Source:

"50 Secrets of the longest living people with diabetes",
Coldberg and Edelman, Marlowe & Co,
2007, pp 28-30.


    A life-time resident of the Syracuse, New 

  York, area, Gerald Cleveland has had a 

  lifetime of not quite measuring up-at least 

  until now. As salutatorian (the 

  second-ranking person in a gradu- ating class

  after the valedictorian) of his high school's

  graduating class, his collegiate program in 

  education, and his master's degree, he 

  good-heartedly complains that he was "always 

  coming in second." In fact, even his brother 

  Bob has had diabetes for 7 years longer, 

  making Gerald second in line when it. comes 

  to longevity with the disease in his family. 

  However, he's first in line when it comes to 

  being the oldest individual living with 

  diabetes for most of his lifetime (he's a 

  year older than Gladys Dull), and when he 

  makes it to his 100th birthday (as he plans 

  to do), he'll be the first one to achieve 

  that honor with type 1 diabetes as well. 

  (Gerald's profile in this book is also coming

  before his brother Bob's, so it's about time 

  that he accepts that he's finally moving to 

  the front of the line in some things.) 
 


  For the rest of us who have not had to live 

  with diabetes nearly as long as Gerald, it's 

  hard to conceive of having to take insulin 

  doses that filled a whole syringe just to 

  cover one meal, using a needle that had to be

  sharpened on a whetstone and felt like a 

  knitting needle going in, or going for at 

  least the first 50 years of having diabetes 

  without the benefit of a blood glucose meter.

  Being the second child in his family to get 

  diabetes (after brother Bob) was not a good 

  place in line either, as he had already seen 

  Bob having to suffer through diabetes 

  treatments for 7 years. He took it on with a 

  positive attitude, though, coming up with 

  innovative ways to control diabetes with the 

  tools he had available. For instance, he even

  rigged up a quart pot with holes to put test 

  tubes in (instead of holding them over a 

  Bunsen burner) so that he and his brother 

  could test the sugar in their urine more 

  easily back in the early days. 
 


  Labeled "an archeological find" by his 

  doctor, this long-living brother attributes 

  his longevity with diabetes to being active 

  (walking long distances most of his life), 

  being vigilant about his diet, and having 

  faith that the best things in life always lie

  ahead. His vigilance about his diabetes 

  control is readily apparent, though. One of 

  his first diabetes doctors at the University 

  Hospital at Syracuse gave him a menu of what 

  he should eat to control his diabetes, and to

  this day, he still has it posted on the door 

  of his kitchen. He describes con- trolling 

  diabetes as similar to "walking on a 

  tightrope that's swinging in the air," but 

  admits to having developed a better sense 

  than most about the effect ofcarbs in general

  and different portion sizes on his blood 

  sugars. He gets frustrated by other peoples 

  misconceptions about food, such as when they 

  mistakenly believe that "sugar-free" desserts

  will not have any effect on their blood 

  glucose levels (since they still usually 

  contain large amounts of carbs). 
 


  Gerald admits, "I have had a wonderful 

  blessing of longevity and being a useful 

  person," a role that he still fills to this 

  day. He had a long career in education, 

  serving first as a secondary school teacher 

  of social studies, choosing later to become 

  the first male elementary teacher in Syracuse

  and then the principal of an elementary 

  junior high, earning his doctorate in 

  education (EdD) while working as assistant 

  superintendent of their public school system 

  27 years, and finally serving as 

  superintendent for one before his retirement.

  He was a member of the team that founded the 

  public TV station there, along with Junior 

  Achievement, and he also served as an elder 

  at his local Presbyterian Church for 70 years

  and worked for the Syracuse Rescue Mission 

  (serving the homeless and hurting of Central 

  New York) for many years. He has recently 

  been honored as an out- standing alumnus of 

  Syracuse University, as well as being 

  recognized by the Joslin Diabetes Center and 

  Lilly Pharmaceuticals for his longevity with 

  diabetes. He even donates his time at the 

  Nottingham Center, where he currently lives 

  in Jamesville, New York, acting as a 

  consultant and advisor to help other 

  residents learn how to live better with 

  diabetes. 
 


  His life has also been blessed with a 

  sixty-two-year marriage (that ended in 2002 

  with his wife Mildred's passing), two 

  children, five grandchildren, and five 

  great-grandchildren to date. His wife was 

  vigilant about checking to see if his blood 

  sugars were low at night and generally 

  looking out for him (not that he needed too 

  much help). To this day, his daughter 

  continues to check in on him frequently, 

  calling him three times daily to make certain

  that his blood sugars are not too low. 

  Regardless of any physical ailments he has 

  had related to his diabetes (such as the loss

  of two toes on his right foot), he has always

  kept a positive outlook. He truly believes 

  that there are angels all around him-looking 

  out for him-because whenever he has found 

  himself having difficulty with his diabetes, 

  someone or something has been there to help 

  him. 
 


  When it comes to being a diabetes celebrity, 

  he admits feeling a bit uncomfortable. "I 

  feel like a very ordinary guy, but then 

  there's this other person that everyone looks

  up to that hardly feels like me-the one who's

  an inspiration to so many people living with 

  diabetes. I'm just afraid of letting them 

  down somehow." Not much chance of that, 

  Gerald!