LIVINGLIVING
CUTTING A DASH
More than a number? Certainly. But Ben Smith is
also quite keen on them, and is grateful for the
technologies that help him keep control of his
own, in terms of diabetes control. B
en Smith describes
himself as a 'numbers
person'. He works
at the London Stock
Exchange and is a
person with Type 1 diabetes and an insulin
pump user. He jokes, "If I were to get one
condition in life, diabetes is probably the
most ideal for me - there's numbers,
analysis, charts, tech, gadgets … and I'm
literally powered by a battery!"
Smith is open about two of the loves
in his life (outside of family): technology
and running. "Like many people with
diabetes, I want to make a difference
and have contributed by being involved
in research and also by giving feedback
on various pieces of diabetes technology
in order to improve them for other users."
But let's go back to the start and his
diagnosis. He was studying at Durham
University and was 19. He recalls that he
had probably been ill for quite a while. He
started at the university at the very end of
September but had started his first term
not feeling very well. Initially, having seen
a doctor, he was put on tablets to treat
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), then later
on antidepressants.
He remembers, "One of the doctors
that I saw at this point said, 'I think you
will end up with diabetes', but he retired
so I didn't see him again. I still didn't feel
well. In January I was given a glucose
tolerance test, but passed it. It was in April
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