[Rodnok1]

Story is about a fella I met today on the coast of Virginia.
Now all or most of us are hard headed and have the doctors smoctors attitude and go only when absolutely have to.

This guy is not much older than me, told me he was disabled before I went there so make sure bring help for loading.

Well we pull up and he's in a powered wheelchair. Left leg gone and right leg has the distinctive rot of a diabetic who didn't listen to his doctor.
I immediately didn't care why we were there and we sat and talked for about an hr.
He was upset and I hope i gave him at least a few minutes of hope sharing his pains.

He broke his right ankle a couple weeks ago and it was almost beside his foot still. How he could live with that pain is beyond me as it was horribly disfigured.
The leg comes off soon unfortunately and he probably won't live 6 months.
I had told him about my wife's uncle who didn't listen nor change his diet and ended up with 2 black legs and died young.

This guy today was then very upset(ok i may have screwed up) as he said he didn't listen either and it cost him the other leg already. He completely ignored his diabetes.
He had stepped on a nail and didn't feel it and foot became horribly infected. Of course he didn't goto dr when should have for that either.

He died several times at hospital and was revived. He said the only reason he let them take the leg was because he had his 1st grandchild 2 weeks prior.

He said he wished he would have died as the pain was bad. The infections he has had have ruined his kidneys which are now about non functional and he's been turned down for transplant due to leg and diabetes.
He said his sugar was over 1200 at one point.

He's so far away from me I'll never see him again but I may use Facebook to check in with him. A lifelong car guy/racer who was ashamed of being in a chair and asked to not judge him for it as just a few years ago he was healthy as a horse. I assured him there was no judgement as we all get old it doesn't diminish what we have done in life one bit.

I felt bad having to leave so quickly (5 hr return trip) without talking with him more.

I have met/known more than a couple of people who have ignored their doctors about diabetes. It hasn't ended well for any of them.
I'm pretty sure I want my legs and like my kidneys.
So if any of you have it and ignore it.. Don't as it will kill you amd painfully.