Medals of Honor: Diabetes Forecast magazine pays tribute to those living with diabetes for decades

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Dec 01, 2014, 10:14 ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thanks to advances in diabetes treatment and true personal effort, many people who depend on insulin lead long, healthy lives with the disease—something thought impossible not long ago. The December 2014 issue of Diabetes Forecast^®, the Healthy Living Magazine of the American Diabetes Association, celebrates these triumphant stories, the science that made it possible and the organizations that give medals to those who have successfully managed diabetes for 10, 25, 50, 75 years or more.

Elizabeth Tarbox, 80, is one of those people. As a young child in 1938, she was rushed to a Boston hospital with signs of diabetic ketoacidosis. There her type 1 diabetes was diagnosed by Elliott Joslin, MD, who would eventually become known as a pioneer in diabetes study and treatment. So began Tarbox's lifelong experience with insulin injections and blood glucose control, which culminated in receiving the 75-year Lilly Diabetes Journey Award in June 2014.

Medals of Resilience explores the efforts of the Lilly Diabetes program, plus the similar Joslin 50-Year Medalist Study that bears Dr. Joslin's name, to recognize people with long-duration type 1. The article also delves into how researchers have studied the medalists' lifestyles and biology to glean what may have helped many in the group escape common diabetes-related complications, such as blindness, kidney failure and nerve disease. The medalists are not only good role models for younger people facing the disease, but also a potential key to unlocking new therapies.

Also in the December 2014 issue of Diabetes Forecast:

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' focus on diabetes care.
Does diabetes play a role in hearing loss?
An FBI special agent with diabetes wins her dream job.
The basics of clinical research and how to participate.
Healthful soup recipes—plus tips for stirring up delicious concoctions at home.

Diabetes Forecast has been America's leading diabetes magazine for more than 65 years, offering the latest news on diabetes research and treatment to provide information, inspiration and support to people with diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to Stop Diabetes^® and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information, please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.

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SOURCE American Diabetes Association