At 19, Lila’s a growing (role) model

LILA MOSS was photographed at Tom Ford’s New York Fashion Week presentation with her insulin pump proudly on display. Good for her. No matter that she’s a successful model and the daughter of Kate Moss, it takes courage for a 19-year-old to do that.

I’ve had a number of young patients with Type 1 diabetes over the years and, while insulin pumps have revolutionised the way the condition is treated, people are often self-conscious about them.

I remember one young woman who’d never been to the beach because she was so worried that people would see her insulin pump.

She felt it marked her out as ‘different’ from her friends when all she wanted to be was the same as them. It sometimes takes a celebrity in the public eye to show that there’s no reason to be ashamed.