It's a disease without a cure. But a Wisconsin Rapids woman says an organ transplant cured her type one diabetes.
Many viewer e-mails were sent when the series living with diabetes aired. One caught Julia Fello's eye, from a woman who has a story unlike any other.
Her story starts when she was 6-years-old, and doctors first diagnosed her with diabetes.
"They first discovered it when I started first grade. A teacher called my Mom, they thought I needed to go to the doctor she thought I had a bladder infection because of the frequency issue which is commonly a first sign," says Brenda Mueller.
Growing up, Brenda had to deal with terrible complications from the disease.
"College was really hard because the lifestyle is so non-ordinary your living on cookies and coke and things like that," says Brenda
"Because I was not a compliant patient and I had extended blood sugars really high at times I ended up with a lot of the early side effects," she says, "I developed kidney disease and about 2 years ago I got to the point where I was put on dialysis."
Because of that, Brenda was on the waiting list to get a new kidney at the University of Minnesota at Fairview. In the Summer 2008 she received a new pancreas and kidney. Suddenly, for the first time in 40 years found herself living without the side effects of diabetes.
"Everything is completely different. I don't have to watch my diet anymore I was on an insulin pump for probably 5 years and I don't need any insulin anymore," she says, "The sluggishness of the constant highs and lows is gone I have more energy it's a whole new life."
For those of you unfamiliar with the disease, type one diabetes is caused when a person's pancreas doesn't produce insulin.
Which is why when Brenda received a new pancreas, she no longer needed to give herself insulin injections.
