Inspiring Stories

Zach and Sierra

These are my children Zach and Sierra. Zach was diagnosed at eleven. Sierra at thirteen. I am amazed everyday at how well they deal with their diabetes. They are both student athletes. Sierra does volleyball,soccer,and basketball and Zach does football,weightlifting,and basketball. They have a very active social life and never let their disease get in the way of it. Zach and his friends have the best sense of humor about it and they all look after him. We are blessed to have very supportive family and friend there for them. It was a shock to learn both of my children would be living with this. Its even harder to know i can't change it. They are my strength though. I see them carry themselves with such confidence and strength. They have such a strong bond now as brother and sister and even compete to see who can get the lowest a1c. I am so proud of who they are. Diabetes does not define them it is only a small portion of who they are. They are beautiful, funny,student atheletes and Diabetics. And they are amazing.

Jenny
Holiday, FL

Brantley's story!

We were on family vacation at the beach when Brantley our 3 year old started getting sick he woke us up early one morning with trouble breathing so his daddy and I rushed him to the emergency room from years of working in the er i knew if they take you back and look concerned something is wrong. The doctor takes one look at him and says you have a very sick little boy they initially said pneumonia but when blood tests came back the doctor came in with a devastating blow that he was a diabetic and his sugar was almost 800 and that he was in diabetic ketoacidosis and really bad dehydrated. They had to fly him an hour away to a childrens hosptial picu were we spent 3 days trying to get him better and a crash course in how to take care of a diabetic toddler. People don't realize how much a life change a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is till it hits them. But im so proud of our little guy of course he cried at first with the mutliple finger sticks and shots but know i think he has realized it is part of his life now and takes it in stride. We can only pray that one day a cure is found so that other children doesn't have to go thru such a life changing diagnosis.

melissa ramsey
newport, TN

My Story

I have been a diabetic for the past 30 years and I have my good days and bad days. I have spent few time in the hospital for my diabetes, I even had surgeries cause my diabetes. When I turn 26 I was told to stop working because of my diabetes so that's been the hardest part of it all.

Mike DeWitt
Williamston, SC

45 years and going string

This is my forty-fifth year with type 1 Diabetes.

I was just starting the fifth grade when I was diagnosed. I have to say i was frightened...who wouldn't be? I thought only old people had diabetes. I think what has helped me through my first years is something my father said to me. He told me the day we found out that if this is the worst thing I get in life I am lucky.

It is controllable. The technology there is today is amazing. I have been wearing an insulin pump for over 10 years now. It has helped me get my blood sugar to a normal level.

I cannot say that it has not effected my overall health. I do have some complications but I do not let it get me down.

You need to control your diabetes do not let it control you!

Anonymous
Holbrook, NY

"Fighting the War on Diabetes"

I affectionately call my life "Fighting the War on Diabetes. I am 53, and at 5'8", 175 pounds, I have Type 2 Diabetes. I was diagnosed in 2006, kind of accidentally. I weighed 165 at that time. After seeing my family doctor, I received a call telling me my blood sugar was over 400. At 46 I thought I was having prostate trouble, and I had felt some numbness in my left foot for a couple years, but I had not a clue I was diabetic. I should have known. My maternal grandfather was diabetic, and an uncle is diabetic.

Just after diagnosis, I was plain angry, then after a few months I felt sad, and eventually about six months later, I accepted the fact that I was never going to be the same again. I decided to accept the reality of things, and began learning about this disease, eating better, and I rededicated myself to my exercise program of over twenty years.

I still have ups and some downs, with my sugar, and with my emotions, but I refuse to stand still and let Diabetes win. For the last two years I have been insulin dependent, and I wear an insulin pump, which has helped change my life. I am an avid cyclist. A few days ago I biked 38 miles, and my goal by next spring is 60 miles in 4-5 hours, so I can bike in charity events. I choose to fight, and enjoy the pursuit of better health. I think of it as a journey, and I also hope that in some way, I help someone else to learn to fight Diabetes. I have come to expect so much. I hope to prolong my life, and also insure my quality of life. I want to see grandkids grow up and feel healthy as they grow. This I know: You don't have to assume Diabetes is incapacitating, or the end of a good life.

Join me in "Fighting the War on Diabetes!"

Les Biffle
Welch, TX

Brittnee Ruddell's story

Hi my name is Brittnee, at the age of 2 and a half i was diagnosed with type one diabetes. When we found this out my mom dident give me any sugar only sugar free stuff what she dident know is that would lead to multiply seizures. We figured out what was going on and fixed it. I have had many hard times in my life but all of them i have never been alone in i have an amazing family that loves and supports me. One time i went to my diabetic center to get my regular check up they did my A1C it was greater then 14 and they were very disappointed but then the next month when i went to go and see them my A1C had dropped down to 7 they made me get blood work because they thought that there machine was not working little did they know i had worked my butt off to get it to that point they were so proud of me and congratulated me and told me how good i did it was very rewarding. i am now 16 years old and i have had diabetes for 14 and a half years and i wouldn't change it for the world!

Brittnee Ruddell
Gravenhurst, Canada

struggles of being a diabetic

went to the dr. for bumbs on my eyes ,the dr, ran test and they came back that my sugar was high and wanted to to blood work ,went back for my results then found out i was diabetic it was the worst day of my life went from never hardly being sick to being a diabetic brought tears to my eyes and i struggle everyday , still have problems control my sugar i try n change my eating habits sometimes only eat twice a day ,drink nothing but water,the only problem i have is exercise my dr, tells me all the time to exercise but i don't feel the energy to do that ,in which if i did maybe i would have more energy to do more things..i don't sleep good threw the night ,and i am also very emotional angry ,crying ,yelling, just don't like to be around others ...i take 30 units of insulin a day and also the pills twice a day ,my eye site has went from good to bad ..and the bad thing is my dr. never explained nothing to me about this disease i learned everythng on my own and my friends, i read more and find things out on my own ..hope one day there will be a cure for this disease...

sharon diaz
kankakee, IL

The great deception

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 15yrs old only months after watching my birth father die from diabetes complications. It started like many of the story's I've read about. I started getting really light headed & fainted in class 2Xs & was tsken via ambulance to the hospital but the Drs couldn't figure out what was wrong so they sent me home where the symptoms really started- I was extremely thirsty, sick & vomiting, had to pee alot & this went on for almost 2 weeks before my Mom called 911 and had the ambulance come get me again. Once at the hospital the Drs. Could see that there was something wrong with me because of the huge amount of weight I had lost in the 2 weeks since my last visit, I went from 150lbs to 118lbs so the Dr ordered blood work & thats when we found out I was diabetic. My blood sugar was 1175mg/dl & I slipped into a coma. When I awoke a week later I was hooked up to life support with multiple iv's, a ventilator & other equip. The worst part for me was the big lie I was told as a child growing up- that I could do & be anything I dreamed of, my biggest dream was to be a soldier in the marine corps, that was no longer possible! And because I had just watched my Dad die from this disease at the age of 35 I thought the same was going to happen to me so I didn't take care of my self, in fact I was self destructing. I'm now 36yrs old with many diabetes complications & my future looks bleak at best. This horrible disease has destroyed my life.

Michael Joseph Godles
Little Compton, RI

DKA Survivor

Diagnosed via DKA at age 27. Ironically, I went to the doctor for a severe sinus cold and was sent home with a prescription of antibiotics and decongestants. I took my medicines and went to bed Friday night. I awoke Monday in ICCU was told that I was a Type 1 Diabetic. They told my family that I would not wake up. I've dedicated my life since to helping other diabetics, even became a board member of my local diabetes charity!

Laura Warren
Reno, NV

I've come this far

I was 10 year old, and eating non stop, always thirsty and lost about 15 lbs. I constantly had to pee and had sleepless nights. Mother looked at me one day as I ate desperately at a grapefruit and said "You need to see a doctor, I'm having your father take you tomorrow". I didn't even like grapefruits but I was eating anything and everything I could get my hands on! The next day we went to our local family practice. The doctor came in after running a number of test and looked my father in the eyes, and with a heavy heart said to him "Does anyone in your family have a history of Diabetes?" my father stood up, placed his hands on his hip and said "What? No...". The doctor explained to my father that I was Diabetic. I had NO clue at the age of 10 what Diabetes was. I thought OK, I'll get some prescriptions and call it a day. Boy was I wrong. My father was silent the whole way home. As he sat on the couch looking confused and sad, I asked him "Daddy, if I go to the bathroom a lot, will it go away?" he looked at me with a sad smile and said "Yes baby..." So I ran to the bathroom and tried to go as much as I could. My mother came home shortly after, he sent my sister and I to the bedroom but we snuck out and decided to eavesdrop. He sat my mother down at the Kitchen table, and told her that I was diabetic. She lay her head in her hands and began to weep. I didn't understand then, I didn't know what the big deal was. Now, I am 28 years old, and I understand it very well. I have a beautiful 6 year old daughter and an amazing Fiance. It has never been easy, but I have and will always continue to find a way each day to keep going. And having my beautiful little family only makes me want to fight even harder!

Sahayonara
Austin, TX