The Kellion Victory Awards take place on July 16, 2025, during National Diabetes Week to acknowledge those who have lived with diabetes for 50 years and beyond. Award recipient Anita Gustafsson shares her experience of being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a baby, and what receiving the award means to her.

“I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1972 at seven months of age. We were living in Medina at the time, and I’d been sick for a while. Mum took me to multiple doctors who told her she was being overprotective and sent us home again with syrup medications.

Eventually, it got to the point where I was only taking one breath every 20 seconds.  Mum rang a friend from the phone box on the corner who told her to go straight to Princess Margaret Hospital.

I was in the back seat with my big sister, and she was giving me a wet flannel to suck on, which apparently I sucked dry. When we got to the hospital, they took one look at me and asked Mum if she’d been abusing me. She burst into tears, and then they took me away.

When they came back again, they said to her, ‘What do you know about diabetes?’

If Mum had waited another two hours I wouldn’t be here today. I spent three or four weeks in hospital and Mum and Dad were taught how to inject on oranges. Eventually I put on some weight and was able to come home.

Back then we used steel and glass needles. They had to be sent away to be sharpened, and often they would come back with either no hole or barbs at the end of the needle. Once my parents realised this, they always triple checked the needles before injecting me.

Being diagnosed as a baby, I’ve never known any different, and I’m thankful for that, because I know that for people who are diagnosed later in life, it can be much harder to make changes to their lifestyle and diet. But it wasn’t easy. I got bullied a lot at school because I was treated differently by the teachers, and of course the kids didn’t understand why. I had to grow up a lot quicker.

It’s wonderful to be recognised for going the hard yards with a Kellion Victory Medal.

I also developed hypo unawareness at a very young age, and I still don’t have awareness of when my blood glucose levels are dropping. I am now on an insulin pump and have been for about 12 years. Things have changed for the better with the pump and CGM (continuous glucose monitoring.) You still have problems but it’s much easier.

About 18 years ago, I was going through a bad stage with my diabetes. My sister read a book called My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, with a character who has an epilepsy alert dog. She rang me and said, ‘get onto it!’

It took a while to find the right people in Western Australia who can set you up with a medical support dog. But I found the organisation and eventually ended up taking over as a volunteer when the boss wanted to step back. I still work for them as a consultant, and I’ve learned a lot about what medical assistance dogs can do.

My current dog, Flicka, is my third accredited medical support dog. She’s a standard Labradoodle and is accredited not just for diabetes but also for the anxiety and depression that can go along with the condition.

You train from the day you get a dog. Now, when I am having a hypo, Flicka will bite my feet to alert me. If we’re out and about she will nudge me, and I will know from the severity of the nudge and how often she does it how serious it is. My understanding is that the dog picks up on your pheromones and then alerts you when something is wrong. All you need is a good bond with a dog, and you put in what you get out.

This week I’ll be attending the Kellion Victory Awards at Government House and receiving a medal for living 50 years with type 1 diabetes. I’m really happy about this, because I love my life, and even though I have to be aware of my condition 24/7, I’m here for a reason.

It’s wonderful to be recognised for going the hard yards. If I make it to 75 years, I’ll be chuffed, because when I look back, I am lucky to have survived.”

Find out more about applying for an assistance dog.

The Kellion Victory Medals are administered by Diabetes Australia – find out more about applying for a medal here.