Dudley woman with diabetes launches book about her lifelong experiences of living with the condition
A Dudley woman who developed type 1 diabetes more than 50 years ago has officially launched a book she has written about living with the condition.
Around 120 people were at the event at Yvonne Warner’s home, including the mayor of Dudley, Cllr Hilary Bills.
“I was quite overwhelmed by the number of people who attended the launch,” said Yvonne, 63, who wrote My Forever Best Friend to let others who have the condition know it will not stop them from achieving whatever they want in life.
“They included family, friends, medical, nursing staff and NHS work colleagues.”
Cllr Bills, who attended with her husband John, the mayor’s consort, thanked Yvonne for writing the book about living with diabetes and explained how John had developed type 1 diabetes 20 years ago.
“She said she also understood the role of those who live with someone with diabetes and thanked my husband Tony for the recognised support he and my family have provided to me,” said Yvonne.
“One of her chosen charities as mayor is Diabetes UK. As a former teacher and headteacher she has a great interest in children and is particularly keen to support the charity’s work with children.”
Yvonne told those at the launch that the purpose of My Forever Best Friend was to give inspiration to all the people who have type 1 diabetes that you can live a very fulfilled life.
“It is extremely difficult but you can do it. I want to show that if you have this condition, it does not have to limit your capacity for joy and happiness if you look after yourself and work with it and treat it as your best friend.”
She told the gathering her royalties will go to Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D (formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), which carry out research and development into diabetes and also provide information about the condition. “I want to help them continue the phenomenal work they are doing and from which I and thousands of others have benefitted over the past 50 years,” said Yvonne.
“At the launch I said I probably would not see a cure for diabetes in my lifetime but what I am seeing is that people can live as normal a life as possible with all the advances that are currently continually being made but which require continual investment.”
On display was memorabilia charting Yvonne’s journey with diabetes. It ranged from metal hypodermic needles and glass syringes which she used in the early years after being diagnosed at the age of nine to the sophisticated continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system she now uses where a sensor in her arm reads her blood sugar levels, communicates to her phone and instructs a pump on her belt to increase or decrease the required insulin dose provided though a canula.
“I also used the launch to thank my closest family and friends and all the professional and support staff who have been with me for the past 50 years, without whose support I would not have been able to live the life I have,” said Yvonne. She said these included her diabetes consultant Dr Tony Zalin from the 1990s and Barbara Kilby, a diabetes specialist nurse from the 1980s, who were both in attendance.
Others at the launch included representatives of Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles.
“Several people at the launch said how much they had increased their understanding of the lives of people living with the condition and how now they would have a greater understanding of their staff or colleagues’ needs in the workplace,” said Yvonne.
Yvonne enjoyed a long career in the NHS, working at hospitals and health authorities across the West Midlands and she and Tony have raised money for diabetes charities through many events and challenges. Yvonne swam the equivalent of the English Channel while Tony recently completed a 100km run from Brighton to London.
Yvonne explained why she chose the title for her book. “Type I diabetes is my forever best friend,” she said. “It is with me for life and I am inseparable from it. The book is all about how I learned to live with my best friend, through the good and the bad, the highs and the lows.
“The whole experience of being a type I diabetic has made me the person I am.”
Yvonne asked everyone at the launch to purchase the book, reminding them it would make a great Christmas present and it would definitely be the best Christmas present ever to see increased funding raised for everyone with diabetes.
My Forever Best Friend is available to buy in hardback, paperback or Kindle format through Amazon.
