I talked to my sister Sheila today, and she told me Tommy (her son) found out yesterday that he's diabetic. He's in his 30's (about 36, I think). It is disheartening to hear it, but it does run in the family. If he doesn't take care of himself, he'll wind up like my dear cousin Garland, a victim of strokes, amputations, and multiple health crises. And worse: he died at age 58, leaving behind a wife who is lost without him and a daughter who will never have a father to give her away at her wedding.
There are so many tragic diseases that need research money, and I wouldn't want to take anything away from cancer research, Alzheimer's research, AIDS research, etc., but diabetes desperately needs a cure. If only our country was not having to fund a war, or oil-company profits, or tax cuts for the rich! One thing's for sure--if I ever did win a big lottery, a big part of that money would go into diabetes research.
Meanwhile, I am working diligently to lose weight so my own diabetes can be controlled. I can't very well tell Tommy he needs to control his diabetes if I can't be an example to him. I'm eager to live a life with fewer medications, if at all possible. And I want to avoid the loss of vision that my diabetic friend Lynn has experienced, as well as the many other side effects--slow wound healing, diabetic neuropathy, infections. As I told Sheila, people don't value good health until they begin to lose it, and then suddenly they'd give anything to feel good again, to have energy, to not have to curtail their activities. Diabetes puts many limits on a person's life, limits that just get worse and worse. And harder and harder to endure. S.
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