Diabetes saved my life: when Faith Lopez, 15, found out she had type 2 diabetes, she thought her life was over. But, as she'd soon find out, it was really just beginning...."Faith, you have diabetes. And you need to go to the hospital right now because your blood sugar is so high that you could die." I'll never forget hearing those words coming from my doctor's mouth. My mom had dragged me to see him after I'd been sick all week with a headache, exhaustion, excessive thirst thirst, sensation indicating the body's need for water. Dry or salty food and dry, dusty air may induce such a sensation by depleting moisture in the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat. and cold sweats cold sweat n. A reaction to nervousness, fear, pain, or shock, characterized by simultaneous perspiration and chill and cold moist skin. . I thought it was just a cold or the flu. I never ever would have guessed that I was actually suffering from a serious, potentially fatal disease. I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. As an IV pumped fluids into my veins to flush the sugars out of my system as quickly as possible, I couldn't quite process what it really meant to have diabetes. As I faded in and out of consciousness, I remember my dad holding my hand and telling me everything would be OK. But I could sense from the fear in his eyes that he really wasn't sure if that was actually true. A DEVASTATING dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. DIAGNOSIS Once I got to the hospital, the doctors ran a bunch of tests and determined that I had type 2 diabetes type 2 diabetes n. See diabetes mellitus. (see sidebar (1) A Windows Vista desktop panel that holds mini applications (gadgets) such as a calendar, calculator, stock ticker and Vonage phone dialer. It is the Windows counterpart to the Dashboard in the Mac. See Windows Vista and gadget. for more info). They told me that it's usually genetic--my grandma had it--and you can trigger its development by being overweight, eating too much sugary sug·ar·y adj. sug·ar·i·er, sug·ar·i·est 1. Characterized by or containing sugar: sugary foods. 2. Tasting or looking like sugar. 3. food and not exercising. Of course, I was overwhelmed o·ver·whelm tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms 1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline. 2. a. and emotional about the news. I instantly turned to my morn and asked her if diabetes meant I wasn't going to be able to get married and have kids. Even though she reassured me that yes, I would lead a normal life, I couldn't shake my fear of how having diabetes would change things. I even wondered if people would still like me. I spent five long days in the hospital. All I could do to stay upbeat was think about my friends and getting back to school. TAKING CONTROL But before I could return to class, I had to learn how to get a handle on my diabetes. For starters, I would likely have to take medication every day for the rest of my life. And if I didn't follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly, I could become seriously ill A patient is seriously ill when his or her illness is of such severity that there is cause for immediate concern but there is no imminent danger to life. See also very seriously ill. . As the nurses and doctors dished dished adj. 1. Concave. 2. Slanting toward one another at the bottom. Used of a pair of wheels. Adj. 1. dished - shaped like a dish or pan dish-shaped, patelliform concave - curving inward out these instructions, I felt totally cheated. My world would be turned upside Upside The potential dollar amount by which the market or a stock could rise. Notes: This is basically an educated guess on how high a stock could go in the near future. See also: Bull, Downside down. But as everyone kept stressing how serious my sickness was, I realized it was time for me to grow up. I told myself, "You don't want this to ruin your life. You want to be normal and go out with your friends and have a good time and that's what you're going to do." I decided right then that I wasn't about to let diabetes stop me from living my life. RESISTING TEMPTATION Still, I had a pretty tough road ahead of me. Promising to eat healthy and exercise in the hospital was one thing, but I wasn't sure I could keep it up at home. There was always candy, cookies, cake and ice cream. My family tried to help by cutting out sweets and eating healthier, too--but that didn't last long. One day, Nathan, my little brother, came up to me and said, "Faith, I'm so sorry you can't eat candy, but I'm going to eat a piece right in front of you." It was hard, but eventually, I just had to laugh--at 7, he didn't know any better. Besides, I didn't want to end up in the hospital again. So I stuck to my healthy snacks (including tons of veggies Veggies of Nottingham, also known as Veggies Catering Campaign, is a campaigning group based in Nottingham, England, promoting ethicalbum alternatives to mainstream fast food. ), and, amazingly, lost 20 pounds in four months. My new lifestyle inspired my friends, who changed their eating habits along with me. We also started working out together, which was really fun. I guess you could say my diabetes changed their lives, too! SUPPORT SYSTEM Besides working out and eating right, my friends were also there for me during not-so-fun parts of my diabetes treatment. In the beginning, I had to give myself a shot of insulin three times a day to balance my blood sugars. I'm petrified pet·ri·fy v. pet·ri·fied, pet·ri·fy·ing, pet·ri·fies v.tr. 1. To convert (wood or other organic matter) into a stony replica by petrifaction. 2. of needles, so when I found out that I not only had to give myself a shot, but also prick my finger four times a day to draw blood to find out how my blood sugars were doing, I cried my eyes out. But it totally helped that my three BFFs--Madi, Dallas and MariBeth--took turns going to the nurse's office to help me with the shots. They set out all of the equipment for me and watched with fascination as I tested my blood and shot my thigh with a needle full of insulin. They say I inspired them to want to go to medical school--and even started to playfully fight over who got to go with me to the nurse's office! This kind of support meant everything to me. I was so scared that my diabetes would make me an outcast out·cast n. One that has been excluded from a society or system. out  cast or that everyone would feel sorry
for me. But I've never once been teased tease v. teased, teas·ing, teas·es v.tr. 1. To annoy or pester; vex. 2. To make fun of; mock playfully. 3. or pitied for having this disease. I guess that's because I'm really just a normal girl who happens to be dealing with diabetes. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER As much of a struggle as it can be to keep my diabetes under control, it truly changed my life. I feel so energized, and I'm in better shape than ever. I've even lost enough weight that I don't have to have injections anymore. Now, I take my medication orally, and there's even a possibility that I may be completely off drugs if I lose more weight. That totally motivates me--as does the thought of shopping for new clothes! Having a chronic illness has made me a more compassionate person, too. I'm now committed to helping others with diabetes. I've raised money, and I also volunteered at a conference to help poor Hispanics learn how to deal with diabetes since they often don't have any access to help for this problem. Now, I just want to help make things easier for others. Luckily, I learned really young that having good health is everything. You can't do anything without it. TYPE 2 DIABETES WHAT IT IS: Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body can't make enough insulin or properly use the insulin in your body. insulin is necessary to prevent the levels of sugar in your blood from getting too high. WHAT HAPPENS: Without the help of insulin, blood sugar levels can skyrocket sky·rock·et n. A firework that ascends high into the air where it explodes in a brilliant cascade of flares and starlike sparks. intr. & tr.v. . This reaction sets off symptoms including headaches, sweating, weakness, heart palpitations, confusion and blurred vision. Left untreated, type 2 diabetes can lead to heart disease, kidney failure kidney failure or renal failure Partial or complete loss of kidney function. Acute failure causes reduced urine output and blood chemical imbalance, including uremia. Most patients recover within six weeks. , blindness and even death. WHO IS AT RISK: Everyone--especially those who are overweight and inactive. Family history also plays a role, as does ethnicity: If you are African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. , Native American, Hispanic, Latino or Asian, you have a higher likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. WHAT'S THE TREATMENT? There is currently no cure for type 2 diabetes. But it can be treated with a change in diet, an increase in exercise and insulin-regulating medication. FOR MORE INFO: Check out diabetes.org/youthzone online for message boards, games and tips on how to deal with diabetes. BY FAITH LOPEZ AS TOLD TO SANDY FERTMAN RYAN PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARC F. HENNING |
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