This book discloses the story of how my first husband and I met the urgencies and complications of his Type 1 diabetes. He was, as it turns out, a brittle diabetic, meaning that insulin reactions (hypoglycemic attacks) came upon him without warning. Once his blood glucose (sugar) began to drop it plummeted, and he became like a brainless, irritated, confrontational drunk! It was the 1960's no cell phones, no aid cars, no urgent care centers, no simple ways to test blood sugar levels. We, like other 20-somethings in that decade, headed to California to chase our dream. That's where this story began, and where the commitment for survival was extremely tested. Throughout the urgencies of life-threatening events, we stood strong. We held jobs. We had hobbies, We traveled a bit. We went fishing. We went hunting. We built a cabin in the woods. And, along the way, we had dogs we loved and who loved us back. My husband's more serious health concerns started in the late 1970s continued low-blood sugar attacks, fem-pop surgeries, a bleeding ulcer, congestive heart failure, amputation of one leg and the other two years later. I served as his caregiver, striving always to maintain his dignity. In 1992, I became his widow. Somehow now, 31 years after those challenging years of marriage, the good memories remain! May this memoir give insight and hope to those on a similar journey. And please note, the management of diabetes is very much better now than it was in the 1960s-1990s. ~ Helen Gregory ~ “By page three you won’t set this book down – you will hang on for a ride you never imagined.” ... Mike Dolan, ID “[This story] is … an ode to the caregivers who carry such vital and unrecognized burdens.” ... Judith Kirscht, author, WA Available at Amazon.com ... 2 Trade paper (6x9, 396 pages, $17.99) eBook ($4.99 or free?) (sometimes Amazon has the trade paper version on sale) |