Inspiring Stories

the "dancer"

Dayne is a very..very, active 12 yr old, he is an aspiring dancer who currently practices 4-5 days a week after school at the academy in Traverse City. he was diagnosed with type 1 a liitle less than a year ago. He is the most amazing kid (person) I know, he never missed a "beat" when we found out..and was giving himself shots in a couple days and has dedicated himself to not letting this hinder his desire to dance, and do so competitively. hes been to NY and Chicago and next year L.A. He performs locally at several events to earn money so he can follow his dreams, which also includes more practicing after regular practice and homework.. His drive and desire are so admirable to me even tho I'm his dad, anytime I feel tired and run down I just look to him for my own Inspiration. I know in my heart theres no way he wont succeed in his life dream... you cannot be gifted with that kind of drive and talent and not have good things happen for you.. He is my "dancer" boy

Kevin Sempert
Elk Rapids, MI

Second chance

I was first diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2005. I convinced my doctor and myself that I could control it with exercise and diet. I refused to go on any medication. For a short period of time I was successful. Losing some weight, etc.

Well, I got complacent and backslid.

On 12/12/12 I had a stroke. It was a shock to say the least. Being 52 y.o., overweight and out of shape I had expected a heart attack (kinda morbid I guess, yet true). The lack of control during the event was extremely scary. Fortunately it was a mild stroke, as far as traumatic brain injuries go. No long term effects. Facial droop and speech issues are 99% gone. My glucose was 319 upon admittance to the ER. My A1C at 13.

Well, being "scared straight", I began taking care of my situation. Now being put on multiple meds to address my physical issues. Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Adhering to a proper diet for diabetes and heart smart. And exercising, I joined the YMCA (cardio & weight machines).

At the beginning of the transformation I weighed 268 pounds, wearing XXL shirts (some stuff at XXXL), and 40" waist. Today, I wear large shirts an 34" waist pants. I weight 203 pounds with a BMI of 30. My diabetes is being managed with diet, exercise, one medication and a strong desire to live. At my endocrinologist appointment on 4/15/13 my A1C was 5.0!

The abusing my body has given me heart disease and almost cost me my life. The stroke caused by damage to my heart from a blocked artery on my heart causing scaring which is where the blood clot came. This has also been fixed via installation of a stent. At least we found the culprit.

I am determined to continue to take every advantage of my opportunity of this "do over". My cardiologist said "fear is a great motivator".

I owe to my family, friends and myself to be around for many more years leading a healthy and happy life. Life truly is good!

Jim Barnes
Mentor, OH

My story~*

June 30th 2011 is when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It was the summer before senior year, I was only 17. It's been a long 2 years, I've had my ups and downs. in the beginning I was extreamly depressed, i felt like I had no control over my life. But thankfully I took control of my diabetes and I don't let it control me anymore I control my sickness! From the moment I was diagnost I worked hard to change my lifestyle and my eating habits to make sure I keep my sugars under control. I do extreamly well and am proud of how far I have come with it.

Marci
Swanton, VT

My Type I diabetes story

I was diagnosed in 1977 at age 3 1/2 with type I. Back then there weren't glucometers, only test tubes and pills to monitor your blood sugar. I was on 2 shots a day, and again, back then, it was only pork and beef insulin. I had allergic reactions to it constantly. Fast forward to the late 80's, cloned human insulin (which most use now) was created and made life easier!

At age 27, I got an insulin pump using humalog. I will never look back. It has allowed me to lose weight, and not be forced to "feed the insulin". I am 39 now and have 2 kids, aged 4 and 5. I am so blessed.

Christy
League City, TX

Been a type 1 diabetic for 19 years & now i got rid of it

Hi

i was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 11. i was struggling with it for 19 years didn't look after myself properly. had a needle phobia as a result i damaged my nerves in my feet. i had eye problems just last April i i got kidney failure. i was on dialysis for 8 months. so my kidney specialist put me on the waiting list for a kidney & pancreas transplant. i got a call on the 28/3/13 & they told me they found a match. it's been a month now that i have done the transplant. i have no more diabetes & kidney problems they are both working a 100%. i feel so blessed that i got this opportunity & i do still prey to god that they find a cure soon for this illness because i know how tough it is to live with i got it at a young age & if it wasn't for my kidney failure i would of never got this opportunity.

Sarah
sydney, Australia

Keep trying

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 20 years ago. In that time, I've had ups and downs - mostly high BG levels. Last year my family doctor sent me to an endocrinologist. That's when I decided I needed to acknowledge this disease. My endocrinologist surprised me - she wasn't judgmental at all. Instead, she told me to count my carbs - 45 per meal. It worked wonders! My numbers came down and my A1C was the best I've had.

But then the holidays came and I wasn't as careful about counting carbs. That's when my BG levels went haywire. I started being careful about what I ate and got back on the 45 carbs per meal, but it wasn't working as it had before. The curious thing was that three of my co-workers who have Type 2 diabetes were also getting high readings. I kept sending my logs to my endocrinologist and she changed my meds around, added new ones, removed old ones, but a strange thing happened; my fasting blood sugars in the morning were high, while my bedtime readings were drastically lower! More med adjustments followed.

I joined a blog online for Type 2 diabetics, but so many were striving for tight control, while I just wanted to get my FBG within my doctor's prescribed range. I had resisted any exercise in the past few years because of arthritis in my back and knees, but many of the people on that website spoke of how much they exercised, so I decided to I start moving more. Now I try to walk up and down a few flights of stairs at my job once or twice a day and I'm beginning to see lower numbers now.

What's important is not to give up!

Jo-Ann Copp
Lancaster, PA

Sixty Two Years Later

During the fifties in a very small town called Port Clinton, Ohio, when I was small, I overheard my parents talking about a friend of theirs who had a strange disease called diabetes. I soaked up all the information and dwelled on it and feared it intensely every day. At six years old, 1951, I got Scarlet Fever -- and never got well. I was very ill for five years, missed a lot of school and fun. I thought my saliva was poison, so I spit a lot. I couldn't stay awake and was always thirsty and peeing. I wanted to eat weird food combinations and cravings. (Self prophesy?) In that little town, the one old doctor there never had any idea what was wrong with me, so I wasn't diagnosed until I was eleven, when we moved to Phoenix, AZ.

In early September, 1956 I had trudged my always tired body home from school with horrible pains in my back. My parents took me to St Joseph Hospital's ER in Phoenix. I had double pneumonia in the middle of a fall heat wave (Indian Summer). I was admitted, and of course they found I had Juvenile Diabetes -- big time. I was in that hospital for six weeks, again missing a lot of school. (Made me a math dummy! lol) Back then, it was glass syringes and thick, dull needles which had to be boiled on the stove to sterilize them, urine testing for blood sugar, which was totally inaccurate and calamity-causing. And there was very little understanding from others for a kid having insulin reactions, etc.

It's been quite a challenge for me to live on this blood-sugar roller-coaster, but now I've been a pumper for years, and at nearly 68, a retired office slave, I am going strong as a volunteer on two therapeutic riding ranches, helping mentally challenged kids and taking care of horses. (I had a horse named George when I was a kid in Phoenix.) And horses are great therapy for us volunteers, too. And I needed that. ("My therapist lives in a barn.")

Carolyn Clark
Lakeside, CA

Diagnosed Type 1 at 55 years old

I hadn't been feeling well for almost a year after a nasty bout with a virus that seemed to keep me lethargic and sleeping about 12 hours a day. I thought I was going through menopause
The day after my yearly physical my internist called me herself, with a frantic sound in her voice .."I don't understand this, but you have diabetes...it didn't make sense, so I re-ran the blood work twice...come in and we will start you on medication, you will lose a couple of pounds, eat better and we can make it go away"...my BMI at the time was 24, I wasn't overweight and moderately active.
Over Labor Day weekend 2012, the medication seemed to be making me feel worse ..Tuesday morning I received the "CALL". You need to come into the office, you tested positive for GAD antibodies..you need insulin, you are a type 1.
To this day and two endocrinologist later, my internist still does not believe I am actually a type 1, only because she has never seen it in someone my
age present itself before.
The good news....I TOTALLY changed my lifestyle. I run or walk every single day for a min. of 45 minutes. I eat very few carbs...and i don't seem to
miss them at all! I was the chocolate queen!
When they gave my the insulin I was told to expect to gain about 10 lbs...I was determined not to.

Today I am healthier than I have ever been in my life. I've lost 18 lbs. on insulin in 6 months, my cholesterol which was difficult to control before is doing great...all my blood levels including my overall sugar (5.7 :):):) are good...I feel confident, healthy and a very young 56 year old.

This disease changed my life, my attitude and my overall approach to life. To the young type 1's out there...I've seen a lot of illness in my 56yrs. This is manageable if you have the right attitude..be strong and love yourself..and remember you are surrounded by many who have traveled your path before and made it better!

Janice Watzman
West Bloomfield, MI

The Struggle Continues

When I was initially diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, I was in denial. I didn't want to accept the diagnosis so I continued my same lifestyle habits. I was denying the existence of this disease but being in denial did not make the disease go away.

I finally realized that I needed to change my lifestyle in order to achieve different results. I joined a diabetes group and was introduced to various methods of food preparation, exercise and other lifestyle changes that I needed to make. Of course I didn't want to change because I enjoyed the foods I was eating and the lifestyle I was living, or at least I thought I did.

However, I am so thankful that I finally started to make a change in my life. Small steps that increased over a period of time. I changed the way I prepare my meals, I stopped frying foods and started to grill, bake and broil. I started eating more fruits and vegetables; I've tried to minimize my sugar and fat intake (which is still a struggle). However I have made exercise a part of my life. Initially I struggled to start, but I am thankful that I have stayed with it so far. I have lost 50 lbs, my A1C has improved dramatically going from 11.5 to generally around 6.8 - 7.0. I have more energy and feel better physically. I encourage others to make that first step toward a healthier lifestyle.

Brenda Smith
Memphis, TN

Ribbon Tattoo

My name is Justin Shadley and I have had type 1 diabetes for 21 years as of this coming September. I as of yesterday decided I wanted to show my support for research and teaching people about diabetes by permanently tattooing the ribbon on my chest. I have not been the best diabetic as far as caring for myself but in the last 5 years I have been trying really hard to control it and not let it control me. Unfortunately due to the lack of care on my part I am losing. I have severe neuropathy in both legs, retinopothy in both eyes. I'm just a mess but I still try to maintain a healthy outlook even though I constantly feel like its winning.

Justin Shadley
Athens, IL