One of the most surprising things I’ve learned through my podcast The Long View – Living with Type 1 Diabetes is that support comes in many forms.
Sometimes it comes from a healthcare professional.
Sometimes it comes from family or friends.
And sometimes, as I discovered in my conversation with Stevie Hughes, it comes on four legs with a wagging tail.
In this episode, Stevie shares not only his experience of living with Type 1 diabetes for more than 35 years, but also the remarkable story of Lucy, his rescue dog who became an unofficial diabetes alert dog and has transformed how he manages his condition.
It’s a story about resilience, companionship, mental health and refusing to let diabetes define what you can achieve.
Diagnosed at 20 during one of life’s hardest moments
Stevie was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1989 at the age of 20.
Like many people diagnosed before the internet, continuous glucose monitors and modern insulin technology, he was suddenly thrown into a world he knew very little about.
What made the diagnosis even harder was the timing.
At the same time as learning to manage a lifelong condition, Stevie’s family was dealing with his mother’s leukaemia diagnosis. Just a few weeks after he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, she sadly passed away.
Before she died, she left him with advice that has stayed with him ever since:
“This won’t beat you. You’re tougher than this.”
Decades later, those words are still helping him navigate the realities of living with Type 1 diabetes.
Technology has changed — but some challenges remain
Like many guests on The Long View, Stevie has witnessed huge changes in diabetes care.
He’s lived through:
- urine testing strips
- finger-prick testing
- insulin pens
- continuous glucose monitors (CGMs)
And while technology has undoubtedly made diabetes management easier in many ways, Stevie reminds us that technology can measure blood glucose and it can alert us to highs and lows, but it can’t remove the emotional and psychological burden of constantly managing a chronic condition.
That’s a reality many people living with Type 1 diabetes will recognise.
The numbers may be easier to see than ever before, but the mental load is still there.
Meet Lucy: the diabetes support dog who changed his life
One of the most remarkable parts of Stevie’s story is Lucy.
Lucy is a rescue dog, part Border Collie, part Labrador Retriever, who came into Stevie’s life after being rescued from a difficult situation.
For six years, she was simply a beloved pet.
Then something unexpected happened.
One night, Stevie experienced a severe hypo while asleep and Lucy woke him by barking. At first, he thought she had heard somebody outside the house. But after the same thing happened repeatedly, a pattern emerged.
Lucy wasn’t responding to noises. She was responding to his blood glucose levels.
How a diabetes alert dog detects blood glucose changes
Although Lucy never received formal training as a diabetes alert dog, she appears to have learned how to recognise changes in Stevie’s scent.
Today she:
- wakes him during nighttime hypos
- alerts him before his glucose monitor alarms
- detects changes in his breath and scent
- even notices some high blood sugars
According to Stevie, Lucy often spots a problem before his technology does.
It’s an extraordinary reminder that dogs can possess remarkable sensory abilities. Whether you call her a diabetes alert dog or a diabetes support dog, Lucy has become an important part of Stevie’s diabetes management.
More importantly, she’s become something else too.
As Stevie puts it:”She’s my guardian angel.”
The emotional side of living with Type 1 diabetes
This episode isn’t really about dogs.
Not entirely.
It’s also about the emotional realities of living with Type 1 diabetes over the long term.
Stevie speaks openly about the psychological battle of diabetes:
- the days when everything feels manageable
- the days when blood sugars make no sense
- the frustration of doing everything “right” and getting the wrong result
- the exhaustion of constantly thinking about diabetes
It’s a side of diabetes that doesn’t always get enough attention.The technology matters, the insulin matters, but so does mental wellbeing.
Diabetes didn’t stop him becoming a musician
What I also loved about Stevie’s story is his determination. Type 1 diabetes didn’t stop him pursuing music.
As guitarist with the band Rebel 69, he toured, performed live and embraced opportunities that many people might assume would be difficult with diabetes.
His approach was straightforward:Don’t let diabetes stop you.
Careful planning helped.
Extra preparation helped.
And occasionally a strategically placed can of cola helped too.
But the bigger factor was mindset. Rather than seeing diabetes as a barrier, Stevie treated it as something to be managed while continuing to live his life.
A lesson we can all learn
One of the reasons many people describe The Long View as the best podcast about Type 1 diabetes is because of stories like this.
Not because they’re perfect. But because they’re real.
Stevie’s experience highlights something important: Living with Type 1 diabetes isn’t just about insulin and technology.
It’s about relationships.
It’s about resilience.
It’s about finding support in unexpected places.
And sometimes it’s about learning to talk to yourself the way you would talk to somebody you love.
His advice for people struggling is beautifully simple: Tell yourself the same encouraging things you’d tell a friend.
That’s advice that goes far beyond diabetes.
A final thought
Lucy may be an extraordinary dog.
But perhaps the most inspiring part of this episode is Stevie himself.
Despite diagnosis, setbacks and the daily reality of a chronic condition, he continues to approach life with determination, humour and optimism.
And that’s a reminder for all of us.
Whether you’re newly diagnosed, have been living with Type 1 diabetes for decades, or are supporting someone who is, there is always another day, another opportunity and another reason to keep going.
Listen here on Spotify: Ep 14: Stevie Hughes – Lucy the diabetes alert dog and living with Type 1 – The Long View – Living with Type 1 Diabetes | Podcast on Spotify
And here on Apple: Ep 14: Stevie Hughes – Lucy th… – The Long View – Living with Type 1 Diabetes – Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/ep-14-stevie-hughes-lucy-the-diabetes-alert-dog/id1875682435?i=1000778244061
If you’re looking for honest conversations, practical insights and inspiring stories from people who truly understand life with Type 1, The Long View continues to bring together some of the most powerful voices in the community.
Real stories, real people, real life with Type 1 Diabetes.