Sonia Sotomayor: A Woman of Uncommon Valor

Born in the Bronx, New York, to Puerto-Rican parents on June 25, 1954, Sonia Sotomayor is the personification of the American dream resplendent. Growing up in city housing projects near Yankee Stadium, she became a lifelong fan of the baseball team. But compared to the New York Yankees her own MVP performance could place her right up there with Babe Ruth in the baseball Hall of Fame. In August of 2009, Sonia Sotomayor became the Supreme Court’s 111th justice — the first Hispanic justice, the third female judge and the very first person with type 1 diabetes to hold such a position. 

Sotomayor began taking daily insulin injections at age eight when she was formally diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Her father died of heart disease at the age of 42 when Sonia was only nine years old. Raised by her mother who stressed the importance of education to both of her children, Sonia is a distinguished graduate of Princeton University and Yale University Law School. Her brother, Juan, is a physician and university professor in the Syracuse, New York, area.

Driven by a powerful work ethic and rising to the challenge of managing a terrible diagnosis, Sotomayor excelled in school. An avid reader, she was inspired by Carolyn Keene’s strong-willed Nancy Drew character and wanted to become a detective. After her diagnosis, however, she had to face some cruel and terrible facts, and her doctors suggested a different career. Once again, she found inspiration in the world of fiction; the Perry Mason television series directed her to a legal career. In 1998, she said of her early years: 

“I was going to college and I was going to become an attorney, and I knew that when I was ten. Ten. That’s no jest.”

How does Sonia Sotomayor manage her diabetes?

Although she does take daily insulin injections, her diabetes is considered to be well controlled, with her A1C levels consistently less than 6.5. Law school colleague, Rudy Aragon said of her strict routine: 

“She was religious about monitoring her blood sugar levels. It’s been an issue with her, but she’s overcome that. She overcomes it every day… She did not talk much about her condition and probably only her closest friends knew about it. It never affected her in law school, not once… It was just another obstacle that she blew away.”

Although there is no contesting the studies that clearly indicate that adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely than non-diabetics to die of heart disease, doctors agree that when properly treated, people who have type 1 diabetes are able to lead relatively healthy lives and can successfully manage the disease for four or five decades with no serious health complications.

And while Sotomayor’s condition may well be a roll of the dice in its own particular way, let’s not forget that while in office, she could also be struck by lightning or a wayward bus. Perhaps too, advances in stem-cell research may eliminate the more damaging effects of diabetes. There are too many “what if” variables to preclude making a decision based on them, and the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor as Supreme Court Justice is a victory for all people with diabetes. 

Sonia Sotomayor, here’s to you!

By: M Dee Dubroff