Medal for grandfather who has lived with type one diabetes for 50 years
ON FEBRUARY 6, 1967, grandfather Allan Jones was diagnosed with type one diabetes, aged just 13.
Now, after decades of insulin injections and blood tests, the Cwmbach 63-year-old has been presented with a medal to commemorate 50 years with the condition.
Mr Jones, a butcher, who has 10 grandchildren, was given the Alan Nabarro medal by diabetic consultant Dr Gautam Das from the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil on Monday.
Mr Jones said: “I was chuffed about it to be honest, and my family are all very pleased and proud.”
Diabetes type one is a condition where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin. It accounts for five to 10 out of 100 people with diabetes.
Being diagnosed at such a young age, Mr Jones was taught how to inject himself by practising on an orange.
He explained: “I was drinking gallons of water or anything I could get my hands on and losing weight.
“One Friday, I was unwell so the doctor came over and told me to come to the surgery on the Monday.
“But on the Sunday, I was completely out of it and in a coma.
“My parents called 999 and I was taken to St Tydfil Hospital, where they diagnosed me with type one diabetes.”
Mr Jones said he then spent 14 weeks at St Tydfil, and for the next few years was in and out of the hospital.
Mr Jones explained: “Over the years, I had some ups and downs with my diabetes and seeing different ways to cope with the condition.
“If it wasn’t for my wife Susan, I might not be here now, she has helped me so much with my hypos (hypoglycaemia – when sufferers’ blood glucose levels drop too low), so have my children and friends.”
Mr Jones said he has seen treatments for diabetes change hugely over the years, and in January this year, started being able to treat his diabetes without having to inject, which he said was a “godsend”.