MY STORY

20 years with Type 1 Diabetes

    Coming to my senses in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital, Augusta, Georgia, in May 1989, I realized something was different with me, but I had NO IDEA yet what it could be.

I began my journey with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes when I was in seventh grade.  My education on the topic didn’t come from a class project or a report that was due in science but from nearly dying of the disease.

I was a normal 13 year-old, living life the way teens are supposed to. I was having fun playing sports, hanging out with my friends and was always dreaming of being “somebody.”  I wanted my life to count, but I had no idea I would have to come so close to death in the process. 

One month after my 13th birthday, I noticed small changes in my body.  The first symptom was frequent urination followed by substantial weight loss – nearly 20 pounds in a three week time period.  It was a Sunday, and I wasn’t able to keep any food down without vomiting. I stayed out of school Monday, but then it progressed. I couldn’t keep any fluids down and now had excruciating pain to my lower back.  On the way to the doctor, I remember wanting to “fade-out,” but my mom kept me awake. She shook me saying, “Don’t go to sleep! Do NOT go to sleep!” which may have saved my life.  Upon entering the doctors’ office, the pain was unbearable as I screamed. They rushed me to the Pediatric ICU. I was entering into a diabetic coma. My blood sugar was 680!

After a couple of days of being confined to a hospital room where no one but immediate family could visit me, I didn’t understand what was actually wrong with me. The doctors finally had my blood sugar under control, admitted me to a regular room and decided it was time to tell me of my condition.  With their best “bedside” manners and careful selection of words, they broke the news to me.  Solemnly, the doctors informed me that I had Type 1 (insulin dependant) Diabetes or Juvenile Diabetes. By then, I was feeling good. All I really cared about was how much longer I had to stay in that hospital.  Having never even heard any of the words that the doctor just said, I was like, “OK…so now what?  What is it, and what do I need to do to take care of it?”

They said I would have to take shots for the rest of my life and not be surprised if I found myself in and out of the hospital due to the complications from the disease.  It was at that moment the encouragement my parents gave hit home.  They always said, “You can do anything you set your mind to with a positive outlook.”  How true those words are; even today as a grown man, I still hear and feel the power of those words.

I made a promise to myself I was not going to let this beat me.  I was going to live my life no different than everyone else!  Over the years, I learned how to live with the disease, to win with the disease and most importantly, how to use the disease as a tool to reach out to others.  This didn’t happen overnight. I had my fair share of struggles, but the end result is that I have been successful in helping others live, win and use the card they were dealt.

Early on, I was even timid to tell anyone I had diabetes.  I was somewhat embarrassed and afraid my friends would think I was weird.  This was before I really started to educate myself on it.  Heck, I didn’t even know what it was, and I was the one who had it! After meeting with my educator, dietician, and attending Juliet Powell Weekend Experience (explain what this is – like – weekends where other kids with diabetes get together or something) several times, I was growing, and I wasn’t afraid to tell people what was up with me. It seemed like the more I talked about it, the better I felt. That’s when I like to laugh and say, I was on my way to becoming a “Jedi Master” of Diabetes.

By the later high school years, I was now dealing with the new lifestyle change, and it was under control so things should have been looking up for me.  Instead, my life took a drastic turn as I started experimenting with illegal drugs and alcohol.  As a senior in high school, I let drugs, partying and lack of self-control get in the way of life.  I quit football, and my grades started slipping. Worse than anything, I let my parents down.  Without going into many details, I graduated high school, finally got my life back on track and was ready to show the world what I was made of! 

At 18 years-old, I was at a point in my life where I needed more. That is when I gave my heart to Christ, went to Rhema Bible Training Center and eventually became a youth minister. For seven years, I helped young people find their way by providing hope and direction.  It was so natural for me because ‘I had been there.’  Those were some of the BEST years of my life, because they were the years I fell in love with people. Eventually, my aspirations began to change. I began growing in a new direction.

When I turned 30 in 2006, I came to another crossroads in my life. I began modeling and started competing in fitness model shows.  My first competition was the “World’s Fittest Model Competition” at the Olympia Expo in Las Vegas.  I had no idea what to expect, and during the interview, the judges asked me why I wanted to win.  I didn’t have a planned answer; I just answered why I wanted to win. I wanted to have a voice to reach a much bigger audience and help young people in schools with fitness, health, and nutrition at an early age to beat the American status quo.  In this World’s Fittest Model Competition, I placed 15th out of over 3,000 models nationwide.  Immediately following it, I was invited to Hollywood to compete in the prestigious Model America, where I placed 6th out of 36 male models.  It was the beginning of something new for me. In 1997, I began training, competing and winning… 1st place 2007 FAS-NET’s Male Model, 2nd place in the prestigious Model Universe 2007, 3rd place in Model America 2007, 3rd place in Fitness Atlantic’s Model America, and again 2nd place in Model Universe 2008. During all of that, I’ve been in numerous fitness magazines, TV shows, TV commercials, and spreading my wings everywhere I can fly and also working with several different producers on my first recording project, singing! I have since retired from competing, but I am still in the circuit. I still have so much more I want to do with fitness model competitions, maybe my own show?!?! 

Here I am in life with a new aspiration in addition to being in the entertainment industry. I am working hard to become a national spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).   I want to be a voice – a BIG voice – in diabetes awareness.  I continue to educate myself and want to share my knowledge and encourage everyone who has been affected by Type 1 diabetes.  I learned to live with it, win with it and now I want to show others how they can make a difference by using diabetes as a tool in helping others live a fulfilling life.

Being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, or any other disease for that matter, does not mean that you have to plant your feet where you stood when you heard the news.  It means you need to educate yourself on something you may never have heard of and adjust accordingly.  I am glad that if someone had to have the disease it was me.  There is so much I want to do to make a difference! From here, who knows what direction I will take.  Whatever I do though will be because of my heart to help people. 

Who am I?

Jeremy Williamson aka “Jmiah”

“Diabetes Enthusiast”

www.JMIAH.com

"2nd Place Winner of MODEL UNIVERSE 07 and 08"
"3rd Place Winner of MODEL AMERICA 07"

Visit www.TRACK3DMD.com for GREAT carbohydrate, calorie, fat, sodium tracking!!