Learning to accept help: Gloria Broadway finds support in her journey with diabetes

By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus

Inside the Guillot University Center on campus at the University of North Alabama, Gloria Broadway — known affectionately as “Gigi” to those who know and love her — has developed a reputation as a dependable co-worker and steady friend among her colleagues and the students she interacts with each day.

“Gigi has a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone,” said Dr. Tammy Jacques, the associate vice president of Student Affairs.

But while Broadway is known for her professionalism and kindness, there’s something most of her colleagues didn’t know for years: Broadway is a Type 1 diabetic who has spent her life monitoring her health in silence.

“I don’t like anybody to know I’m a diabetic,” Broadway said. “I hide it. I just don’t want people to worry, because, you know, I’m fine. The people who need to know do, but if I don’t have to tell you, I won’t.”

That instinct to downplay her condition has persisted for most of her life. Broadway was nine years old when she and her parents discovered she’d be insulin dependent for the rest of her life.

“I grew up in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and I was just a bratty kid,” Broadway said with a small laugh, reaching for a bit of humor from one of the grimmest experiences she’s survived.

“There were seven of us (siblings), and I’m the youngest, so my parents were really busy,” she continued. “I wasn’t feeling great, and my mom took me to the pediatrician. He thought it was a throat infection, so he gave me some medicine. I took that, and the rest I’ve pieced together from stories I’ve heard.”

Back home, Broadway continued the regimen her doctor had prescribed with no improvement. About a week later, she woke up in the hospital from a coma brought on by a dangerously high spike in her blood sugar.

The verdict was in, but Broadway, now 60, recalls growing up in the 1970s when knowledge and resources were limited.

“Back then, we didn’t have insulin pumps. We didn’t have fast-acting or slow-acting insulin. We had beef insulin and purified pork insulin, and to check your blood sugar, you did urine tests,” she recalled.

“I remember when you had to put little fizzy tabs in a little test tube with an eye dropper. If it was blue, your blood sugar was negative, so mom would start giving me soft drinks and sugar. You know, medicine has come so far.”

Broadway also remembers some of the earliest insulin pumps, which she described as being a little larger than a house brick. Today, she wears a pump about the size of a deck of cards concealed discreetly clipped to her waistband and customized with stickers — one for UNA and another for her beloved Pittsburg Steelers.

She also wears a continuous glucose monitor, CGM, which sends readings to her phone every five minutes. No urine test needed.

Broadway attributes many of those innovations and medical strides to clinical trials like the one she joined in 1983 at the age of 18.

Known then as the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), the study determined whether the complications of Type 1 diabetes could be prevented or delayed.

The trial’s findings led to the establishment of the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) follow-up study, which aimed to assess the durability of the DCCT effects on more advanced stages of diabetes complications, including cardiovascular disease.

It’s a study Broadway has remained a part of even as she moved from Pittsburg to New York, Florida, and eventually to the Shoals. While the scope and manner of the study has changed throughout the years, Broadway said the testing she undergoes gives her peace of mind knowing she may still be contributing to medical advancements for others with her illness.

“Even today, they check our eyes, they check our hearts, and they check our kidneys,” she said. “That was always one of my biggest fears — losing my eyesight because of diabetes. It’s just a big fear, I think, among diabetics.

“The studies they’ve done are so advanced. They’re through the NIH (National Institutes of Health), and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) is involved, so everything is approved and it’s all free.”

For many of the participants, like Broadway, the studies weren’t just about helping science and research, they were also about survival.

“These were tests that I could never afford to get,” Broadway said. “It’s a little bit of a drive to undergo the testing, but they give you insulin for six months. Insulin is $238 a bottle. I mean, it’s worth it. My parents had seven kids. They couldn’t afford that. It was such a relief to get the health care supplies — the insulin, the meters, and the testing strips. Everything for diabetics can add up and add up quickly.”

Now in its 42nd year, the EDIC study has documented how tighter blood sugar control reduces the complications Broadway is so fearful of like blindness, kidney failure and amputations.

“Just to think, did my blood tests help do that? It’s exciting to see how far we’ve come and to see those complications are declining,” Broadway said. “You don’t want anybody to go through that.”

Even with the advancements in technology and medicine, Broadway admits it’s gotten harder to keep her condition to herself as she aged.

At her doctor’s urging, Broadway slowly began building a network of colleagues and friends who make up her support system in case something ever goes awry at the workplace or at home.

“I live alone, and I mean, I have friends, but I didn’t have a real tight friend group that I saw regularly,” she explained. “My eyes have changed, and I’ve already had to have cataract surgery. Last year, Abbiney (Story) took me because I don’t have family here and I hate to ask for help. I had a total reverse shoulder replacement surgery, and Tammy (Jacques) forced a chain of helpers because I wouldn’t ask. I mean, I’m probably to the nth-degree obnoxious about it. I don’t tell anyone anything.”

Story, a former UNA student worker who is starting her career at the university, and Jacques were among the first entrusted in Broadway’s circle of support.

“It really hit home when my doctor said, ‘Gigi, if something happens to you, no one is going to realize it until you don’t show up for work,’” Broadway said, choking back tears. “I never want to put anybody through that. I wouldn’t want anyone to find me like that.”

Along with Story and Jacques, Broadway has added Duel Aldridge and Jake Russell to her “work family” at UNA.

Since she’s taken on seasonal jobs with Florence Parks & Recreation to work at the city pools, where she lifeguards and teaches swimming lessons, and at Bath & Body Works retail store in Florence, Broadway said she’s also found supportive friends and co-workers at each location.

“They’ve heard the alarm at Bath & Body. They’ll be like, ‘Are you OK?’ I’ll deny it and lie to their faces. I bet my dad rolls in his grave because I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m fine!’” Broadway said. “I’ll act like I’m going to get a sip of water, but I’m actually downing a glucose drink. I just do not want to worry people.”

Broadway took on the additional jobs in part because she enjoys keeping busy in her free time, but mostly because of the cost for her next medical venture. As Broadway continued discussing concerns with her doctor, the two began to consider the benefits of a medical services dog.

“As diabetics get older, they can begin to lose their ability to determine when their blood sugars are rising or dropping,” Broadway explained. “You know, as you get older, your senses start to deteriorate. You don’t get as hot, or you’re not as cognizant of being hot or cold because your senses are slowing down. You know, your whole body is slowing down, which is hard to digest. So, at night, if I’m in a hard sleep, I might not hear my (CGM) alarms going off. The dogs are trained to paw you.”

Since those talks with her doctor began late last year, Broadway has been approved for a service dog through Diabetes Alert Dogs of America, an organization based in Nevada. The cost of actually acquiring a trained and certified service pet is a steep $22,000.

Reluctant to ask for donations, Broadway thought she could save up for the money herself, but her colleagues rallied behind her again and encouraged her to set up a GoFundMe fundraising campaign in January.

While donations poured in towards the beginning of the year, that steady climb began to plateau as she neared the halfway mark. Throughout July and August, Broadway sat at number 17 on the waiting list for her dog.

That all changed on Aug. 24 when Broadway received an anonymous donation of $10,000. Reeling with shock, she called the GoFundMe site managers to ensure the funds were legit.

“I’m still in disbelief,” Broadway said tearfully almost two weeks later. “After seeing how long and hard this has been, I don’t know that I would have ever gotten there without this. If I knew who they were, I’d probably name the dog after them.

“Of course, I appreciate every donation, down to $1. People have been so generous. I was so hesitant to start the GoFundMe process, but the experience has just blown me away. People are so kind. I don’t even know how to begin to say, ‘Thank you.’”

As the prospect of acquiring a dog inches closer, Broadway has her hopes set on a female golden retriever or golden doodle, and she’s actually already settled on a name — Ariel.

“I just love the water,” she said with a laugh, explaining the significance of the name inspired by mermaids. “I grew up in Pittsburg, so to live on the water is a dream.”

Still, the pledge to name her future pup after her biggest donor stands as Broadway looks ahead with renewed interest. Despite her hesitance to lean on others, she’s grateful to have found that she doesn’t have to walk her journey alone.

No longer hiding the fact that she has diabetes, Broadway is surrounded by friends and colleagues who check in, cheer her on, and even step in when she won’t ask for help. Bit by bit, she’s learning to accept the support as part of her success story.

“This group is kind of amazing,” she said with a nod towards her peers at UNA and Bath & Body Works. “They’ve all adopted me, and I’m so appreciative. They’ve been with me through so much, and they’ve shown nothing but patience and understanding. They truly are a second family.”

WANT TO HELP?

Help Gigi get a medical service dog

ABOUT: Gloria Jean “Gigi” Broadway was diagnosed with diabetes at nine years old. While she uses an insulin pump to help manage her condition, it’s becoming harder for her to detect dangerous changes in her blood sugar levels. These blood sugar drops can be life-threatening, particularly at night when Broadway might miss alerts or not wake up in time. Medical service dogs are trained to sense these changes faster than devices, providing an extra layer of safety and peace of mind.

DONATE: As of Sept. 1, $18,745 of a $22,000 goal had been reached. To help Broadway reach the finish line and bring her a step closer to acquiring her service animal, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gigi-get-a-service-dog.