017 Remembering the Man in The Sun • Laura Gee

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Yesterday, Rob and I went to the pharmacy to pick up my insulin prescription. Right now, even though Rob and I have a fairly decent insurance plan, we still have to set aside a couple hundred each month whether to cover the cost of this insurance or the medical copays. It adds up and it makes life difficult in a time we should be padding our bank accounts for our golden years.

As I stood looking at the wall of unclaimed prescriptions, I remembered a man Rob and I got to know when we lived in Nashville. We had just moved into our first apartment in Nashville and we saw a man, probably in his late 50’s or 60’s sitting outside his unit. We smiled and waved and grew to do the same whenever we saw him. He liked to sit in the sun and we liked to say hello.

The Man in the Sun

On one of those occasions, with our arms full of the groceries we’d just purchased, we saw him, once again sitting in the sun, this time in a wheelchair. He looked tired but we smiled and cheerily asked him how he was doing.

He said, “I’m waiting to die.”

I nearly dropped the almond milk. Here we were just getting started in life, happy, excited, nervous… and for the first time, we stared at this man… who had withered to a shell of the person he used to be: he was once a successful career man; a business owner; he had staff, a family and a life… and now he sat in the sunshine waiting to die.

In the coming weeks we got to know him. It was hard to listen to his stories of time-gone-by realizing how fragile one’s path in life really is. He shared how he lived with diabetes and he couldn’t afford care he needed. His feet were blistered now, his kidneys were failing and he also needed medication for his heart.

It wasn’t long before we didn’t see him sitting in the sun.

His Legacy Lives On

The man left this world quiet, sad and alone never realizing how his legacy would live on in Rob and I. We never got to know his name, but his message to us was clear. We were two young people living with diabetes, for the very first time seeing the wrath that diabetes can have.

As I stared at the towering wall of prescriptions yesterday, my heart hurt knowing there are others, maybe just like him, who can’t afford the help they need. I’m fortunate to have a job that affords me good health insurance but, will I always?

National Diabetes Statistics Report

According to the 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Diabetes Statistics Report, Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2015. The average medical expenditures among people with diagnosed diabetes were about 2.3 times higher than for people without diabetes. You can review the full report at https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf

Lifestyle Choices

Simple lifestyle choices like blood sugar management, exercise and good nutrition can make a difference. I’m committed to giving myself my best shot at life, are you? Lots of research explored how we can prevent complications so I encourage you to talk with your health care team and make your life a priority. I’ve lived with diabetes for 31 years and I am doing well. It’s incredible what a little effort can do.