While I was at work last week lamenting the fact that I had to work instead of still being at the camp with the kids and the sunshine and fun, I got to thinking about how lucky diabetics are these days. I know that this will age me chronically but it’s the truth so I’m gonna say it anyway.

Back in the day (1991 to be exact) we sure as heck didn’t have pumps. Hell, we didn’t even have insulin pens so I was a little shocked I suppose when I saw these young ones all doing what I thought were complicated regimes of testing, boluses etc at the camp fairly independant of their parents and us. That train of thought then led to the next and I realised that people another generation above me were boiling syringes before they used it again, some were using sticks for testing blood glucose that they pee on and then matched to the side of a bottle like we still do today to test for ketones (or they didn’t even test at all) and before that people just died. It truly is totally amazing how many advances from the gentle nature of finger prickers that replaced the finger hackers of the 90’s to the myriad of various insulins that exist on the market. So at that point, I started to look around the net in the absence of anything less tragic to do like clean my house or plan my wedding I discovered three things:

1) That someone in india has invented vegetarian insulin (that one REALLY took me off guard)

2) Scientists have succeeded in transplanting a gene into safflower plants which then produce insulin as a       by product with the intention being to reduce production costs and

3) If you type “find Chuck Norris” into into Google and then click “I’m feeling lucky” it is absolutely hilarious!

So the point of this blog is to thank all the thousands of wonderful people that have contributed to improving the lives of people with diabetes. People like Mr Banting, the inventer of insulin, who is pictured above and the lady at the diabetes place in Oamaru who sells me my glucose tablets. The net result of all that work is that I get to write this blog, eat stuff and not kick the bucket (only metaphorically cos I can ACTUALLY kick one if I want – see photo) and that’s cos there are so many ladies and gentlemen out there championing our cause. Having realised that, I pondered what on earth it is that makes people dedicate so many years of their lives to improving the lot of you and I and my theory is that some of them have kids with diabetes, some have parents and some have sisters and brothers which motivates them. Some of them are diabetics themselves like Nic, and some of them must see diabetics and the deal they are dealt and the positive way which they respond and be inspired to lend a helping hand to make a difference. I dunno about the others at the camp but that is exactly why I’ll be going back to the kids camp in 2010 to help out again.

You guys are choice and I salute you.