One small word changed my life with diabetes

Julie Chapple has been living with type 1 for nearly 40 years. She kept it a secret until two years ago, when her dietitian said one word that changed her whole outlook

When did your diabetes journey begin?

I was diagnosed when I was 25. I’d lost about 6kg while pregant and my vision was playing up so badly, I wasn’t confident to drive. I had a really dry throat and a raging thirst. My husband bought me sweet icy poles to suck, which of course didn’t help the situation.

I was incredibly sick on Christmas Day, but I didn’t go to Emergency until Boxing Day. The nurses didn’t know how I was still standing. I was six months pregnant, but I didn’t have gestational diabetes.

After the type 1 diagnosis, I