It Belongs to the World: Illustrator Guest Post by Janina Gaudin
Illustrator Janina Gaudin, also known as Miss Diabetes, reflects on her own journey with type 1 diabetes which began with a self-diagnosis when she read one of the famous books from the Babysitters Club series. She's added her artistic talents to the upcoming picture book biography, It Belongs to the World: Frederick Banting and the Discovery of Insulin, written with Lisa Katzenberger.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 13 years old. Before I was diagnosed, I was very thirsty, going to the toilet a lot, had lost weight, and was very tired. At the same time I was experiencing these symptoms, I happened to be reading one of The Babysitters Club books, The Truth About Stacey, by Ann M. Martin. Stacey has type 1 diabetes, and she describes the symptoms she had when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes: thirst, increased urination, weight loss, and fatigue. Those are the same symptoms I have, I thought. Could I have type 1 diabetes?
So, I asked my Mum. But she shook her head and said, “Only older people get diabetes.” (Which of course, is incorrect. There are many different types of diabetes, affecting people at all ages.) She said it was most likely I had growing pains.
I chose to believe her, because in the book Stacey needs daily injections, and the thought of doing injections for the rest of my life seemed scary. But deep down a tiny thought worried me. Stacey wasn’t old. She was a teenager just like me, and she did have diabetes.
When I started wetting the bed, my Mum thought it was best that I go to the doctor for a checkup. The doctor listened to the symptoms I had and got out a glucose meter to do a blood glucose test. It showed a high glucose reading of 18.9 mmol/L / 340 mg/dL, and further tests confirmed I did have type 1 diabetes. I remember feeling a sense of validation, that I had correctly diagnosed myself from reading The Truth About Stacey.
It’s been 30 years since I was diagnosed, and as an adult I now realise I will never forget how significant this book was to me as a young teenager who had no idea what type 1 diabetes was. It helped me understand the medical condition, gain insight into how to manage diabetes, and how my life was going to change. Knowing that there was a girl like me who also had the same condition made me feel less alienated.
I feel so honoured to have illustrated my first children’s book, written by Lisa Katzenberger, It Belongs To The World: Frederick Banting and the Discovery of Insulin, which explains the miraculous discovery of insulin. Without this discovery, myself and other people living with type 1 diabetes wouldn’t be alive today. Illustrating this children’s book and knowing how important The Truth About Stacey has been for me and many others living with type 1 diabetes has reinforced my aim of illustrating more books and graphic novels that share stories of people living with diabetes.
About the Illustrator
Janina Gaudin (Miss Diabetes) is an Aotearoa New Zealand Samoan comic artist and illustrator who makes comics about life with type 1 diabetes. She has created illustrations and animations for the World Health Organization’s World Diabetes Day campaign. It Belongs to the World is her first book. Visit her at missdiabetes.com.
About the Book
The inspiring story of Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin. His historic contributions to the medical field, and selfless sale of his patent for just one dollar, changed the course of patients managing diabetes forever. Ideal for diabetic children and their families, readers who love biography and science, and fans of Digestion! The Musical.
Frederick Banting was a shy boy who loved to care for the animals on his family farm. When they were sick, he searched for ways to make them better.
When Frederick grew up, he remained curious about how to treat and cure illnesses, so he became a doctor and a teacher. After teaching his medical students about diabetes, his curiosity led him to discover insulin, which saves millions of lives worldwide today. Frederick could have gotten rich from his discovery, but he sold his formula for only a dollar, saying, “Insulin does not belong to me. It belongs to the world.”
With bright, cheerful illustrations and informative back matter about insulin and diabetes, It Belongs to the World is an inspiring story of a curious boy who grew up to change medicine and countless lives for the better.