KK's Story

In 2001, Catherine "KK" Patton was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes while pregnant with her first child. Suddenly, KK was faced with the lifelong, daily struggle of trying to effectively manage her condition.

Like most individuals with type 1 diabetes, KK was first introduced to injection therapy to treat her condition. As time passed, KK grew weary of having to give herself a shot each time she needed insulin. The multiple daily injections often left her skin bruised and KK quickly found herself skipping meals in order to avoid taking injections.

Aware that poor compliance with her treatment regimen could lead to serious health complications, KK decided to switch to insulin pump therapy. With the pump, she only had to puncture her skin when changing out her infusion set once every three days, but she found the machine inconvenient, uncomfortable and hindering to her active lifestyle.

After struggling with both injection therapy and pump therapy, KK fought to keep her condition under control; however, she was unwilling to allow diabetes to dominate her life. Realizing an unmet need existed, KK was determined to create a device that could meet her medical needs, yet have a minimal impact on her daily life.

Understanding that she was not alone in her frustration, KK wanted to help other individuals with diabetes whose needs were not being met. KK committed herself to turning her vision into reality and, in February 2004, founded Patton Medical Devices with the goal of introducing her solution to the diabetes community.