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Hi, my name is Doug Campbell. I live in San Tan, Az and I’m 54 years old. I have struggled with health most of my life. At an early age I was diagnosed with psoriasis and still suffer with it today. I can always tell when my sugars start to get out of whack, my flare ups are much worse then. At the age of fifteen I was injured in a shooting accident which left me with one functional lung. In my twenties I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. Later this was changed to Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have struggled for a long time. When they told me I was diabetic, I didn’t take it seriously. I figured I’d diet and be fine. Well, that didn’t happen, my A1C hit 12.4. I got lectured and sent home with metformin and insulin. At this time, I was also diagnosed with triple coronary artery disease. Still, I thought I was invincible. I continued to push myself and not take things seriously.
Read more: A coincidence: I have Diabetes
On September 09, 2016 I was preparing to fly to Indiana to visit my Mom. As I was preparing to catch my shuttle I found myself flat on my back. I couldn’t move. All those years of downplaying my health my wreaking havoc. I had suffered a stroke. My life is forever changed because I didn’t take my diabetes seriously. This has left me with depression and anxiety and I had to retire from a job I loved. I was a Special Education Teacher at a Maximum-Security yard at the local prison. Diabetes doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed. It affects family, friends and others. My students suffered because I couldn’t be there for them. Almost 2 years later they finally hired my replacement. Imagine the lack of educational support they lost. All because I didn’t take this damn disease seriously.
Read more: Diabetes Discovery: So, This is My Life Now
Thank God for my wife, after the stroke she forced me to take control of my health. I may drag my foot and can’t use my left arm/hand, but I am alive and my last A1C was under 7.0. If you’re reading this, please take this disease seriously. After all, I survived being shot and heart disease, diabetes can’t hurt me. I was soooo wrong. Please, don’t keep putting your health in jeopardy, get it off the back burner and take control. Diabetes doesn’t discriminate, male, female, black, white, Native American, Asian, young, old…..well hopefully you get the drift. Take care of yourself, if you are not there to take care of your family, everyone loses.
Thank you for allowing me to share my story.
