|
From here you can listen
to any tracks that are of interest or
read the transcript. If a track is highlighted
this indicates it contains the subject
you searched for. Clicking [Play On]
will play the entire interview from
that point onwards.
Where an interviewee refers to a particular item, there is sometimes a picture of that item among the thumbnails beneath the interviewee’s main photo and in the Extras section.
|
|
|
To play all interview tracks from the beginning, please click the [Play All] button here. |
| 01 Born Stoke on Trent 1935. Father engineer in Coventry, then Navy in war, then business. | |
|
| 02 Secondary modern school. Wanted to be nurse. At 15, Coventry & Warwickshire preliminary nursing school. Birmingham Childrens’ Hospital. | |
|
| 03 Course started 1953. 7 dropped out. Long hours. Teaching good – Professor Smellie. | |
|
04 Diabetic children stayed 2 weeks twice a year. Urine testing. Hypos. 4-hourly injections, soluble insulin. Food measured – unlike other children. Most diabetics don’t understand body.
Did own injections, aged 12. Difficult life. | |
|
05 Returned to children’s ward, 3rd year, 1956 – still strict diets, soluble insulin only, taught children urine-testing.
Married – husband research chemist. Catherine born 1959. I taught music. Catherine developed diabetes, 1964 – after being smacked. GP incredulous. Bedford Hospital. | |
|
| 06 In for 2 weeks – couldn’t stabilise – unsuitable food. I stabilised her with diet. We ate same diet. I was against special school. Got her into convent. Aged 6, got encephalitis – off school 1 year. GPs good, consultant no good. | |
|
| 07 Husband’s grandfather diabetic. Catherine’s grandfather said God would take it away. Catherine did urine-testing – sometimes cheated. Did own injections aged 7 or 8 – painful. Insulin free, needles & syringes not. 2 injections daily until 12 or 13. Treated at Oxford from age 10. | |
|
| 08 Oxford better than Bedford. Went every 2 months. Admitted when sugars high. Once caused by eating crisps. Changed insulin, c.1975. Stable until puberty. | |
|
| 09 During periods, out of control. Eye treatment. Couldn’t do what others did. Depressed – ran in front of car. Dr. Hockaday & psychiatrist wife good. | |
|
| 10 Often missed school, but caught up. Birmingham University. Diabetes ‘brittle’. Didn’t anticipate hypos – I did. 4 injections daily. | |
|
| 11 Diabetes made husband anxious. I took degree & teaching diploma – Catherine cross. I’d fostered children, but not allowed to adopt, because of her diabetes. She fought diabetes. | |
|
| 12 Catherine rejected for social work training & speech therapy because diabetic. Did Dip Ed. Worked with disabled. Vision deteriorated – laser treatment. Married, moved to Hereford, job with less able. | |
|
| 13 Also got work with physically handicapped. Became pregnant – diabetes out of control, stayed with us, husband had accident, she had meningitis, son born by Caesarean. Diabetes brittle – I often looked after baby. Catherine got carpal tunnel syndrome - operation at Oxford - returned to work part-time, still often in hospital, son stayed with us. | |
|
14 Still brittle – hypos at work. Has islet transplants, 2006 & 2007 – no hypos, no more headaches, insulin halved – heaven.
I’ve continued caring role, but mustn’t try to run her life. She can’t drive, so I drive to hospital.
NHS marvellous – better than USA. | |
|
| 15 Husband David got Type 2 diabetes, 1983 – obese. Lost 4 ˝ stone - came off tablets. Became anxious. High blood pressure. Retired early. | |
|
| 16 I diagnosed him – symptoms not as bad as Catherine’s. I put him on diet - pack of cards with calories. | |
|
| 17 Important for family to have same diet. He liked to measure everything. Diabetics must keep clean – immune system not good. | |
|
| 18 Husband well before diabetes – afterwards, ill with colds, like Catherine. He retired 1985, got diverticulosis, 1989. | |
|
| 19 Diabetes didn’t change, but he was never same again. Moved to Hereford, 1994, to be near Catherine. I discovered he knew he’d got Parkinson’s Disease – died 2001. | |
|
20 Husband diagnosed 1983, aged 53 – diet, but exercise not mentioned.
Radcliffe gave Catherine support, but my chief support from sister
Catherine had transplants – great-grandfather died of diabetes & ancestor died of ‘wasting disease’ – diabetes? | |
|
|
