David Bosworth
Life on the Waiting List
I was 12 years old when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. For most of my teen years, I did what I wanted without any problems. I didn’t really want people to know that I had diabetes. I didn’t talk about it.
Eventually, in my mid-twenties, I had to have Laser eye surgery, which left me with almost no usable vision in my right eye. I was beginning to see the ravaging effects of my diabetes, but I just kept on going in life, working, providing for my family, and ignoring my health issues. Every once in a while I would go see my doctor. I would feel like dirt for a week, I’d try to do better, and then it was back to my old ways. I knew the repercussions weren’t positive, but I was too busy to worry about my health.
In 2001, I had a shunt put in my stomach so I could do dialysis at home. I couldn’t really go anywhere for more than 3 hours at a time. Forget about going back to work! My dialysis treatments weren’t taking enough of the poisons out of my system, so I had a fistula put in my left forearm. Six months later, I had to undergo another surgery to remove the fistula, because it was cutting off the circulation to my finger, which had to be amputated. I had a catheter put in my right shoulder to allow me to perform hemodialysis.
Over the years, I developed cataracts in both of my eyes. After surgery, I can see great, but have to wear reading glasses. I returned to work in March 2004 full time, and have been working that schedule as well as going to dialysis 3 times a week. I get an average of 4 hrs of sleep a night when I have dialysis. The other nights and weekends, I sleep. Our family hasn’t been on a vacation in over 3 years.
I started the process of getting on the waiting list in the summer of 2001. My private medical insurance gave me a list of tests I needed. I had to have several blood tests, X-Rays, heart stress test, visit a psychiatrist, etc. I was put on the waiting list in July of 2002.
I have two reasons for telling my story. First, I want to help inform people about donation. Not just of the need for organs, but also of the need for letting your loved ones know that you want to be an organ donor before an accident occurs and they have to make a very tough decision in a time of loss and grief. Secondly, I want to be able to reach young people and those who struggle with taking care of their diabetes. I live with the reality of having not taken proper care of myself. A great part of my suffering is my own fault.
Through all of this, I have drawn close to God and my family and friends. Everybody needs a good support system to depend on, and someone to listen to what is going on. Sometimes listening is also observing, and trying to understand what a person is going through.
David received a kidney-pancreas transplant in 2006.
