Dr. Charles Gartland
Her family physician in Darby
Dr. Gartland gave Cash a blood test to screen for diabetes as part of her annual exam last fall.
"I've never been sickly," she says. "I was shocked. "I get a physical every year, and I'm glad I went. It's good to check on yourself."
Dr. Mark Schutta
Her endocrinologist (diabetes specialist), seen with her top right
Besides overseeing her medical treatment, which includes insulin and pills, Dr. Schutta examines Cash's feet during routine visits every three months - a valuable precaution against diabetic complications.
Schutta, who is medical director of the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center, also downloads information from her blood-sugar monitor to see how well she's managing her numbers. "I always check my sugar two hours after I eat to make sure it's level," Cash says. "It's normally good."
She considers Schutta her corner man. He's always ready to explain medical details to her and cheer her on.
"When I didn't know anything, he was just so patient," she says. "Now we don't have to spend a lot of time together. He checks my feet and tells me 'You're doing fine. See you in three months.' "
Kia Mellon, Kimberly
Olson and Frances Love
Love led Cash's diabetes-education classes - a 10-hour crash course about diabetes and how to manage it.
She also taught Cash how to administer insulin, which unnerved her so much that she almost didn't go through with it.
"I took it home and put it in the refrigerator, and it must have sat there for two weeks," Cash says. "I said, 'I can't do this. I can't stick myself.' "
Olson came to the rescue by reading Cash the riot act - gently: "She said, 'Listen, you have to do it,' " Cash says. "And I did." Mellon is her telephone "lifeline" for answers to questions that arise between visits.
Linda Sartor
"She's special," Cash says. "She's very understanding."
