News from the Quantock Medical Centre
We are very proud to announce that a special medal has been awarded to Helen Every, our Advanced Nurse Practitioner from Diabetes UK. Helen, was given the award for living with Type 1 diabetes for 50 years. Helen was diagnosed when she was 9 years old. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease which develops when the body attacks its own insulin producing cells. It usually affects children and young people but can develop in older age. Helen has been injecting insulin for 50 yrs. She says she has experienced many changes in the management of her condition, from boiling glass syringes and metal needles (which became blunt and painful!) in a saucepan to sterilise them, to using insulin pens and Flash Glucose Monitoring. Helen has been working as a nurse for 42 years and went on to support patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. When she applied to undertake her nurse training, she had to unbelievably fight discrimination because of her condition.
Alan Nabarro, whom the medal is named after, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1922, and was given six months to live. Fortunately, insulin was discovered in 1923 and he was able to successfully manage his condition over the following 55 years. He spent his career fighting discrimination for people living with diabetes. Helen says, I am happy to say that there are additional medals for those who have successfully lived even longer with diabetes. You can find the details at https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/medals.
Pictured is Dr Christopher Stone lead GP at the Quantock Medical Centre, presenting Helen with the Alan Nabarro Medal, along with her husband Geoff, son Harry, Dr Klein, Practice Manager Helen Stacey and Rose Baker Lead Nurse
