Ambassador : Catherine Stephensen
Name: Catherine Stephensen
Born & raised in Melbourne, Vic.
One of 7 children – no previous family history of Diabetes.
Now have 2 brothers and 1 sister with IDDM all late on-set. Brothers developed diabetes in their 50’s in conjunction with or as a result of haemochromatosis, (iron overload).
Diagnosed IDDM: May 1982
I had been traipsing around Australia in 1980 and 1981, spending time in Darwin, working on prawn trawlers and then going over to Qld, where I met my future husband. We broke up after a while, and I returned to Melbourne, then we reconciled and I returned to Brisbane. Within a month I was diagnosed with IDDM. I was 25.
We married & I got pregnant a year after my diagnosis. There was very little fuss about it. One of my Doctor’s had advised me when I was first diagnosed, that if I was going to have children, I should start within a year before the effects of the disease took their toll on me! The only specific extra support I got during the pregnancy was to have scans done at 17 weeks then at 6 months and I was told this was being done as there was an increased risk of the babies of diabetic developing spina bifida. Not a very reassuring thing for a pregnant 26 year old 2000klms away from her mother & sisters. I had a great pregnancy – no morning sickness, just the occasional nausea while preparing dinner in the evening. Kristin was born by emergency caesarean section on February 11th 1984. I completed my degree in Adult and Vocational Teaching and started a career in TAFE as a Horticultural Teacher at Townsville TAFE in 1993. I rose to the position of Director of Studies by 1999. I undertook my MBA graduating in 2000. I stayed in Townsville until my daughter finished high school, after which I relocated to Melbourne. I now run my own business as a Training Consultant.
During those years in Qld. I owned, bred & showed Appaloosa horses. I spent many lovely holidays trail riding and we would go away camping as a family as often as possible. I never saw the need to take insulin with me as an impediment to having fun and we worked out all sorts of schemas to manage to keep it cool in the hot Qld climate. Within a few months of getting my insulin pump last year, I was off on the 9 day Great Victorian Bike Ride, which was one of the hottest & dustiest on record. I did my set changes in the tent, sitting on my sleeping bag with the gear spread out on it between my outstretched legs. (I did use the alcohol swabs). In the past 10 years I have ridden a motor bike from Townsville to the Barossa Valley, then to Melbourne & back up to Townsville via the east coast, camping gear & insulin in the saddle bags; driven a 4WD with a horse float & horse from Townsville to Tamworth (NSW) for the National Appaloosa Championships, insulin in the esky in the back; travelled extensively interstate on a weekly basis – fly out 6am Monday morning & home at midnight on Friday night for 6 months; cycled in 3 x 200klm cycling events; been a cycling team member for HypoActive in the Murray to Moyne event & a team bus driver in the same event on a following year; completed 2 Great Victorian Bike Rides in 2004 & 2006, taking the camping option & storing spare insulin in the caterer’s fridge; ridden up Mt. Buffalo twice; Ridden & fundraised for the JDRF Ride for a Cure 2007 and am entered and fundraising again this year – http://ride.jdrf.org.au/.
This year I am planning a trip for 2008, on the Silk Road through China, Mongolia and Russia. This time I’ll take the train!
I was using injections and pens for nearly 24 years. From the mid ‘80’s I was on 4 injections a day. I was always pro-active in managing my dosage, but constantly frustrated by the difficulties in trying to achieve stable levels. I consistently ran HbA1C’s between 8.5 – 10 for all those years. Moving onto a pump has allowed me to achieve HbA1C’s of 7 and manage my cycle training without the threat of hypo’s. Getting older presents a range of other health issues such as arthritis and not recovering from sports injuries as well as I did in my 30’s. Using the pump helps maintain my confidence that I am giving my body the best possible chance to maintain itself and continue an active lifestyle.
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