explore

Katie Keim was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1967 when she was eight, well before the era of insulin pumps or even reliable home testing. The condition started eating away at her vision 20 years later. By the time she was 36, her sight was completely gone. 

Keim had lived an independent life as a child despite her illness. Her summers were spent exploring oceans with her family, not at diabetic summer camps. Blindness, though, changed every aspect of her life — including her ability to manage her diabetes. Her first insulin pump had tactile buttons, but all the pumps that came to replace it had digital screens.

advertisement

“Blind people cannot independently and safely manage our lives through the technology that’s available in home medical devices,” Keim said. 

Get unlimited access to award-winning journalism and exclusive events.