Diabetes: Kerr receives longevity award

World Diabetes Day is November 14th

The “Sir Frederick Banting Legacy Foundation Living with Diabetes: 50-Plus Years on Insulin Award” has been presented to Mary Jane Kerr of Miramichi, N.B., in recognition of her courage as an Insulin user for over 50 years. 

Juvenile Diabetes, as it was known in the 1960s, was not very common locally. There were not many role models when this diagnosis was received. Ms Kerr quickly embraced opportunities to learn how to live with Diabetes and take care of herself. In the early years, trips to the Joslin Clinic in Boston inspired her with the very latest in care and education. Also, weeks of ‘Diabetic Camp’ at Camp Rotary in Grand Lake, N.B. fostered her innate courage, enthusiasm and joie de vivre.

With the excellent guidance of the Miramichi Regional Diabetes Program, she continues to stay educated in new clinical advancements and uses technologies to assist with managing her Diabetes.   

Upon receiving the award recently, Ms Kerr stated: 

“Dr. Caissie and the Nurses and Dietitians at the Diabetic Clinic here in Miramichi are wonderful.   I am very thankful for all of their caring and professional support.” 

The Award features an image of “The Lab”, a 1925 oil on board painting by Sir Frederick Banting.

An inscription on the original frame indicates that the painting shows the ‘insulin discovery’ lab at precisely 2:00 am. Banting’s primary interest in painting was landscapes and it is believed to be his only interior scene. This War hero and Doctor enjoyed travelling on sketching trips with his friend, 

A. Y. Jackson, of the ‘Group of Seven’. It is a very fitting tribute to the courage and commitment of someone living with Diabetes and taking Insulin for more than 50 years.

Since the discovery of Insulin in 1921, in Toronto, there have been many milestones in the management of Diabetes and some of its complications. World Diabetes Day is November 14th, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting who co-discovered Insulin. Each year, this day is recognized internationally as a time to remember the importance of Insulin and to raise awareness about Diabetes. It also serves as a reminder that the world is still in need of a cure for Diabetes.