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Diabetes a struggle lasting a lifetime
An expository feature
by Nicole Othwaite
As I was walking across campus, I happened to overhear a conversation between two women who were in front of me. One woman was complaining to her friend how at her work there is a woman who has to check her blood sugar.
"And oh my God, she does it like, eight times a day and in the break room where I am, like, trying to eat. Then she has blood on her hand and it's, like, so gross. She should totally do that in the bathroom, and I told my manager about it and she was like, 'Ew that is so gross she should like, be doing that in the bathroom.'"
At first this conversation made me very angry. And then it made me very sad.
My brother got meningitis right before his ninth birthday. A month later he was back in the hospital and diagnosed with diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.
My brother, Mikey, is the youngest of five and had gone through one of the most traumatic experiences that our family had ever seen. Learning to live with the disease was hard on the whole family, but hardest on him. We tried to change our eating habits. I say tried because it was too hard to suddenly change the pattern we had lived with.
Mikey had to make sure that he came home in the middle of playing to check his blood and to eat his 10 o'clock snack and his three o'clock snack, and he had to notice if he was feeling shaky. All of these were a large adjustment for an active, once carefree nine-year-old boy.
Mikey was embarrassed by the fact that he has to take shots and check his blood. He didn't want people to know about it. I remember how excited I was when I was at the University of North Dakota sitting in one of my classes and I saw a boy testing his blood sugar. I called my mom up right away and told her. She too was excited to let Mikey know that it was okay to do it without feeling ashamed.
One day my parents were at work and they had given my sister, Alyson, the task of getting Mikey ready for school. Alyson struggled to get Mikey out of the bathtub. She thought he was being stubborn when he wouldn't wake up, so she pretty much dragged him to the bathtub and threw him in.
When he didn't wake up, she called my mom. My mom said that he must have low blood sugar and called 911. She rushed over in the back of a speeding police car and the paramedics came and quickly took care of him. Mikey had no clue what was going on when he woke up, but he was okay.
Diabetes can affect the heart, eyes, kidneys, cause nerve damage, skin problems and foot problems. If Mikey doesn't learn to take care of himself, it could kill him. And even if he does take care of himself, chances are he could still develop one of those problems.
Mikey and our mom were driving in the car. She started to sing along with the song on the radio. "God must have spent a little more time on you..." Without missing a beat, Mikey turned to her and said, no he didn't. He gave me diabetes.
Diabetes is a serious disease. When I heard those women talking I wanted to tell them (in their own language so they would understand) that I am, like, totally sorry that this woman's, like, life-long disease that could kill her, has, like, totally inconvenienced your break at work.
Editor's Note: If you enjoyed this feature (or didn't) please let us know. The Chronicle is considering publishing an expository piece in this section on a regular basis (space permitting). Send your submissions to [email protected].
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