SPOTLIGHT: RUTH WOODWORTH

It is human nature to fear the unknown. Ruth Woodworth, of Casenovia, New York, has spent a lifetime proving that unnecessary. "It was just an everyday matter of things," she says.

Diagnosed at age two, 59 years ago, she vividly remembers the early days of urine tests and PZT insulin:

"...When I was little, I hated to go to the doctor and get my finger pricked--I used to scream. He always gave me a piece of Black Jack Gum. To me that is the most ungodly gum there is in the world..."

"I remember urine testing with that blue Benedict's Solution ... you put the urine in it. I wasn't big enough; Mother did it. I was 14 when I started taking my own shots, same time as my sister, who was 12--I figured when she started, I would too."

"I don't remember going out that much until near high school; we lived in the country, and it wasn't easy to get places. I couldn't spend the night with girlfriends until I started taking my own insulin. You get used to it, then you really don't think anything different."

And she has kept right on going: "I'm one to work outside and do things; I'm not an inside girl!"

She relates: "With taking insulin, I have to be careful, because I have reactions quite easy. I have to eat carefully so that I don't have reactions."

Her advice: "Mom was very strict with me about food. Eat right, watch for (hypoglycemic) reactions, test your blood, and take your shots on time."

That's good advice. With proper care, discipline, and a positive outlook, diabetes can be reduced to the level of an irritation. Ruth Woodworth has already shown us how.