Publish date: 28 September 2023
A Tameside lady was recently presented with a medal for people who have lived with diabetes for more than 50 years.
Dorothy Rothwell visited the Trust with her family to receive the Alan Nabarro medal.
Alan Nabarro, whom the medal is named after, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1922, and was given six months to live.
Insulin was subsequently discovered in 1923 and he was able to successfully manage his condition over the following 55 years, spending his career fighting discrimination for people living with diabetes.
Dorothy and her family met with Tameside and Glossop NHS ICFT Chief Executive, Karen James OBE, to discuss her journey and how diabetes management has improved over the last half a century.
When asked if she had any advice for people who have just received a diabetes diagnosis, Dorothy said: “You’ve got a full life ahead of you – but please make sure you follow the expert advice.”
Dorothy was diagnosed with diabetes 59 years ago, in 1964, and is only the Trust’s sixth recipient of the Alan Nabarro medal.