MICHELLE Chetty was only eight years old when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
As the country observed Diabetes Awareness Day on November, 14, the Morningside resident hopes to shed light and bring awareness to the condition by sharing her story.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction where the body’s defence system attacks the cells that produce insulin, explained Chetty.
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“People with type 1 diabetes need daily injections of insulin to control their blood glucose levels. If people with type 1 diabetes do not have access to insulin, they will die. I was first diagnosed in 1980 when very little was known about the condition. I was quite ill for an entire year before my prognosis. I remember being hungry all the time, I lost a lot of weight. I was very skinny, thirsty all the time and always tired. I also suffered from intense cramps. Then one day I woke up with such bad cramps in my abdomen that I passed out. I was rushed to the emergency room and, after testing my blood sugar, the doctors said my levels were off the charts. They informed my parents that if they hadn’t caught it on time, I could have died because my blood sugar was that high.
“My teenage years were very unhappy as I had to watch the food I ate. I also had to control my sugar levels. While other children lived a ‘normal’ life, I found myself monitoring everything I put into my body. It got better as I got older thanks, in part, to my parents and my understanding of the condition. However, it took a major adjustment. If you don’t decide to learn about the condition, and get on top of testing your blood sugar regularly, then it can take control of you and can consume you. However, if you do all of these things you can have a happy, healthy life. I have achieved a lot of things in my life as a diabetic person and I am a very active person. I dance, gym, I walk to the beach and I take care of myself,” said Chetty.
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At night, Chetty checks her sugar before she sleeps and injects herself four times a day.
“When diabetes is undetected and inadequately treated, it could lead to complications that result in a reduced quality of life. The theme for this year’s World Diabetes Day was Access to Diabetes Care. My hope is that the government continues to care for people living with diabetes and develops policies to improve diabetes screening. If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, know that there is always hope and you can live as best a life as you choose to. Your life can be normal,” she explained.
To find out about the types of diabetes, and more about living with the condition, visit www.diabetesatlas.org.
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