Good going, Johnben. May you have another 50!
Couldn’t of happened to a better looking guy! 
Congrats!!
Respects :). I haven’t been a year into diabetes (type 1) and im worried about the future every second of the day and with every bite of food I have. Could you please lend a thought on how you managed all these years?
Wow! That’s an awesome achievement! fist bump
Thank you all. Manny thank you for putting the picture right. I'm just sorry to look so very old. I should have picked a better picture.
Wassin, Soon I will give you my thought on the subject. Planning to tell about the past before blood testing monitors and plastic needles. Had to boil needles daily! Never knew for sure where my bl.sugar did hang out. Those were the hard days to come through! Be 81 soon!
JB.
50 years is less than half the number we hope you will help us out. Congrats, I hope someday I can match your 50.
rick phillips
That is great JB!! I am proud of my medal too. You look just fine for an 80 year old. We were not looking at you anyway, we were looking at the medal. Lol!
Darn good looking ex Dutchman with Medal I say .. I am proud of my country man then and now ...we went through a lot and are survivors. Best wishes for 2011 to You , Johanna and Yours ....hugs and three kisses ...left cheek , right cheek , left cheek ...you know how to do this !!
Well Done Johnben your amazing !!! I would love to hear your storys from 50 yrs ago boiling needles and no BG machines, my word a totally different world… Well Done xxxx
Congratulations on receiving your medal, Johnben.
Your story is an inspiration as we go into a new year, showing us that the daily grind is really worth it. So Happy New Year!
Congrats Johnben. You deserve the medal because you have lived through many tough times and have still come out a winner! I will be looking forward to hearing some more of your stories. I wish it was possible for you to write a book with all of your wonderful stories in it. Stay strong my friend.
Hey Medal Boy!! :D Congratulations on your 50th year with the D and on receiving your Well-deserved Honour. Thank you for sharing your photo, taken while wearing your medal. It shows the true size plus you and it both look Grand. :) You have survived many years of unbelievable and Life-threatening situations and have emerged from it while still chuckling. We value you John. :) Wishing you many more Good years. Happy New Years 2011!!
Thank you, Thank you so very much!
JB.
Big congratulations Johnben, What an accomplishment. My mother would have been eligible for one, she passed at 63, and I don't know how my father would react to me trying to nominate her for one after her death. I am going to start asking my aunts and uncles to try and collect info about her and me, I was D'xed in 1969, although I have no idea at which hospital or the actual date, those items are long gone from my families achives.
Congrats again, you are an inspiration to us all!
Congratulations! Your medal is an inspiration. Eric has only 48 years to go before he ties you. I might even live to see it! (Note to self: you need to make at least 92 if you want to see this…)
If you survive 50 years of diabetes, the Joslin Foundation gives you a cool medal, like the one John has, b/c you are amazing! I am a bit leery of it b/c I don’t know exactly what date I was dx’ed however I still have 20 some odd years to figure it out? I dunno how strict they are or whatever either. Something to aspire to though!