BOSTON -- A study under way at the Joslin Diabetes Center could give hope to millions of Americans living with Type 1 diabetes.

NewsCenter 5's Liz Brunner reported that the Medal Study is studying those who have lived a long life despite diabetes. Researchers said diabetics are living much longer than doctors thought they could.

From the moment they met more than 50 years ago, Everett and Claire Hartmann have been side by side.

"I feel very grateful that I am still alive," said Everett Hartmann.

Everett was only 4 when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Doctors knew little about the disease when Everett was 4, and no one thought he could live to be 83.

"They felt that if you stuck to a diet, you could live for two or three years. If you didn't stick to a diet, you could only live for about six months," he said.

Everett Hartmann is now part of an ongoing study at the Joslin Diabetes Center. He's one of 22 enrolled patients who have lived 70-plus years with diabetes.

"It's a pretty tough disease to live with for a really long time, but these people obviously provide huge hope that you can," said Dr. George King, of the Joslin Diabetes Center.

The goal of the research is to understand how diabetics like Everett Hartmann have survived so long. One of the surprises, researchers said, is that some of the participants have never suffered serious complications like kidney and heart disease, which are common for those with type 1 diabetes.

Researchers have also found that despite the fact they take insulin shots every day, their bodies are still making some of the hormone on their own.

"Even after 50 years of diabetes, some of these patients can still make insulin," King said. "They have some sort of mechanisms -- whether it is their habit or in their genes -- that are preventing the terrible side effects of diabetes."

As for Everett Hartmann, he credited his diet and his lifelong partner, his wife Claire, for his many happy years.

"I owe my longevity and my life and my later years to my wife," Everett Hartmann said.

The study, funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, is ongoing.