To us, she was just “Grandma” — the one who baked peach cobbler, hummed hymns while gardening, and always had a peppermint in her apron pocket.
But now, holding these fragile vials, I began to see the truth.
In the 1950s, insulin wasn’t in sleek pens or pumps.
It came in glass bottles, stored in iceboxes.
And the syringes?
Reusable, glass, sterilized in boiling water every night.
The needles — thick by today’s standards — were tipped with steel hooks that dulled with use.
She injected herself without complaint, day after day, year after year — never wanting to worry us.
No alarms.
No drama.
Just quiet courage.
🕯️ What These Vials Represent
They’re not just medical tools.
