I have probably attended close to twenty Kellion Victory Medal Award Presentations over the years. You might think that they are all the same and to a degree, you would be right. Every ceremony involves people who have lived with diabetes for 50 or more years being given a medal while their story is shared.

And every single award ceremony has been just that. But the stories are rousing, the people are inspiring and learning about managing diabetes when technology was a glass syringe is sometimes mind-blowing! It doesn’t matter how many of these award ceremonies I attend, the overwhelming feeling of hope steadies and enthuses me for another year.

This year, 56 people were awarded medals, including sixteen 60-year recipients, one 70-year recipient and one 80-year recipient.

One of today’s 50-year medal recipients was Jenny Edge. Jenny frequently comments on Diabetogenic, never afraid to tell me when she thinks I’ve missed the mark; always happy to share her story.


I always love listening to Jenny. She’s very direct, and I always appreciate her no-nonsense attitude. There is no sandwiching how she feels with a couple of innocuous comments on either side of what she really wants to say. She gets to the point and gets there quickly. I find her quite brilliant!

Jenny was diagnosed as a young child, and today she told me how she really hated needles at first. ‘I thought they were cow needles,’ she said. ‘And then my dad showed me what cow needles really looked like – we lived on a farm. Suddenly, my insulin needles didn’t seem so scary.’

Although she received a 50-year medal today, Jenny has actually lived with diabetes for 55 years, so she’s only five years from receiving her 60-year medal. I hope to be there for that one too! Congratulations, Jenny!