Llinos Young Honored for Living Over 50 Years with Type 1 Diabetes

Llinos Young from Ceredigion has been honored for living successfully with type 1 diabetes for over 50 years, sharing her journey managing the condition since age 13 with daily injections, diet changes, and modern technology.

Recognition for Living Successfully with Type 1 Diabetes

Llinos Young from Ceredigion has recently received a medal for living successfully with type 1 diabetes for over half a century.

Residing in Aberystwyth, Llinos was awarded the Alan Nabarro Medal by Diabetes UK. Alan Nabarro dedicated his life to ensuring that no one with diabetes faced discrimination due to their condition.

After being diagnosed at age 13, Llinos had to change her diet and manage daily testing and medication.

She shared with Cymru Fyw and on Radio Cymru's Morning Cothi program what it is like to live with what she calls a 'hidden condition':

"I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 13 years old. Leading up to the diagnosis, I was very thirsty, frequently going to the bathroom, and losing a significant amount of weight.

My mother took me to the family doctor who gave me a box of glucose 'for energy' because the weight loss and thirst were making me tired. The glucose actually made me feel worse.

By the end, I had lost so much weight that the doctor, after doing a urine test, realized my glucose levels were extremely high, off the charts. I was admitted to Treforus Hospital for at least two weeks to get it under control.

It was a relief to have a reason for the weight loss and symptoms, and I was so glad to be living with it. I thought, this is a challenge, I have to live with it now and I’m thankful there is a way to live with it.

I believe it was more of a challenge for the family. They had to adapt and help me. My mother had to boil the injections. The injections were glass and to sterilize them, we had to boil them like baby bottles.

The staff at Treforus Hospital were very good at helping me practice injecting on an orange, and then injecting insulin into the thighs or arms twice a day.

I had to test my urine to see how much sugar was present; it changed color. It was all quite laborious and I had to watch what I ate as well.

I could eat everything except things like cakes. Managing carbohydrates was important, and weighing how many potatoes were on the plate, etc.

When you hear about the long-term side effects, I thought I might go blind. There are many complications that can come with it, so I thought I had to be strict.

When I went to the clinic, I heard women talking and one said, 'I can’t have children because I’m diabetic,' and I thought, oh dear. But no, that didn’t happen to me, and I had three children."

Physical Activity

"I walk a lot, and now my sister and I are walking around the coast of Wales. We started in Caer and have reached Tenby. I walk quite a bit, and it’s important to keep the body moving.

Mental state also affects sugar levels. If you are under great stress and anxiety, cortisol rises and affects sugar levels.

Being diabetic is like being on a seesaw. Being on a seesaw is quite nice but you have to have balance.

You can be low, and having low sugar is dangerous. I have had low sugar experiences that were unpleasant, and then you can be too high which affects everything in the long term. So it’s about balance.

To be honest, I was quite emotional and chuffed because it was a life sentence in a way, although it was a relief [to get the diagnosis]. I thought my parents and sister had to live with it too and no one thought about them like that.

Now the information and medical system are incredible and you get all kinds of help. There is even a medical psychologist now specifically for diabetes.

Blood testing has changed. Now I have a disc on my arm which is a sensor and I can test my blood with my phone. I put the phone on the sensor and I know exactly what my sugar level is. That then connects to the diabetic nurse and they can help.

I now have four injections a day, and the one before bed is long-acting to keep insulin levels steady.

It’s a hidden condition – you can walk down the street and people don’t know.