Here's a video where I mention those 3 reasons:
My story of recovery from a diabetic coma, a 1337 blood glucose level, and 4 insulin shots a day was due to a series of accidents or coincidences that I still can't explain.
I spent more than 30 years in Corporate America working in various fields of engineering, using software, electronics and the latest technologies to design systems, UIs, and diagnostics and solve very complex technical problems. But, despite all of my knowledge and experience, I still can't explain these "accidents" (or "coincidences") without sounding a little bit like a nut case.
However, my mother didn't believe in accidents or coincidences. She told me: "Son, you need to stop calling these things accidents or coincidences. They're not. They're "blessings" from God Almighty."
At the time, I didn't really believe my mother, but, I didn't tell her that because I didn't want to peel myself off the wall.
So, I just nodded in agreement with her.FYI: Here's a link to the web page about my father, my mother, my mother's brothers (my uncles), my brothers and sisters, and how family support helped me and shaped my life growing up:
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Mother.html
The following is a summary of how my mother saw my life unfolding during those dark days of fear, anxiety, doubt, the coma, near amputation, disability, failing eyesight, shooting up with insulin 4-5 times a day, nightmares, cravings, etc. and the "blessings" that changed my life forever.
Note 1: If you don't want to read the following information, you can watch a video or listen to an audio file of me talking about some of these events.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ECUOu2rFto
Note 2: Here is a video file and an audio file of me talking about diabetes, nutrition, why diabetics remain diabetic, and my solution to Type 2 diabetes: my wellness program:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3mdxBSl-Xc
https://soundcloud.com/deathtodiabetes/talk-2a
First, I was very fortunate (okay, blessed) to have survived a diabetic coma with a blood sugar level over 1300! I was taking several medications, including 4 insulin shots, Coumadin (a blood thinner), and Lipitor (a cholesterol medication).
When the ambulance brought me to the hospital, the head nurse (who was supposed to be on vacation) eventually convinced the doctors to change my insulin drip and electrolytes because she had seen my condition before in another patient who died a few months earlier.
My mother called this Blessing No. 1: My mother said that God guided this nurse to help spare my life. To the surprise of the doctors and the other nurses, I came out of the coma -- a specific type of diabetic coma known as a non-ketotic hyperglycemic hyperosmolar coma. According to the doctors, this type of coma has a 90% mortality rate when combined with my other health problems: 2 major blood clots, DVT, pancreatitis, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyperinsulinemia.
Being in Intensive Care was very scary for me. I could hear the doctors and nurses whispering all the time and coming in every couple hours to take more blood. I had nightmares that made it difficult for me to sleep, so I was tired all the time.
But, my mother told me that the nightmares were actually dreams -- that God was speaking to me through my dreams. I didn't want to disagree with my mother, but, if you were dreaming about cemeteries and graveyards, would you call that a dream or a nightmare?
In addition, while in the hospital, I was really confused and afraid about injecting myself with insulin -- I had a real fear of needles. One of the nurses helped me overcome my fear; plus, she gave me a free ticket to a national diabetes seminar about a month later where I met hundreds of diabetics, doctors, nurses, diabetes educators, other healthcare people and medical technologists involved in diabetes care. What I learned at this seminar would have taken me at least 3-4 months (if not longer) to acquire the same knowledge!
My mother called this Blessing No. 2: I was exposed to the magnitude of this disease beyond my own personal health problems and given an education about this disease that, normally, would have required several months to acquire.
When I got home from the hospital, I was really down and very concerned because I was struggling with my eyesight. My daughter had bought me a magnifying glass to help with my reading. Plus, when I got home, I had to magnify my computer screen so that I could read the text.
The hospital had a home nurse visit my house a couple times a week to make sure I was injecting myself properly and taking the other medications, and to answer any questions. These nurses I met during my recovery were truly amazing (they were a true Godsend and they really need to be paid a lot more for what they do!)
[Sidebar: I wrote a letter to the hospital praising these nurses and especially the head nurse who had postponed her vacation to save my life].
Trying to get around was a struggle. My daughter had to drive me around because of the problems with my legs. Also, I was on disability from work at Xerox. One of my managers told me not to worry, to focus on getting healthy and not worry about work. That was a relief, but, I'm not sure I ever thanked her for her managerial support.
But, my doctors felt that it wouldn't be too long before I would be facing problems with my eyes, my kidneys, my legs, and my heart. They were very concerned about the 2 major blood clots so they had me take Coumadin, a blood thinner; and, to visit my family doctor at least once a week.
My life had become a life of drugs, doctors, and more drugs. Plus, I was very tired all the time. All I wanted to do was sleep.
But, everything changed when my sister (Margo) and my mother flew in (my mother had never been on a plane in her life!). So, I knew things were serious if my mother got on a plane!
My mother called this Blessing No. 3: Family support -- without the support of family, I would not be here today. My mother, my daughter and my sister took care of everything: buying the right groceries, preparing the meals, taking care of the house, etc.
Almost immediately, my mother started cleaning out my refrigerator and cupboards of all of my favorite foods and snacks and made me return to these foods to the grocery store. My mother didn't care much for what I was eating on the 1200-calorie diet that the dietitian had put me on. So, she bought a lot of green foods, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, cabbage, kale, collards, etc.
Within a matter of several days, my blood glucose plummeted more than 250 points! -- from the high 400s to the low 200s! And, as I continued to eat a lot of green foods and drink some green juices and smoothies, I was able to reduce my insulin and my health just kept getting better!
My mother called this Blessing No. 4: I learned the real power of God's super foods. Again, at that time, I didn't really believe my mother, but I was getting healthier!
Despite the lower blood glucose readings, my endocrinologist told me that I should return to my original insulin dosage and return to the dietitian's 1200-calorie diet. He believed that eating all those green foods would cause a stroke or pulmonary embolism. In fact, he told me: "DeWayne, you're a man of science -- do you really believe that God is talking to your mother? Your mother doesn't know what's she's doing -- she's going to kill you."
Now, I didn't want to upset my mother, so when I got home, I didn't tell her what the doctor said. I was afraid she would want to go back and talk to the doctor. That would have been bad for the doctor ...
Because I felt uneasy about going against the doctor, I decided to increase my blood glucose testing from 3-4 times a day to 9-10 times a day. Yeah, I know that was overkill, but, that's what we engineers do when we're facing a dilemma, a complex problem, that we don't understand. We increase our testing to collect more data so that we can do a better analysis and draw some relevant conclusions.
My mother called this Blessing No. 5: My ability to understand numbers. My mother said: "You can thank your father for that blessing."
FYI: When we were growing up, my father would make me and my brother next me (Fuzzy) do math problems in our head. My father would ask us to convert a fraction into a decimal; or, convert a decimal into a fraction; or, multiple two numbers; or, divide two numbers, etc. My father drilled us every day! By the time I got into junior high school, I was really good with numbers. My teachers told me that I had a high math aptitude. That math aptitude helped me get a high score on the college boards, which led to getting a full scholarship to Penn State, which led to getting a great job in California in aerospace engineering.
Back to the story: The extra blood glucose testing helped me tremendously. I was able to quickly correlate the data, the food, the amount of insulin, etc. and put the information into a set of Excel spreadsheets, bar charts, line graphs, etc. This gave me a lot of confidence to begin weaning off the insulin 1-2 units at a time.
After 3.5 months of eating these super foods, I had gone from 60+ units, 4 shots of insulin a day to 0 shots, 0 insulin! I no longer required any insulin (or any other diabetic medication) to keep my blood glucose in the normal range! My family doctor was happy for me. But, my endocrinologist was shocked and not happy. He told me that I was going through a "honeymoon" period and that eventually my blood glucose levels would return to the high levels.
Here's a video where I'm discussing my endocrinologist and his denial of my success with improving my health:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-LBLOPgGJw
My mother called this Blessing No. 4: I learned the real power of God's super foods. Again, at that time, I didn't really believe my mother, but I was getting healthier!
Despite the lower blood glucose readings, my endocrinologist told me that I should return to my original insulin dosage and return to the dietitian's 1200-calorie diet. He believed that eating all those green foods would cause a stroke or pulmonary embolism. In fact, he told me: "DeWayne, you're a man of science -- do you really believe that God is talking to your mother? Your mother doesn't know what's she's doing -- she's going to kill you."
Now, I didn't want to upset my mother, so when I got home, I didn't tell her what the doctor said. I was afraid she would want to go back and talk to the doctor. That would have been bad for the doctor ...
Because I felt uneasy about going against the doctor, I decided to increase my blood glucose testing from 3-4 times a day to 9-10 times a day. Yeah, I know that was overkill, but, that's what we engineers do when we're facing a dilemma, a complex problem, that we don't understand. We increase our testing to collect more data so that we can do a better analysis and draw some relevant conclusions.
My mother called this Blessing No. 5: My ability to understand numbers. My mother said: "You can thank your father for that blessing."
FYI: When we were growing up, my father would make me and my brother next me (Fuzzy) do math problems in our head. My father would ask us to convert a fraction into a decimal; or, convert a decimal into a fraction; or, multiple two numbers; or, divide two numbers, etc. My father drilled us every day! By the time I got into junior high school, I was really good with numbers. My teachers told me that I had a high math aptitude. That math aptitude helped me get a high score on the college boards, which led to getting a full scholarship to Penn State, which led to getting a great job in California in aerospace engineering.
Back to the story: The extra blood glucose testing helped me tremendously. I was able to quickly correlate the data, the food, the amount of insulin, etc. and put the information into a set of Excel spreadsheets, bar charts, line graphs, etc. This gave me a lot of confidence to begin weaning off the insulin 1-2 units at a time.
After 3.5 months of eating these super foods, I had gone from 60+ units, 4 shots of insulin a day to 0 shots, 0 insulin! I no longer required any insulin (or any other diabetic medication) to keep my blood glucose in the normal range! My family doctor was happy for me. But, my endocrinologist was shocked and not happy. He told me that I was going through a "honeymoon" period and that eventually my blood glucose levels would return to the high levels.
Here's a video where I'm discussing my endocrinologist and his denial of my success with improving my health:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-LBLOPgGJw
My endocrinologist said to give it 3 more months. But, my numbers were still in the normal range after 3 more months. During my next appointment, my endocrinologist refused to see me. He told the physician assistant who told me that I was in denial and that I needed to return to taking insulin.
Luckily for me, my family doctor was very supportive; and, he told me that as long as my blood glucose and A1c levels stayed in the normal range that I wouldn't need the insulin. (I'm not sure, but, I think he may have gotten into a little bit of trouble with the endocrinologist and the American Medical Association (AMA)).
My mother called this Blessing No. 6: My health improved dramatically.
Oh, by the way, ironically, because my family was taking care of everything with the house, this gave me the time and the freedom to spend on my computer doing research about diabetes. As a result, when I returned to work and people started asking me a lot of questions about diabetes, I felt comfortable answering their questions.
Oh, by the way, ironically, because my family was taking care of everything with the house, this gave me the time and the freedom to spend on my computer doing research about diabetes. As a result, when I returned to work and people started asking me a lot of questions about diabetes, I felt comfortable answering their questions.
Most of my engineering co-workers were surprised that my health had improved so much and so quickly. Two engineering colleagues who happened to be diabetic decided to start eating what I had been eating. Within a month, their blood glucose levels had plummeted to levels they had never seen before!
My mother called this Blessing No. 7: The health of other people improved. This was very important because I began to realize that it wasn't just me! There were other diabetics who were improving their diabetes! This gave me a lot of confidence because I realized that I could actually help other diabetics!
My mother called this Blessing No. 7: The health of other people improved. This was very important because I began to realize that it wasn't just me! There were other diabetics who were improving their diabetes! This gave me a lot of confidence because I realized that I could actually help other diabetics!
One of the secretaries asked me to share my story with a diabetic support group at a local hospital. I agreed to do this and I'll never forget all of the excitement that the people in the group demonstrated during my talk. Later on, I gave another talk to a much larger group of a couple hundred people in the auditorium of the hospital.
Then, a local Seventh Day Adventist church asked me to come and speak about diabetes and my recovery. I was very nervous and wasn't sure what I was going to say because I had left my speech and my notes on the kitchen table. I still don't remember what I said, but, the speech must have gone pretty well, because, afterwards, the congregation was very emotional with their applause and screaming out a bunch of Amens and Hallelujahs.
That church told other churches about me and it seems like almost every week, I was walking into a new church to talk about diabetes and God's super foods. Not being much of a public speaker, surprisingly, I felt very comfortable walking into a new church every week to talk to a group of strangers.
My mother told me that the reason why I felt so comfortable was because of Blessing No. 8: God had prepared me for this moment in time -- by growing up in the church, it felt like Home every time I walked into a new church. It got to the point where I even welcomed the thought of standing up and speaking to a new congregation every week.
These churches spread my story to even more churches who asked me to come speak either at Sunday services or Wednesday's Bible Study.
Then, a journalist wrote a story about me and the next thing I knew my story was in the local newspaper!
My mother called the newspaper story Blessing No. 9: My story had gone public and spread beyond the immediate community to surrounding communities. I was getting phone calls and emails from places I had never heard of.
That church told other churches about me and it seems like almost every week, I was walking into a new church to talk about diabetes and God's super foods. Not being much of a public speaker, surprisingly, I felt very comfortable walking into a new church every week to talk to a group of strangers.
My mother told me that the reason why I felt so comfortable was because of Blessing No. 8: God had prepared me for this moment in time -- by growing up in the church, it felt like Home every time I walked into a new church. It got to the point where I even welcomed the thought of standing up and speaking to a new congregation every week.
These churches spread my story to even more churches who asked me to come speak either at Sunday services or Wednesday's Bible Study.
Then, a journalist wrote a story about me and the next thing I knew my story was in the local newspaper!
My mother called the newspaper story Blessing No. 9: My story had gone public and spread beyond the immediate community to surrounding communities. I was getting phone calls and emails from places I had never heard of.
Then, the director of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) asked me to facilitate one of their diabetic support groups. The previous facilitator had just left for new job. Coincidence? I met hundreds of diabetics who shared their stories and educated me even more about diabetes.
By this time, my daughter had been telling me to write a book about my experience. My mother told me that God told her that I should write a book. Several of my engineering friends told me that I should write a book. Even my family doctor told me that I should write a book! I didn't really want to write a book because it seemed like a lot of work plus I didn't know how to even get started.
So, I put together a 1-page folded "pamphlet" that contained my story and a list of the 10 steps that explained how I recovered so quickly and reversed my diabetes. I made over 3,000 copies of the pamphlet and handed them out to anyone who asked for a copy. I sent a couple hundred to my daughter, who handed them out to her friends and co-workers. I dropped off copies at the local grocery store, the post office, the lobby of the building where I worked. Plus, I handed out copies at various church events, health fairs, etc. This was my way of avoiding having to do a lot of research and writing the book.
So, I put together a 1-page folded "pamphlet" that contained my story and a list of the 10 steps that explained how I recovered so quickly and reversed my diabetes. I made over 3,000 copies of the pamphlet and handed them out to anyone who asked for a copy. I sent a couple hundred to my daughter, who handed them out to her friends and co-workers. I dropped off copies at the local grocery store, the post office, the lobby of the building where I worked. Plus, I handed out copies at various church events, health fairs, etc. This was my way of avoiding having to do a lot of research and writing the book.
Then, something happened that changed everything. The ADA director was fired and the new director didn't want me participating in any of the future blood glucose screenings and health fairs. He called me into his office and told me that I was fired. (Although how do you fire a volunteer?)
Note: Here's a video of me talking about getting fired by the ADA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLpxzZK8WuU
Anyhow, I was angry about getting fired. I called my mother and my daughter and told them what happened. My mother told me that God told her that it was time for me to move beyond talking to one group -- that I needed to reach more people. My daughter asked me: "So, dad, are you going to write the book now?" I was so angry and I said: "Yes, daughter, I'm going to show that ADA director that he was wrong to fire me."
Ironically, I'm not sure if I would have ever wrote the book if I hadn't been fired by the ADA. But, I was angry and frustrated that I couldn't help people, that I used that anger to fuel me too do the in-depth research and write the book.
My mother called this Blessing No. 10: Getting fired by the ADA fueled me to move outside of my comfort zone to keep my story on a local level.
My mother called this Blessing No. 10: Getting fired by the ADA fueled me to move outside of my comfort zone to keep my story on a local level.
Surprisingly, the writing came easily to me, and within a year, I had written over 2,000 pages of information about diabetes and other diseases and health conditions connected to diabetes, like hypertension, high cholesterol, chronic fatigue, obesity, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's. My daughter said: "Dad, you were supposed to write a book, not a set of encyclopedias!"
My mother called this a Blessing that occurred long ago. She said God knew the day I was born that He needed to get me trained to learn how to write and do math when I was a child. And, teachers were brought into my life to help me learn these things.
My mother called this a Blessing that occurred long ago. She said God knew the day I was born that He needed to get me trained to learn how to write and do math when I was a child. And, teachers were brought into my life to help me learn these things.
I eventually listened to my daughter and extracted the key diabetes-related information to end up with the first draft of my book manuscript. I made about 50 copies of the 400-page manuscript and handed it out to various people to get their feedback. After several updates of the manuscript, I started looking for a publisher. But, no one was interested in a health book written by an engineer.
Luckily (my mother said there is no such thing as luck), a woman whose husband was diabetic put me in touch with a small publisher, who published my book for almost nothing! During that time, I met a graphics artist who designed my book cover. Then, the small publisher was picked up by Amazon.com; and, the next thing I knew my book was being sold and checks were coming in the mail!
My mother called these events Blessing No. 12: (We lost Blessing No. 11 or somehow I miscounted -- yeah, I know the irony -- an engineer who can't count).
Anyhow, my book was published and would now be available to people all over the world. Of course, at that time, I didn't see that coming. I thought that maybe some of my friends and family members would buy the book and that would be the end of it. I never dreamed in a million years that total strangers would buy a book written by an engineer!
My mother called these events Blessing No. 12: (We lost Blessing No. 11 or somehow I miscounted -- yeah, I know the irony -- an engineer who can't count).
Anyhow, my book was published and would now be available to people all over the world. Of course, at that time, I didn't see that coming. I thought that maybe some of my friends and family members would buy the book and that would be the end of it. I never dreamed in a million years that total strangers would buy a book written by an engineer!
Then, several months later, someone at work came into my office and told me that there were reviews about my book on the Internet. Again, I couldn't believe this! Total strangers were taking the time to actually write a review about my book and how it helped them with their diabetes!
A few months later, a local doctor interviewed me on the radio. Then, another doctor from New York City and another one from Pittsburgh interviewed me. And, one of the doctors invited me to speak at a medical conference, which was videotaped. Then, a couple local news stations interviewed me on TV.
The first time it happened, it was just plain dumb luck that I ended up on a local TV news show. I received a phone call around 4:30am from a local news station asking me to come down to the station for a morning interview because someone else got sick and couldn't make it. So, I didn't have to get a haircut or anything plus I was still quite sleepy and I remember it was raining. This was by far my worse interview -- but, it taught me to better prepared in the future.
Here's that interview -- the first time a news story about me appeared on TV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyU8oB7a1AA
My mother called this Blessing No. 13: My story was now on the news!
For some reason the assistant TV producer loved the news story even though I had done a poor job and looked unprofessional on the air (p.s. Later, I found out that the producer's mother was diabetic). The producer tried to get the news story on the national airwaves, but, it was turned down. Later on, we found out that a senior executive had the story squashed. By this time, I had talked to the producer's mother and helped her with her diabetes. Now, the producer was even more adamant about getting my story on the national airwaves. But, eventually someone pulled her to the side and told her that it wouldn't be good business for this story to reach the mass public. So, the story died there.
I was really disappointed, because even though I didn't provide a good interview, I felt the story was more important than how I looked. I was willing to deal with the embarrassment if it meant that millions of people would benefit from the story.
Around that time, my daughter and someone at work told me about a new website that was just like TV, but it was on the Internet. The website was set up for people to videotape pranks and jokes that people played on each other. I declined going on that website because I wanted to be taken seriously. Somehow, my daughter convinced me that I would be taken seriously, so I gave in to her and placed one of my videos on this new website. This new website was called YouTube. Who knew!
The first time it happened, it was just plain dumb luck that I ended up on a local TV news show. I received a phone call around 4:30am from a local news station asking me to come down to the station for a morning interview because someone else got sick and couldn't make it. So, I didn't have to get a haircut or anything plus I was still quite sleepy and I remember it was raining. This was by far my worse interview -- but, it taught me to better prepared in the future.
Here's that interview -- the first time a news story about me appeared on TV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyU8oB7a1AA
My mother called this Blessing No. 13: My story was now on the news!
For some reason the assistant TV producer loved the news story even though I had done a poor job and looked unprofessional on the air (p.s. Later, I found out that the producer's mother was diabetic). The producer tried to get the news story on the national airwaves, but, it was turned down. Later on, we found out that a senior executive had the story squashed. By this time, I had talked to the producer's mother and helped her with her diabetes. Now, the producer was even more adamant about getting my story on the national airwaves. But, eventually someone pulled her to the side and told her that it wouldn't be good business for this story to reach the mass public. So, the story died there.
I was really disappointed, because even though I didn't provide a good interview, I felt the story was more important than how I looked. I was willing to deal with the embarrassment if it meant that millions of people would benefit from the story.
Around that time, my daughter and someone at work told me about a new website that was just like TV, but it was on the Internet. The website was set up for people to videotape pranks and jokes that people played on each other. I declined going on that website because I wanted to be taken seriously. Somehow, my daughter convinced me that I would be taken seriously, so I gave in to her and placed one of my videos on this new website. This new website was called YouTube. Who knew!
My mother called this Blessing No. 14: My story was now on this thing called the Internet, which helped me to "connect" with a lot of strangers. My mother didn't understand the Internet or how TV could be on the Internet.
But she said: "Son, I don't understand how TV is now on your computer or how people can write about you in some other town and it appear on the computer. But, you seem to understand all of this stuff. You see, God trained you as an engineer so that you would be able to understand these things and use it to help people with diabetes. God gave you diabetes at the perfect time in America's history -- when all of this Internet stuff is coming about."
Quick Sidebar: Interestingly, when I was originally diagnosed with diabetes back in 2002, there was no YouTube, no Facebook, and no Twitter ...
Back to the story: Again, at that time, I didn't really believe my mother. You see, my mother made everything seem like God had something to do with it. For example, I remember growing up, one day, the newspaper boy forgot to deliver the newspaper to our house. This made my father very mad, because he liked reading the newspaper before dinner. My mother said "Melcan, it's not the newspaper boy's fault. God doesn't want you to read the newspaper today." My father just rolled his eyes and walked away muttering and cursing under his breath.
But she said: "Son, I don't understand how TV is now on your computer or how people can write about you in some other town and it appear on the computer. But, you seem to understand all of this stuff. You see, God trained you as an engineer so that you would be able to understand these things and use it to help people with diabetes. God gave you diabetes at the perfect time in America's history -- when all of this Internet stuff is coming about."
Quick Sidebar: Interestingly, when I was originally diagnosed with diabetes back in 2002, there was no YouTube, no Facebook, and no Twitter ...
Back to the story: Again, at that time, I didn't really believe my mother. You see, my mother made everything seem like God had something to do with it. For example, I remember growing up, one day, the newspaper boy forgot to deliver the newspaper to our house. This made my father very mad, because he liked reading the newspaper before dinner. My mother said "Melcan, it's not the newspaper boy's fault. God doesn't want you to read the newspaper today." My father just rolled his eyes and walked away muttering and cursing under his breath.
Anyhow, back to the story: Because of the newspaper story, a lot of churches and community groups were asking me to come speak at a health fair or some other event. I didn't care much for public speaking -- in fact, I didn't like it at all. Even at work, I would try to avoid doing presentations if I could. But, I was comfortable speaking about diabetes in a church setting.
My mother reminded me that the reason why I was comfortable in these churches was because we grew up in the church. We went to church at least 3-4 times a week: Sundays 2-3 times (Sunday School, morning church service, evening service), Wednesdays (Bible Study), and Fridays/Saturdays (practicing if we were in a play for the holidays).
My mother also reminded me that she convinced the pastor to make me the church announcer. I had to stand up every Sunday and read the weekly church announcements and other church-related events to the congregation. I never really liked doing it, but I felt it was easier to do this than make my mother angry. (Yeah, you may think my mother was a nice woman, but, trust me on this: You didn't want to make her angry. The same goes for my father -- tenfold).
Because of all of these churches and community groups, I became comfortable speaking publicly about diabetes. As a result, by the time, I found myself speaking in front of a medical group, healthcare group or some hostile group of pharmaceutical reps, I was able to handle their ridicule, and personal attacks on my character.
During this time, my family doctor, who had been very supportive of me and helping me to safely wean off the insulin, gave me a copy of my medical report. I asked him why; and, he said: "DeWayne, if you're going to continue to speak publicly about your recovery, you're going to eventually need proof when someone in the audience decides to challenger your story. Some people aren't going to believe that your blood glucose was over 1300. "
Well, it turned out that my doctor was right! During a lecture at a church, a doctor stood up during my talk and interrupted me: "Do you really expect us to believe that your blood glucose was over 1300? Really? Maybe it was over 300, or even over 600, but over 1300? And, also, do you really expect us to believe that you no longer require any insulin or any diabetic drug of any kind? That's preposterous and an insult to this audience!
The audience was very quiet and on the edge of their seats because they didn't know what I was going to do. It was very tense ...
But, I said: Sir, if I were you I wouldn't believe me either! In fact, I lived through this and I don't believe it myself!" The audience laughed, releasing the tension in the room.
I went to my briefcase and pulled out the copy of my medical report; and, showed it to the doctor. He looked over the report and said: "Wow, I apologize! You're telling the truth!" And, the audience applauded as he sat down.
My mother said this was another Blessing: Having a family doctor who was so supportive of me in so many ways.
Oh, by the way, my family doctor was the first doctor who bought several copies of my book! I couldn't believe it! -- a medical doctor buying my book! That really gave me a lot of confidence! Also, he invited me to his (Hindu) temple, where I met a lot of doctors and engineers. I "connected" with them because of my formal education and background in engineering and biochemistry.
Later on, another local doctor bought quite a few books from me (several times); plus, he invited me to speak to his diabetic patients; and, he even wrote a book review on Amazon.com for everyone to see!
A few months later, a cardiologist from NYC interviewed me on his radio show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6dyZUTSeco
Around that time, a medical doctor from Pittsburgh interviewed me on his radio show. About a couple weeks later, here he is talking about me to one of his listeners:
That same doctor received such a positive response from his listeners about his interview with me, that he convinced his medical staff to invite me to speak at a medical conference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ECUOu2rFto
There was a woman, who was the head of a health federation that found about me from a wellness consultant who saw me speak at a local church health fair. She asked me to speak to her health group at a local hotel. I really didn't want to, but, somehow she convinced me ...
Well, as it turns out, my mother was right -- again. Everything that she said would happen has happened or is happening -- except for the part about getting on TV. That is going to be a tough one ...
Update!: Well, I finally got on TV! Here's one of the TV interviews on ABC:
During the past few years, I've been on the radio and TV several times! Now, if I can just get on national TV ...
p.s. This not a complete list of my 'blessings". There are other "blessings" that occurred that I mention in other articles, blog posts and in some of my audios, videos or lectures.
Why I Put My Program on My Website
After doing a lot of lectures for senior groups, I began meeting a lot of people who couldn't afford to buy my book. I also met people who had been disappointed after buying several diabetes books that didn't help them with their diabetes.
So, I decided to put my diabetes program on my website so that people didn't have to buy my book. The experts told me over and over that this was business suicide.
But, I believed this was a great way to get the message out to more people and get around the pharmaceutical companies who want to keep us dependent on their drugs.
My mother reminded me that the reason why I was comfortable in these churches was because we grew up in the church. We went to church at least 3-4 times a week: Sundays 2-3 times (Sunday School, morning church service, evening service), Wednesdays (Bible Study), and Fridays/Saturdays (practicing if we were in a play for the holidays).
My mother also reminded me that she convinced the pastor to make me the church announcer. I had to stand up every Sunday and read the weekly church announcements and other church-related events to the congregation. I never really liked doing it, but I felt it was easier to do this than make my mother angry. (Yeah, you may think my mother was a nice woman, but, trust me on this: You didn't want to make her angry. The same goes for my father -- tenfold).
Because of all of these churches and community groups, I became comfortable speaking publicly about diabetes. As a result, by the time, I found myself speaking in front of a medical group, healthcare group or some hostile group of pharmaceutical reps, I was able to handle their ridicule, and personal attacks on my character.
During this time, my family doctor, who had been very supportive of me and helping me to safely wean off the insulin, gave me a copy of my medical report. I asked him why; and, he said: "DeWayne, if you're going to continue to speak publicly about your recovery, you're going to eventually need proof when someone in the audience decides to challenger your story. Some people aren't going to believe that your blood glucose was over 1300. "
Well, it turned out that my doctor was right! During a lecture at a church, a doctor stood up during my talk and interrupted me: "Do you really expect us to believe that your blood glucose was over 1300? Really? Maybe it was over 300, or even over 600, but over 1300? And, also, do you really expect us to believe that you no longer require any insulin or any diabetic drug of any kind? That's preposterous and an insult to this audience!
The audience was very quiet and on the edge of their seats because they didn't know what I was going to do. It was very tense ...
But, I said: Sir, if I were you I wouldn't believe me either! In fact, I lived through this and I don't believe it myself!" The audience laughed, releasing the tension in the room.
I went to my briefcase and pulled out the copy of my medical report; and, showed it to the doctor. He looked over the report and said: "Wow, I apologize! You're telling the truth!" And, the audience applauded as he sat down.
My mother said this was another Blessing: Having a family doctor who was so supportive of me in so many ways.
Oh, by the way, my family doctor was the first doctor who bought several copies of my book! I couldn't believe it! -- a medical doctor buying my book! That really gave me a lot of confidence! Also, he invited me to his (Hindu) temple, where I met a lot of doctors and engineers. I "connected" with them because of my formal education and background in engineering and biochemistry.
Later on, another local doctor bought quite a few books from me (several times); plus, he invited me to speak to his diabetic patients; and, he even wrote a book review on Amazon.com for everyone to see!
A few months later, a cardiologist from NYC interviewed me on his radio show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6dyZUTSeco
Around that time, a medical doctor from Pittsburgh interviewed me on his radio show. About a couple weeks later, here he is talking about me to one of his listeners:
That same doctor received such a positive response from his listeners about his interview with me, that he convinced his medical staff to invite me to speak at a medical conference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ECUOu2rFto
Here's a "fun" interview with a local radio show host, with me talking about my daughter:
There was a woman, who was the head of a health federation that found about me from a wellness consultant who saw me speak at a local church health fair. She asked me to speak to her health group at a local hotel. I really didn't want to, but, somehow she convinced me ...
Well, as it turns out, my mother was right -- again. Everything that she said would happen has happened or is happening -- except for the part about getting on TV. That is going to be a tough one ...
Update!: Well, I finally got on TV! Here's one of the TV interviews on ABC:
During the past few years, I've been on the radio and TV several times! Now, if I can just get on national TV ...
p.s. This not a complete list of my 'blessings". There are other "blessings" that occurred that I mention in other articles, blog posts and in some of my audios, videos or lectures.
Why I Put My Program on My Website
After doing a lot of lectures for senior groups, I began meeting a lot of people who couldn't afford to buy my book. I also met people who had been disappointed after buying several diabetes books that didn't help them with their diabetes.
So, I decided to put my diabetes program on my website so that people didn't have to buy my book. The experts told me over and over that this was business suicide.
But, I believed this was a great way to get the message out to more people and get around the pharmaceutical companies who want to keep us dependent on their drugs.
Here are some of the web pages that describe my wellness program and how to reverse your Type 2 diabetes, lose weight, get rid of the belly fat, lower your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol, etc.
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Steps_to_Beat_Diabetes.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Test_Results_of_Program.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Wellness_Model-6_Stages.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Uniqueness_of_Program.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Science_Behind_Program.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Diet__for_Diabetics.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Dead_Foods.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Super_Foods_for_Diabetes.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Juicing_Reverse_Diabetes.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Test_Results_of_Program.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Wellness_Model-6_Stages.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Uniqueness_of_Program.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Science_Behind_Program.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Diet__for_Diabetics.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Dead_Foods.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Super_Foods_for_Diabetes.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Juicing_Reverse_Diabetes.html
Note: Some of my videos on YouTube also explain my program and diet.
Next Major Challenge: Getting Around the Pharmaceutical Companies
Despite all my good fortune, I haven't been able to get my story beyond the local news. It appeared that, for some reason, my story was being suppressed and prevented from going national.
I found out a few years later that because the pharmaceutical companies somehow "control" the networks, they wouldn't allow my story to reach the national level. During some research, I discovered that the pharmaceutical companies were dominating the commercial airways such that today almost 1 out of every 3 commercials is a drug commercial!
And, the pharmaceutical companies didn't want the mass public to find out that an engineer had figured out you could safely wean off insulin and other drugs and not be dependent on prescription drugs for the rest of your life.
I found out a few years later that because the pharmaceutical companies somehow "control" the networks, they wouldn't allow my story to reach the national level. During some research, I discovered that the pharmaceutical companies were dominating the commercial airways such that today almost 1 out of every 3 commercials is a drug commercial!
And, the pharmaceutical companies didn't want the mass public to find out that an engineer had figured out you could safely wean off insulin and other drugs and not be dependent on prescription drugs for the rest of your life.
So, this is where I'm going to need help from the mass public (if I can figure out how to reach them).
Since I can't get my story onto the national news, my daughter gave me the idea to consider using social media to get around the pharmaceutical companies and reach the public via the Internet. [Thank you, Daughter! ]
But, I've been told by experts that this isn't going to work because most people are apathetic and aren't really really interested in helping the general public with health issues that the doctors are taking care of.
]But, I've been told by experts that this isn't going to work because most people are apathetic and aren't really really interested in helping the general public with health issues that the doctors are taking care of.
Hmm-mmm ... I heard the same thing when I wrote my book -- that most people are apathetic and won't buy a book written by an engineer and they won't change their eating habits because pills are more convenient. Well, if the so-called experts were wrong about my book, maybe they're wrong about using social media to get around the pharmaceutical companies.
And, given how YouTube has helped so much, social medial may be the best way for me to get around the pharmaceutical companies.
How to Help
So, how can you help? By simply Liking my Fan Page and sharing some of my Facebook, Twitter and YouTube posts, photos, comments and videos with your friends.
If just 33% of you share my posts and videos with your friends and if just 20% of your friends share my posts and videos within their friends and 10% of them to do the same, that within a year I could reach close to a million people!
If just 33% of you share my posts and videos with your friends and if just 20% of your friends share my posts and videos within their friends and 10% of them to do the same, that within a year I could reach close to a million people!
That means that within a year, more than a million people would know that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed and defeated. And, if that million people told another million people, within a few short years, we could have a serious anti-drug diabetes movement in this country.
Now, I realize that this may be a little far-fetched and that the pharmaceutical companies have the power and resources to stop this. But, should we just give up and not do this just because it's going to be difficult if not impossible?
If I had followed that same reasoning years ago, I would still be diabetic or, maybe, even dead ...
So, how do we get started?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, here's the first time that my story ended up on the local TV news:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyU8oB7a1AA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyU8oB7a1AA
Would some of you be willing to share this video with your friends? And, tell them that the pharmaceutical companies don't want this story to reach the mass public. But, if they share this video with their friends; and, if their friends share the video with their friends, we could reach at least a million people within a year!
Each month, I will send out a post about one of my videos or a post about diabetes, weight loss, nutrition, etc. that you can share with your friends.
In the meantime, we'll set up contests and giveaways so that you and your friends will benefit from helping me get around the pharmaceutical companies and get my story out to more people.
And, please remember: You and your friends don't have to buy my book to improve your health: Just follow the instructions on my website and share these instructions with your family, friends and colleagues.
All I ask is that you share your health results with us on Facebook and other social media platforms when your health improves; and, if you don't mind, write a review about your health improvements on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Death-Diabetes-Control-Reversal-Version/dp/0977360741/
Take care; and, thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
DeWayne McCulley
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DTD Website References for this Blog Post:
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Ex-Diabetic_Engineer.php#Blessings
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Ex-Diabetic_Engineer.php#Denial
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Mother.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Daughter.html
Acknowledgements
(From Page iv of my Death to Diabetes book)
I am truly indebted to many people for their encouragement and support:
My mother, my sister Marguerite, and my daughter Cynthia who helped me through my recovery from near-Death (diabetic coma); my mother and my brother Gregory who went to the churches to ask them to pray for me while I was in the coma; my other brothers and sisters; Cynthia’s mother Carole, and her grandfather and grandmother (Mrs. & Mrs. M. Austin).
My doctor, the ambulance team, and the hospital nurses and doctors who never gave up despite my being so close to death.
People from my hometown church who helped us while we were growing up: Uncle Claude, Aunt Vonnie, Ms. Bloodsaw, Ms. Wiley, Ms. Dunnavant, Ms. Ragster, Ms. Malloy, Ms. James, Ms. Saunders, Ms. Brodie, Deacon Daniels, Deacon Ragster, Deacon Wilkins, Deacon Wiley, Pastor Collins . . .
My high school teachers and college professors: Ms. Batten, Ms. Davis, Ms. Jankovich, Mr. Husnick, Mr. Bohach, Mr. Phillips, Mr. John Houlihan . . .
Various friends/associates and people from work who provided their insights and continued to encourage me: Ed B., Larry P., John P., Ray, Marcella, Thomas, Jim, Pam, Daryl, Doug, Art, Joyce, Rick, Linda, Barb, Dave, Javier, John H., Russ, Terrie; Joe N., Bert, Helen, Keith, two of my Xerox managers Ted and Pat, Dr. R. Williams, Dr. Dawn, Ron, Barb F.
People involved with the heart/diabetes associations and the diabetic support groups that I facilitated: Alfreda, Beverly, Duncan, Tamiko, Michael, Helen, Marion, Pat, Christina, Margaret, Alvin, Mary, Rena, Audrey, Eric, Valerie, Ruby, May, Dorothy, Annie, Loretta, Dana.
People from churches, colleges, companies, wellness groups, community organizations, who provided contacts, references, encourage-ment, support, and the opportunity to speak publicly: Sally, Dr. Shirley, Sue S., Dr. Lynn, Sue, Cy, P.J., Juanita, Debbie, Rev. Mackey, Audrey, Bob, Rose; George, Professor Dan, Linda, Nelson, Carol, Elaine, James, Joe, Sarah, Bernard, Dianne, Dorothy, Phantom Chef, Dr. Rita, Dr. Raj, Dr. Samikkannu, Dr. DiPrima, Dr. Bayer, Dr. Kalidas, Nalita, Dr. Moore, Rev. J. Cherry.
People who have helped after the book/DVD were released: Sylvia & Joe Provenza, John & Barbara Smith, Dr. Courtney, Sue & Cy F., PJ E., Tasso S., Charlie Fox, Bill Norwood, Neil & Barb B., Rich S., Mike H.
And, please remember: You and your friends don't have to buy my book to improve your health: Just follow the instructions on my website and share these instructions with your family, friends and colleagues.
All I ask is that you share your health results with us on Facebook and other social media platforms when your health improves; and, if you don't mind, write a review about your health improvements on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Death-Diabetes-Control-Reversal-Version/dp/0977360741/
Take care; and, thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
DeWayne McCulley
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DTD Website References for this Blog Post:
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Ex-Diabetic_Engineer.php#Blessings
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Ex-Diabetic_Engineer.php#Denial
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Mother.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Daughter.html
Acknowledgements
(From Page iv of my Death to Diabetes book)
I am truly indebted to many people for their encouragement and support:
My mother, my sister Marguerite, and my daughter Cynthia who helped me through my recovery from near-Death (diabetic coma); my mother and my brother Gregory who went to the churches to ask them to pray for me while I was in the coma; my other brothers and sisters; Cynthia’s mother Carole, and her grandfather and grandmother (Mrs. & Mrs. M. Austin).
My doctor, the ambulance team, and the hospital nurses and doctors who never gave up despite my being so close to death.
People from my hometown church who helped us while we were growing up: Uncle Claude, Aunt Vonnie, Ms. Bloodsaw, Ms. Wiley, Ms. Dunnavant, Ms. Ragster, Ms. Malloy, Ms. James, Ms. Saunders, Ms. Brodie, Deacon Daniels, Deacon Ragster, Deacon Wilkins, Deacon Wiley, Pastor Collins . . .
My high school teachers and college professors: Ms. Batten, Ms. Davis, Ms. Jankovich, Mr. Husnick, Mr. Bohach, Mr. Phillips, Mr. John Houlihan . . .
Various friends/associates and people from work who provided their insights and continued to encourage me: Ed B., Larry P., John P., Ray, Marcella, Thomas, Jim, Pam, Daryl, Doug, Art, Joyce, Rick, Linda, Barb, Dave, Javier, John H., Russ, Terrie; Joe N., Bert, Helen, Keith, two of my Xerox managers Ted and Pat, Dr. R. Williams, Dr. Dawn, Ron, Barb F.
People involved with the heart/diabetes associations and the diabetic support groups that I facilitated: Alfreda, Beverly, Duncan, Tamiko, Michael, Helen, Marion, Pat, Christina, Margaret, Alvin, Mary, Rena, Audrey, Eric, Valerie, Ruby, May, Dorothy, Annie, Loretta, Dana.
People from churches, colleges, companies, wellness groups, community organizations, who provided contacts, references, encourage-ment, support, and the opportunity to speak publicly: Sally, Dr. Shirley, Sue S., Dr. Lynn, Sue, Cy, P.J., Juanita, Debbie, Rev. Mackey, Audrey, Bob, Rose; George, Professor Dan, Linda, Nelson, Carol, Elaine, James, Joe, Sarah, Bernard, Dianne, Dorothy, Phantom Chef, Dr. Rita, Dr. Raj, Dr. Samikkannu, Dr. DiPrima, Dr. Bayer, Dr. Kalidas, Nalita, Dr. Moore, Rev. J. Cherry.
People who have helped after the book/DVD were released: Sylvia & Joe Provenza, John & Barbara Smith, Dr. Courtney, Sue & Cy F., PJ E., Tasso S., Charlie Fox, Bill Norwood, Neil & Barb B., Rich S., Mike H.
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