Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard (nee Tackett) has dedicated her career to supporting the T1D community ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Manager of Marketing at T1D Exchange.
Sarah and her husband live in NYC with their cat Gracie. In her spare time, she enjoys doing comedy, taking dance classes, visiting art museums, and exploring different neighborhoods in NYC.
I hold the opinion I’m doing what I’m NOT supposed to do… LIVE! A century ago insulin was unheard of, diabetics suffered a painful crippling death. The biggest goal I have is to live as full as l can, my biggest ego moment is when l hear “You don’t look like a dia…” Working in the “restoration” field I compete with 20 year olds. (partial like construction, I tear mold/water/fire damaged places apart to prepare for a rebuild. Today a poor guy passed away in his BR a week ago, they found him today). I appreciate technology with meters and newer insulin. My pump makes dosing so much easier, nutrition labels allow me to be more consistent. I’m constantly aware how diabetics used to sharpen needles, use “pee” strips and test tubes for some kind of glucose control. No matter my errant higher levels, the frequent hypoglycemic episodes, the inconvenience testing levels 8-9 times a day l want to remember how easy I have it thanks to the medical professionals, the technological industries for the “toys,” and the most? The diabetics from down the years going through hypo*s, timing meals precisely, hiding their supplies because of the stigma, and living as well as they can.
I am grateful that I have lived a full and fulfilling life, that medical advancements have allowed me to raise three great sons. I was part of the first trial for a Continuous Glucose monitor sensor in 1977. It took almost thirty years for that technology and the Bluetooth technology to meet for us to have the CGM that we have today. I was promised a cure in my lifetime, but then, so was my T1D dad. he passed away 20 years ago, was blind and had kidney failure. My sight was save by doctors that experimented with lasers to treat retinopathy. I am very thankful.
As well as my gratitude for SOME medical professionals, the “Other” that I indicated include such things as being able to test blood glucose levels, rather than urinalysis; needles that are not the size of javelins; pump technology and being able to use it; CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring) and how that has drastically reduced the number of times that I’ve lost consciousness (I also have a sleep disorder, called narcolepsy, which must be taken into account here, but the CGM has no control over that. 😉 )
Sure the modern devices have made living with T1D so doable. But, truly, having this condition is nothing to be grateful for.
Like others, I am grateful to have survived, for me 52 + years, with what was once a death sentence. As a diabetes specialist, I am grateful for the inspiration that my T1D patients give me , daily, by their perseverance and often times great success. One group not mentioned- those scientists, engineers, mathematicians, pharmacists, and researchers who work to develop better T1D treatments…
I consider it a blessing and a gift. In order to live well with diabetes one must accept it, develop understanding to make healthy choices, maintain a state of constant mindfulness and self-care discipline to preserve and sustain one’s energy, health and well-being. Living with diabetes affects all aspects of one’s life – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I am grateful and thankful to be alive in a body that has diabetes since early childhood. What? Why? – you may ask. Diabetes has taught me how to live a mindful life and to not take anything for granted. Because of diabetes I am comparatively pretty healthy compared to other adults my age. I have already outlived many in my age category who did not have diabetes. I trust I have a few more years of life before I transition to another plane of existence. So I say “thank you” to diabetes for being my lifelong self-care companion.
I’m 75, diagnosed 45 years ago. I feel diabetes made me healthy. I quit smoking and slowly got healthy. Running and biking helped on that. So thankful for diabetes. Real pain in the ass, but it summoned something inside of me to learn from my disease. Aloha
I’m thankful that there is a ton of research and technology done for T1D. We get a lot of cool gadgets, and they’re coming up with new things all the time. The amount diabetes care has come just in my 17 years is awesome..so I look forward to the cool stuff we’ll get in the future too!
The silver lining for me is the understanding that you can do everything perfectly and still have it fail spectacularly. It is this under standing that lets you go out, do your best and be OK with things just not working out sometimes.
Interesting. Not much consensus here. I guess I am grateful that my awful state feeling before my diagnosis (at age 10, I was certain my symptoms were incompatible with life) turned out to be something called diabetes, and that I could continue living. There have been things that came about because of my diabetes that were good: I got to go to summer camp! But these could have come about my other means as well. So, yeah. I am glad to be here 58 years later. Very glad.
50 years ago I watched my 5-year-old little sister (and my parents) go through the diagnosis, learning curves, and older technology for testing and injections. The way her glucose was tested at home was with ketostix dipped in urine. When I was diagnosed it was 2005 and I could test my glucose with a meter and now I have a flash CGM. Insulin was way improved and no longer from cows. Needle gauges are way smaller and less painful. I love my OmniPod dosing my insulin instead of 4 to 5 injections per day, I only have a cannula inserted every third day. 🙂
I am personally thankful for all mentioned plus technology that allows us to get up every morning to live our best life possible…
I am so grateful that I have lived with Type 1 diabetes for 75 years, and I do not have any serious complications. Most of us in this community can have long, healthy lives with type 1.
I am thankful for the technological improvements for managing T1D in the 40+ years I have had it, and that God has given me a much better & longer life than was expected at my diagnosis. I am thankful too that T1D is not that bad of a problem to have — there are lots & lots of people that have much bigger challenges in their life.
So thankful for my mom who was so helpful when I was diagnosed at the age of 6 in 1961. I am thankful there are now so many ways to have better control because of technology and knowledge!
Angelica, we’re similar. I was diagnosed at 9 in 1960! Haven’t we experienced amazing progress!!! I remember the day in my early 20’s when my whole attitude changed from how awful and unfair t1 was to seeing how much empathy and awareness of other situations it has taught me. Part of why I became a special education teacher !
I am a senior with type 1 LADA, and am thankful for the Abbott Freestyle Libre, and my fingers are especially thankful too. So 10 times the thankfulness!!!! I am also thankful for the endo who diagnosed me when he said ” It isn’t cancer, you can go home and work with this disease”……and I have. This year has been difficult being in the high risk category, but I am thankful that I am not under lock down in a nursing home.
PS. I am so very thankful for the discovery of Insulin 99 years ago in Canada. So next year we can all celebrate the 100th birthday of insulin manufacturing, and celebrate how far we have come in treating type 1 diabetes. Before 1921, this diagnosis was deadly. So we are all looking forward to the new year to celebrate insulin, and new vaccines to wipe out covid 19.
I am so grateful for my husband who is an ICU/Emergency room RN/Manager. He is my rock and support system along with my mom and sister who also have diabetes and 2 daughters that have always been there for me. One is a Registered Dietitian.
strong tolerance for delayed gratification (from decades of having to wait until meal times to have treats like school birthday cupcakes or halloween candy)
My first PCP after diagnosis in 1963 gave me great advice for which I am still thankful. He told me that I had the opportunity to take charge of my health management. His promise was that watching my weight, food intake and exercise would be likely to produce longer life than I would have without the cares from diabetes. I believed him. I am also thankful for the tech developments that moved me from a BG check at the hospital lab every three months to my current position with a meter, a pump, a CGM system. What a blessing to have all these tools to manage my life events.
I am thankful Insulin was already available when I was diagnosed, that I was diagnosed with something treatable. I found by accepting my diagnosis and taking responsibility for it treatment is not an issue for me. I am thankful for the truly wonderful amazing people I met only because I have T1D. And I am thankful for the person I have become. I don’t know if I would be the person I am today if I had not been diagnosed at age 10 in 1984.
T1D has helped me want to try and understand more than my central nervous system. After being diagnosed with my second autoimmune condition, T1D twenty years ago, I became very interested to see what if any correlations there would be between epilepsy and T1D. It was nice to find a specific cause for both my epilepsy and T1D: GAD autoantibodies. It is nice to see how much research is being done and information found. I hope a T1D vaccine is working and available soon.
Because I have TD1 I have been able to participate in diabetic research and clinical trials. This gave me access to some of the world’s leading researchers. In 2008 I had my mini-med pump based on an algorithm with data collected from a Dexcom Seven.
If I had to have this disease, this is the time with all the technology and the fast acting insulin.
Dad lived to 102 & Mom still going at 96. They both went on diabetic exchange diet in 1951 to accommodate me the T1D. Maybe that helped them also. 👻🤡
All the choices are good. I’ve been T1 since 1966 and so far no major complications other than age-related start of a cataract. In addition, because I have T1D, I’m more observant when family members are ill and can see medical conditions developing quicker (or at least I think I do! LOL!).