22KIT
Striking a balance
Writer and broadcaster Ateh Jewel shares her
experience of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes
and how it's changed her perspective and how a
Dexcom ONE+ sensor has been a 'game-changer'.
By Sue Marshall.
Self-made business woman
and beauty brand pioneer,
Ateh Jewel had a rude
awakening when she
ended up visiting her GP. She'd been
shocked at the state of her skin when
she got up that morning and looked
in the mirror.
The beauty and health writer
recalls having a truly horrible day,
feeling unwell, looking terrible and
feeling extremely worried that there
was something really wrong. It was 16
August 2016.
The fact was, says Jewel, "I
was raised to work hard, to be an
achiever, and thought I was strong.
I'd been feeling ill for a while, maybe
as long as a year, but I kept putting
it down to long hours working and
to stress. I'd been thirsty, sometimes
I was shakey, other times I was
actually sick. But I'd get up, be sick,
and just keep going. I'm a child of the
'80s, I thought, I can be sick then go
on the school run and put in a day's
work'. The irony of being a beauty
writer is that it was my skin that
probably saved my life - in as much
as I would be even more ill had I not
looked and felt so bad that I went to
see a doctor."
That visit to the GP lead to Jewel
being told, 'don't worry, it's not
cancer, it's only Type 2 diabetes'.
Even so, it was a shock. "Due to
my job, I knew about diabetes,"
says Jewel, "I knew the difference
between Type 1 and Type 2, but like
many people, I mainly knew the
stereotypes. I was relatively young
to get it, I thought. I had memories
of old aunties having it who were
not allowed to eat cake at family
get-togethers, so I thought it was an
illness of the elderly."
Finding a balance
Back then, she recalls, "To me
'balance' was a dirty word, but how
that has changed. Diabetes is the art
of balance, and it's not just about the
glucose levels!"
As the mother of twin daughters,
she says, "This was a wake-up call.
I wanted to live a good, long life. I
saw myself as being a juicy, happy
grandma. I had to take a long hard
look at my eating and exercise habits.
I call my diagnosis my 'strange gift',
as it forced me to look at myself, and
not look away, not be distracted, not
to hide from the truth. It might have
saved my life - it's certainly improved
it and I imagine extended it.
"I realised I'd been using my body
as a dumping ground. I thought I was
just toughing it out, but in fact my
go-to was sugary foods. My cultural
heritage taught me that 'food was
love', but the food was often baked
goods, cakes and cookies. I had quite
a turbulent childhood and I think
sweet foods was a way for me to
avoid dealing with uncomfortable