“JMIAH – My Story”
Jeremy Williamson

Coming to my senses in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital, Augusta, Georgia, in May 1989, I realized something was different with me, but I had NO IDEA yet what it could be.

I began my journey with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes when I was in seventh grade.  My education on the topic didn’t come from a class project or a report that was due in science but from nearly dying of the disease.

I was a normal 13 year-old, living life the way teens are supposed to. I was having fun playing sports, hanging out with my friends and was always dreaming of being “somebody.”  I wanted my life to count, but I had no idea I would have to come so close to death in the process. 

One month after my 13th birthday, I noticed small changes in my body.  The first symptom was frequent urination followed by substantial weight loss – nearly 20 pounds in a three week time period.  It was a Sunday, and I wasn’t able to keep any food down without vomiting. I stayed out of school Monday, but then it progressed. I couldn’t keep any fluids down and now had excruciating pain to my lower back.  On the way to the doctor, I remember wanting to “fade-out,” but my mom kept me awake. She shook me saying, “Don’t go to sleep! Do NOT go to sleep!” which may have saved my life.  Upon entering the doctors’ office, the pain was unbearable as I screamed. They rushed me to the Pediatric ICU. I was entering into a diabetic coma. My blood sugar was 680!

After a couple of days of being confined to a hospital room where no one but immediate family could visit me, I didn’t understand what was actually wrong with me. The doctors finally had my blood sugar under control, admitted me to a regular room and decided it was time to tell me of my condition.  With their best “bedside” manners and careful selection of words, they broke the news to me.  Solemnly, the doctors informed me that I had Type 1 (insulin dependant) Diabetes or Juvenile Diabetes. By then, I was feeling good. All I really cared about was how much longer I had to stay in that hospital.  Having never even heard any of the words that the doctor just said, I was like, “OK…so now what?  What is it, and what do I need to do to take care of it?”

They said I would have to take shots for the rest of my life and not be surprised if I found myself in and out of the hospital due to the complications from the disease.  It was at that moment the encouragement my parents gave hit home.  They always said, “You can do anything you set your mind to with a positive outlook.”  How true those words are; even today as a grown man, I still hear and feel the power of those words.

I made a promise to myself I was not going to let this beat me.  I was going to live my life no different than everyone else!  Over the years, I learned how to live with the disease, to win with the disease and most importantly, how to use the disease as a tool to reach out to others.  This didn’t happen overnight. I had my fair share of struggles, but the end result is that I have been successful in helping others live, win and use the card they were dealt.