9/26 - 19yrs with Diabetes
Its Sept.26, and it has been 19years since I was diagnosed with diabetes. 19years...wow. Amazing to have a disease for that long. Two and a half years ago I decided to try out the Minimed insulin pump, and have been on it since. It has not dramatically changed my life in the aspect of feeling better, but more in the since of being able to take insulin whenever I need it, without worrying about a needle or insulin vile or other supplies. I have greatly enjoyed this device being attached to me every second of the day. (Yes, you see a hint of some sarcasm, but had it not been there, I would be dead.) There are many days that I curse this disease, and there are many days I don't even remember I have diabetes. But one thing it has brought to me, as my friend Virgil reminded me, is the ability to bring about compassion of others who are hooked up to something in order to keep them alive. Something that is beyond their control. Something that brings about sustained life, I am not able to create myself. There is a great deal of humility, and maybe forced humility in that situation. But it has taught me a lot about what really matters, what sacrifice means, what life means, what death means, and what reliance on something or someone else means.
Also , this day, in 1992, I almost died. It was Freshman Follies weekend at ACU, and I was leaving the dorm to meet my mom for breakfast. Trying to get over to I-20, I apparently turned the wrong way. And ended up going north on 20, to the loop around Abilene. At this point, things become foggy in my memory. I recall very few moments about the next 20 minutes or so of life. From N.10th, I drove all the way back to Judge Ely somehow, remembering very little about traffic lights, etc... I had "tunnel vision" literally. It was as if I were looking through binoculars. My peripheral was black, and I could just see small circles in front of me. My blood sugar that morning was 160. But apparently, the insulin I took before I left to meet mom, acted very quickly, and my blood sugar dropped quickly. Its funny how now, I can tell when my blood sugar is low, and I have always been able to do so. But this time, was just very odd. I remember driving down n.10th (passing United to the left) and realizing the road was very small, narrow, and there were lots of trees. So I thought to myself, I'll just turn around, b/c it sure seems like I'm heading to a dead end. The next thing I know, I was burning my clutch, stuck in a ditch. That smell will never go away. I got out of the truck, with the front face down into the side of a ditch, and leaning to left. As I stepped out, I dropped my keys. Now I didn't just drop them on the concrete, it was in foot high grass. So I look down, through my tunnel vision, cussing, and not able to see anything beyond the 2inch circles in front of me. Somehow (we all know how) I found the keys. This was great. Now what. My truck is stuck. And I'm in the middle of a field... somewhere.
So, I did the only smart thing I could think of, I followed my tire tracks back out of the field, onto the road, and begin walking back the way I thought I had come. I passed a house on the right (in case you don't know this road, its not a neighborhood, they are acreage homesite spread out) and thought about going to the house. People passed me on the road, with my ACU sweatshirt on, but noone stopped to ask if I needed help. I found out later, I walked a mile back up to the Exxon station. There, I went to the ATM, got cash out, bought a 64oz Dr.Pepper, 2 large size Snicker bars, and swallowed them. Then I was able to have a quarter to call my roommate, and mom. (That was before cell phones you see). She of course thought I overslept, and brought my monitor to take my blood sugar. So after all that sugar, 20minutes later, my blood sugar was 42. Amazing. When I started my trek back up the road, I was praising the name of God that I was alive. Praises that were only 3 words, thank you God. Thank you God. Thank you God. I could not think of anything else. Not sure how I was able to walk a mile after blacking out, with a blood sugar on the verge of death. When we went back to get the truck with the wrecker, I saw my tire marks and the broken fence ... I missed the bridge by 3feet.
So September 26th is a special day in my life. For it was this day, in some aspect, I felt life was taken from me in 1986, but life was given back in 1992. And if you really want to look back on things, March of 1986 I was baptized into Jesus Christ.
Here are a few images of where this happened. The red line on N.10th shows where I was coming from.
Also , this day, in 1992, I almost died. It was Freshman Follies weekend at ACU, and I was leaving the dorm to meet my mom for breakfast. Trying to get over to I-20, I apparently turned the wrong way. And ended up going north on 20, to the loop around Abilene. At this point, things become foggy in my memory. I recall very few moments about the next 20 minutes or so of life. From N.10th, I drove all the way back to Judge Ely somehow, remembering very little about traffic lights, etc... I had "tunnel vision" literally. It was as if I were looking through binoculars. My peripheral was black, and I could just see small circles in front of me. My blood sugar that morning was 160. But apparently, the insulin I took before I left to meet mom, acted very quickly, and my blood sugar dropped quickly. Its funny how now, I can tell when my blood sugar is low, and I have always been able to do so. But this time, was just very odd. I remember driving down n.10th (passing United to the left) and realizing the road was very small, narrow, and there were lots of trees. So I thought to myself, I'll just turn around, b/c it sure seems like I'm heading to a dead end. The next thing I know, I was burning my clutch, stuck in a ditch. That smell will never go away. I got out of the truck, with the front face down into the side of a ditch, and leaning to left. As I stepped out, I dropped my keys. Now I didn't just drop them on the concrete, it was in foot high grass. So I look down, through my tunnel vision, cussing, and not able to see anything beyond the 2inch circles in front of me. Somehow (we all know how) I found the keys. This was great. Now what. My truck is stuck. And I'm in the middle of a field... somewhere.
So, I did the only smart thing I could think of, I followed my tire tracks back out of the field, onto the road, and begin walking back the way I thought I had come. I passed a house on the right (in case you don't know this road, its not a neighborhood, they are acreage homesite spread out) and thought about going to the house. People passed me on the road, with my ACU sweatshirt on, but noone stopped to ask if I needed help. I found out later, I walked a mile back up to the Exxon station. There, I went to the ATM, got cash out, bought a 64oz Dr.Pepper, 2 large size Snicker bars, and swallowed them. Then I was able to have a quarter to call my roommate, and mom. (That was before cell phones you see). She of course thought I overslept, and brought my monitor to take my blood sugar. So after all that sugar, 20minutes later, my blood sugar was 42. Amazing. When I started my trek back up the road, I was praising the name of God that I was alive. Praises that were only 3 words, thank you God. Thank you God. Thank you God. I could not think of anything else. Not sure how I was able to walk a mile after blacking out, with a blood sugar on the verge of death. When we went back to get the truck with the wrecker, I saw my tire marks and the broken fence ... I missed the bridge by 3feet.
So September 26th is a special day in my life. For it was this day, in some aspect, I felt life was taken from me in 1986, but life was given back in 1992. And if you really want to look back on things, March of 1986 I was baptized into Jesus Christ.
Here are a few images of where this happened. The red line on N.10th shows where I was coming from.
posted by sirEller at 8:28 AM
2 Comments:
I don't know that I have even heard the whole story of the truck accident. Or better, how close it could have been. Scary. That map shows you way off in the fields. Where was I during this? Oh, high school, no wonder I didn't know about it.
Wow -- what a story. I was in school at ACU at the time. I hope I'm not one of the ones who passed you up on the road. My mom also has diabetes -- I think you know who she is -- Mardell Hamby at Cornerstone.
I'm glad you survived that harrowing experience!
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