Advocacy and the Changing Diabetes in Children (CDiC) project has given me a much needed ray of hope

Written by Taremwa Ian Mark

My name is Ian and I am 22 years old. I am a known diabetic, to be more specific, Type 1 diabetes for the last 1 year. Unfortunately, I have lived a quite tricky and challenging life based on the fact that I have been brought up by a single mother. My father abandoned us; and by us I mean myself, my mother and my sister. But we managed to grow up.

Talemwa Ian-Recently enrolled in the CDiC project

The Lord has really been so good to me. I got diagnosed with diabetes on 23^rd of May 2018 and I was in Dubai at the time, where I had to work in order to try and fend for myself and my family. This was because after my secondary school, I wasn’t so fortunate to join university since the funds weren’t available. After getting out hospital, I faced a great challenge of denial of diabetes, I hated myself and thought I wasn’t good enough, I even started thinking maybe I was just born to suffer.

Sadly, I had to return to Uganda because I had failed miserably at controlling the diabetes and keeping my blood sugars in check. And the stress was constantly rising.  So, I got to come back to Uganda, saw a few specialists and then I thought I was actually ready to get back to work. But I was actually still living in denial so even when I got back to Dubai the second time, I failed still and had to be taken into the hospital. I spent three weeks in a coma. And this time round I had to travel back home for good.

Admitted at St. Francis Hospital, Nsambya 

I was only able to do all this because my mum had sacrificed and sold her land and she had given me the money to use to find work and get back on my feet. However, due to poor health, I ended up using it all for hospital bills. So I lived a very tough life where I constantly struggled to afford my insulin and syringes as well as all the additional medication and lifestyle required to keep my blood sugars in check. About a month ago, I got a very tough episode, which I have since learned was a Diabetes Ketoacidosis (DKA) episode. I was actually taken by ambulance to hospital. It was my very first time to use an ambulance, I was already in a coma and that experience really tortured me, because I wasn’t working and the bills were quite overwhelming at Nsambya hospital. I was constantly worried, sad, hopeless and just plain tired of it.

Luckily, a few weeks after that, I was introduced to Madam Edith by Mrs. Jackie Namara of Sugar C.U.B.E.S. in Kampala. Edith, a lady working with Africa Diabetes Alliance (ADA), listened to my story and my struggles and she  recommended me to be enrolled for the CHANGING DIABETES in CHILDREN (CDiC) program at Nsambya hospital. I was told that the program only enrolled children and young adults up to the age of 18 which scared me because I am 22. I knew I had to make them understand how difficult this was for me. Fortunately for me, after hearing my story, and with the help of Edith advocating for me, they understood my  many challenges and hardships, they knew I had no other hope and enrolled me. I felt so happy for the first time in a long time. So that is how I have actually managed to start regaining my hope back that I can actually live a normal life with Diabetes as long as I am taking my injections right,monitoring my blood sugar and keeping up with a good diet plan. Type 1 diabetes is really complex to manage even with knowledge and access to the necessary medications and management tools and food available. Without them however, managing type 1 diabetes is close to impossible. So I am really thankful, and privileged to be a part of CDiC and ADA.

Through this program, I am now able to get insulin injections, Accu check strips, and the most exciting part is that I get to see a Doctor and all of this is actually for free. I don’t really know how to show my gratitude to CDIC, but it has helped me regain my hope in life and also my family is no longer struggling too much to acquire medication. CDiC rescued me from a desperate situation and I hope they continue to do the same for some of us young adults above 18 who may be from less fortunate circumstances. By the time I managed to reach out for help, I had really failed and given up and thought that maybe the time to die had come, because the day they registered I actually didn’t even have insulin for the next day so literally CDIC saved my life and I thankful to whoever is looking out for the unfortunate diabetics in Uganda and all over the world. It is honestly not easy to understand certain situations because my own mother had run out of options and had let go too, and when I was in hospital, I tried reaching out to my father and I thought he would may be help but he never really said anything to me…which really hurt and broke me.

Since joining CDiC, I am regaining my strength and hope that days will get better with time. I am really thankful to the CHANGING DIABETES IN CHILDREN project for looking out for people like me. It’s really great and amazing because it gives people like us hope to live for another day. Life is one of our most precious gifts that can never be regained just like non-renewable resources that once used, abused or exhausted, can never be recharged. Chances in life are minimal and I really want to thank the Lord for He gave me the chance to stand and live again. I believe that there is a reason why he gave me this chance. I was given a helping hand for I believe inside me there is purpose for why I was chosen among the many.

Hoping and working towards making the days of frequent hospitalisations part of my history

I humbly thank the organisations, companies and individuals behind the CDiC project and I believe this was a call from God that I should be a great example to the rest cause I know am not the only one with such a situation. May the Lord bless CDiC for such great opportunities and may it also reach out to others who are out there and give people hope. I once again give a big thanks to the CDiC because, thanks to them, my life is no longer miserable.

I look forward to joining hands with ADA, CDiC, Uganda Diabetes Association and other great organisations making a difference in the lives of young people living with diabetes. Diabetes affects children and educating the community about the signs and symptoms is vital to save lives. Some of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes include; excessive thirst, hunger and urination, excessive drinking, craving sweet drinks and foods, weakness, tiredness, sleeping a lot, sudden weight loss, stomach pain, vomiting and sometimes, coma.

Educating ourselves about managing any type of diabetes is crucial to empowering us to win against it. My new purpose and motto, just like ADA, is to disarm the monster diabetes, daily. Let us together, stand and help the next ones in line for what we do on earth will have a great reward in heaven.