Living with Diabetes
Chase County woman honored for 75 years on insulin
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Saturday, December 22, 2007
A Chase County woman has received three awards this year from Eli Lilly and Co. of Indianapolis, Ind., according to a news release.
Bonnie Jean Short, 83, of Cottonwood Falls was diagnosed with diabetes in June 1930, at the age of 7, and began taking insulin injections two months later.
She has received several medals and recognition for her accomplishments while taking insulin and coping with a serious case of diabetes. The third award from Lilly was a gold medal for 75 successful years of insulin therapy.
The Joslin Diabetes Foundation and The Diabetic Fund, both of Boston, awarded her medals in 1981 for having taken insulin for 50 years. She also received a medal from the Kansas American Diabetes Association of Wichita in 1985.
The awards from Lilly, a major pharmaceutical company, also were for her accomplishments in maintaining good health while undergoing continuous insulin therapy.
She worked for the Chase County Extension Service, Triple A and the Soil Conservation District in Cottonwood Falls, and served on the state board of Extension Home Economics. She also was a past president, state citizenship chairman and a director of the southeast district of the organization.
Despite having diabetes, “you can live a long and healthy life,” Short said.