Doing medicine to be able to disarm diabetes in my life and my community

Written by Benjamin Mafale from Zambia

My name is Benjamin, a 19 year old type 1 diabetes patient living in Zambia. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in mid-2016 at the age of 15. I came to know about my condition when I was in grade 11 in boarding at Kalomo secondary school. My experience started suddenly with some presentations of type 1 diabetes. In the unknown early symptoms of my condition polyuria (frequent urination), dehydration, extreme hunger and loss of weight.

During that period, blood tests were carried out and when the results came out it was positive hyperglycemic (+++). This contributed to admission in the hospital for about 7 days for further investigations and monitoring of my blood sugars.

While in the hospital I made some approach on diabetes management and got a nutritionist for diet advice. Later on after being advised on how to manage my condition with diet, medications and other ways, I was discharged to go home. Though it was something new and challenging to follow. This led me to change schools from Boarding to day school, reasons being insulin storage and diet. Even when I started schooling from home, ups and downs were faced. It wasn’t easy encountering low and high blood sugars during the day and night, choosing what to eat and what not to, not attending class because of not feeling well and checking blood glucose levels almost 5 times a day but I still managed to pull up  and I managed somehow. Months later after I was diagnosed of diabetes, I was severely hit with Peripheral neuropathy (a condition that damages the nerves of the lower limbs) due to prolonged high blood glucose levels. One of the worst complications of diabetes I have ever experienced. Through the support and help I had from my family, friends and doctors I managed to control the condition and things went back to normal.

How do I manage my diabetes? The first one is through diet. I carefully watch my diet and then that’s when medications comes in. Also exercises I do like running, aerobics, workouts and weight lifting have a vital role in my blood sugar management.

An achievement I have encountered since the time I was diagnosed of T1D was the diabetes camp I attended in April 2018 in Livingstone. I had a chance of meeting young type 1 diabetics under the age of 18 from different parts of the country. The camp was organized by the Diabetes Association of Zambia (DAZ). The challenges faced and achievements made during the camp made me realize how hard it is to manage the condition for some young diabetics that are out there in our communities, though having friends in the trenches with us eased the burden. Diabetes not an easy condition to manage. And also due to challenges and struggle that we Diabetics face I chose to apply at a medical school were I got admission at Cavendish University Zambia so that through my career, I will be able to dig more and find ways of disarming this chronic disease.

Am happy for who am becoming today because living with this condition has taught to be strong, supportive, passionate etc. And I appreciate for the support I get from my family, friends and diabetes organizations like Africa Diabetes Alliance, Sonia Nabeta Foundation (SNF) and PJosh Diabetes Care Foundation (PDF). They’re the reason why I never stop fighting against and advocating for diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes is on the rise and yet as a diabetic patient I have plans of starting up some Diabetes awareness and education programs that will help in reducing new cases of diabetes and management of the disease.

They say “The strong survive and the weak don’t” therefore I’m among the strongest diabuddies that fight against Diabetes till its time.