pumps. Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) have revolutionized our ability to monitor glucose levels. Insulin pumps can administer insulin as needed, functioning as an external pancreas. These advances have not only made life easier but have lengthened the life span of those diagnosed.