Libby Lashansky, a great-grandmother from Long Island in America is one of the oldest living people with type 1 diabetes.
Lashansky, who was told she wouldn’t live past the age of 5, has beaten the odds and is now 92 years old.
Lashansky was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 11 which was not as well understood in the 1940s.
Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas does not produce insulin (or very little). Insulin is the hormone responsible for enabling glucose to enter cells and helps regulate blood sugar levels. When there is insufficient insulin in the bloodstream, glucose accumulates in the circulation, resulting in excessive blood sugar levels.
Doctors advised Lashansky not to have children since she would not live long.
Proving the doctors wrong, Lashansky has had 2 children, and is now grandmother to 7 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
In fact, Lashansky went on to become a doctor.
Lashansky attributes her longevity to major advancements in glucose monitoring, insulin pumps and good nutrition.
Speaking to CBS News, Lashansky said: “I would have to use a match, light the wick and then hold the test tube over the flame.”
Now technology provides Lashansky a blood glucose reading every 5 minutes using a Dexcom G6.
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“Have a balance between the carbohydrates, the protein and the fats,” Lashansky said.
“She [Lashansky] really is a miracle because when she had [type 1] diabetes, no one ever would have expected her to live this long” her son-in-law, Saul Brenner commented.
Lashansky adds: “I lived a perfectly normal life.”
Libby Lashansky provides hope and inspiration that people with type 1 diabetes can live a full and fruitful life.
