Meet Tama: Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis 43 Years Ago Leads to Career in Health Care

My name is Tama and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 43 years ago. It was a month before my sweet 16th birthday, and my family was getting ready to go on a ski trip. I was fortunate to bypass the typical hospital visit, as many with type 1 experience, because once my symptoms started my mother was savvy enough to get me to our pediatrician quickly. They then sent us to an endocrinologist's office in San Diego where I was able to be put on the first trial of recombinant DNA human insulin. 

When first diagnosed, my mom helped me take insulin injections and took away much of the daily stress in managing my diabetes so that I could settle into a new lifestyle slowly. I have been thoroughly active most of my life playing tennis, figure skating, rowing, and teaching dance aerobics. Now my love is line dancing! I eventually decided that I wanted a career in nutrition and became a registered dietitian, doing my internship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. 

Fast forward to today, where I am a certified diabetes care and education specialist working to help people with diabetes. It is truly my dream job. I am grateful to the American Diabetes Association for providing so many wonderful resources over the years, encouraging me to stay active, and to live my best life with type 1 diabetes!