Brenda and Barry Altschul are the ultimate dance partners and this partnership extends beyond their hobbies. They also work together to follow a carefully planned diet and exercise routine for Brenda, who has had type 1 diabetes for 44 years.
In addition, they are philanthropists together. When Barry began supporting his alma mater, “Brenda said, ‘I want to give the same to the Joslin,’ ” remembers Barry. So they began contributing equally to both causes. Modest annual gifts grew to sizeable contributions. The couple even decided to leave a philanthropic legacy by naming the institutions in their wills. “We feel our assets will be well used at Joslin,” says Barry.
Brenda was diagnosed with diabetes while in college. She was admitted to an inpatient program at Joslin, where she attended lessons taught by diabetes educators and even a few presentations by Elliott P. Joslin, M.D., then in his nineties. She was determined not to let diabetes stop her from completing college. “I told them ‘I’m not dropping out—I’m going to learn this and I’m going to go back.’ ”
Education on all Levels
Brenda was particularly impressed by the education she received, and she is still a Joslin patient today. “I agree with the way they treat their patients. I can tell the difference in how I approach my own care versus other people with diabetes I meet, who neither know as much as I do, nor are as self-involved as I am,” she says.
Brenda, a retired teacher, has tried to pass on some of her own expertise. “While I was teaching, I had three or four students with diabetes,” recalls Brenda. “The school nurse asked me if I would act as a mentor for these children and I did,” even helping to obtain a scholarship for a newly diagnosed student so that he could attend Camp Joslin. “I hope that I helped them deal with their diabetes,” says Brenda. But the teaching actually went both ways—after a successful camp experience, that student taught Brenda a new way to administer insulin injections.
Life to the Fullest
Now, Brenda and Barry are helping to ensure that Joslin education continues to flourish. They recently made a gift of securities designated to support Joslin’s Center for Innovation in Diabetes Education, which develops innovative ways to help people learn about diabetes self-management to improve their quality of life.
Brenda and Barry are thankful for advances that have made life easier through the years. When Brenda was first diagnosed, she manually sharpened her needles and boiled them for sterilization. She also had to perform urine testing to monitor glucose levels. “From my point of view the biggest advance for Brenda has been this intensive insulin therapy and carb counting,” says Barry. “She used to be locked into a schedule and now it’s made things a lot better and given her a feeling of control.”
Barry, a retired engineer who loves doing calculations, helps ensure Brenda’s success with carbohydrate counting. “I never fully understood the numerical interaction between Bren’s carb intake and blood glucose rise,” he says. “When Brenda started on intensive therapy she received formulas that allowed me to calculate this relationship.” He then helped establish how much Brenda’s blood glucose rises from one glucose tablet. He also acts as Brenda’s advocate, like on a recent cruise when he spoke to the maître d’ about the timing of meals, and from that point on the maître d’ personally made sure Brenda got her food when she needed it.
The Altschuls’ dance of life goes on. They travel often and continue to enjoy both ballroom and square dancing. “Don’t let your diabetes ever hamper you from having a full life,” Brenda says, adding: “You can do everything, just with more planning, with more intense consideration.”
