Growing up as an only child, the relationship between my parents and I was always very close. If I needed a good shoulder to cry on, my mom always swooped in like superwomen and let me cry to her. If I was looking for a good laugh, my dad was always there to give me one. So you can imagine that when they moved 800 miles away from me, it was a huge adjustment. I knew that our relationship would change, but I had no idea it would be tested so quickly after they moved. About 15 years ago, my stubborn, hot headed, hardworking dad was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes means that you are insulin dependent. Meaning that without taking insulin every day, his sugar levels would sky rocket out of control. Only being 8 at the time, this
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My dad had ran out of insulin for the night before and went into diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetic Ketoacidosis means that his body started to produce high levels of blood sugars resulting in a very high blood sugar number. My mom had noticed that morning, my dad was acting extremely funny. A man that is very independent and never sick a day in his life, was curled up on the couch, sweating, head buried in a bucket. Thankfully my mom, having a career in health care, immediately checked his sugar. When she checked his sugar it registered over 500 on the glucose meter. To give you an idea of how high this number was, the normal range for humans is between 70 and …show more content…
Within 24 hours I was on the next flight to Charlotte, North Carolina. My mom picked me up from the airport and we went directly to the hospital. Not much was said on the way to the hospital. I tried so hard to find the words to start a conversation but nothing would come out. I had this dry feeling in my mouth, and my stomach felt like it had been torn out and thrown in a blender. My hands were sweaty, and my eyes were swollen from crying so much. As soon as you walked through those big, glass double doors you were greeted by a nice lady behind the front desk. Since my mom had been in and out for the past day or so, she let us right back without asking any questions. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the smell of the hallway that lead us to his room. It was a cold, stale smell with hints of death and body odor. As we get closer to his room, I can hear the beeping coming from some sort of machine and a very faint voice from the television. We inch closer and closer to his door, I start to feel all my emotions come out. Tears running down my face, we turn the corner and I’m standing in his door way. My first instinct was to run up to him and give him a hug but I just stood still. It was like my body went
My dad had ran out of insulin for the night before and went into diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetic Ketoacidosis means that his body started to produce high levels of blood sugars resulting in a very high blood sugar number. My mom had noticed that morning, my dad was acting extremely funny. A man that is very independent and never sick a day in his life, was curled up on the couch, sweating, head buried in a bucket. Thankfully my mom, having a career in health care, immediately checked his sugar. When she checked his sugar it registered over 500 on the glucose meter. To give you an idea of how high this number was, the normal range for humans is between 70 and …show more content…
Within 24 hours I was on the next flight to Charlotte, North Carolina. My mom picked me up from the airport and we went directly to the hospital. Not much was said on the way to the hospital. I tried so hard to find the words to start a conversation but nothing would come out. I had this dry feeling in my mouth, and my stomach felt like it had been torn out and thrown in a blender. My hands were sweaty, and my eyes were swollen from crying so much. As soon as you walked through those big, glass double doors you were greeted by a nice lady behind the front desk. Since my mom had been in and out for the past day or so, she let us right back without asking any questions. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the smell of the hallway that lead us to his room. It was a cold, stale smell with hints of death and body odor. As we get closer to his room, I can hear the beeping coming from some sort of machine and a very faint voice from the television. We inch closer and closer to his door, I start to feel all my emotions come out. Tears running down my face, we turn the corner and I’m standing in his door way. My first instinct was to run up to him and give him a hug but I just stood still. It was like my body went