John Davis receives MBE in New Year’s Honours

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John Davis receives MBE in New Year’s Honours

January 10, 2012 by MyPump

A message from John Davis
Posted on January 6, 2012 by inputadmin www.input.me.org

John Davis

I have been overwhelmed by the response to the announcement that I am to receive an MBE for services to diabetes in the New Year’s Honours list. I had no idea of the depth of feeling there is regarding my work with INPUT. It has been a humbling experience and I thank you all for your messages of congratulations.
Obviously it is a great honour and privilege to be recognised in such a way, and I am very proud to receive it. I believe that it is acknowledgment that, at last, insulin pump therapy has received the recognition that it deserves.

However, it could not have been achieved without the help and support of all of you out there in the “pump community.” There have been many who have contributed over the years and it is not possible to mention them all, but I must pay special tribute to Jackie Jacombs of the UK CWD Advocacy Group, who has been invaluable help for so long, and to Lesley Jordan, who has now taken over the reins of INPUT upon my retirement.

I would also like to give special thanks to;
Joan Everett, DSN at Royal Bournemouth Hospital. It was with Joan’s help that I started INPUT in 1998, back then there were only 180 pump users in the UK. Now there must be around 20,000.
Dr Fiona Campbell, who invited me to Leeds to make a presentation on insulin pumps to her Yorkshire colleagues. I took 3 children and their parents with me. I let the children tell their own story of life with a pump. It was after this presentation that Fiona decided to start using pumps in her clinic.

Finally, Prof John Pickup, a great man, who has not had the recognition he deserves for all his work in developing the pump. He gave me invaluable help in the early years.
It can be frustrating to be ahead of the curve. It took me several years of lobbying to get influential organisations and personalities in diabetes care in the UK to take pump therapy seriously. It is satisfying that we are now all going in the same direction.

Thank you

John Davis MBE