On Sunday 29th May 2011 Bob Krause celebrated his 90th birthday. The amazing thing is that he’s spent 85 years of his life living with type 1 diabetes .
Bob is known for his unflagging determination in treating his diabetes, and mental precision to keep his body healthy following his diagnosis as a young boy all those years ago.
Record breaker
According to a diabetes research centre based in San Diego, Bob Krause is the first American to live with diabetes for 85 years. During his long life he has witnessed incredible evolution in the treatment of type 1 diabetes .
As well as a party with his wife of 56 years, Bob was awarded with a special medal from the Joslin Diabetes Center.
Not getting him down
Bob Krause’s physician, Dr. Patricia Wu, was reported in the American media as saying: “Bob has outlived the life expectation of a normal healthy person born in 1921. He knows that he has to deal with this and he sees this as a part of his life, he doesn’t let this get him down.” There is no doubt that Krause’s resilience has been a factor in his incredible longevity. As the man himself puts it: “I’m a stubborn old man. I refuse to give up.”
Diabetes is known to affect 18.8 million people in American, with as many as 7 million more living with the disease without knowing.
Type 1 diabetes is the less common condition, and affects approximately 3 million people in America.
Sadly, life expectancy is lower for many people with diabetes due to a range of health complications.
These include stroke, retinopathy , heart disease, kidney damage , neuropathy and amputation.
Mechanical engineering professor
Krause, who previously worked as a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Washingto, eats just enough food to power his body.
He was reported as saying: “To keep your diabetes under control you only eat the food you need to before you have activities to perform. I eat to keep me alive instead of eating all the time, or for pleasure.”
Nuts and prunes for breakfast
His diet consists of nuts and prunes for breakfast, skips lunch and has salad with lean meat for supper.
Krause was diagnosed shortly after insulin became widely available, in 1926. His older brother died due to being diagnosed the year after.
Krause remembers the incident clearly, and his words certainly highlight just how far the treatment of diabetes has advanced.
“I watched Jackie die by starving to death. Before insulin, diabetics would just die because eating doesn’t make any difference: anything that you ate couldn’t be converted and you literally starved to death because your body couldn’t absorb anything.”
Although Krause and Wu have long worked together to maintain his health, Krause still has a piece of advice every time he leaves her office.
He apparently says: “I’ve been doing this for 80-number of years and it has gotten me this far and I’m still here, so who are you to tell me how to do this? I’ve been doing this since before you were born.” Wu reported, with a laugh.
Congratulation to Bob Krause from Diabetes.co.uk!
