Juan, a 22-year-old man was admitted into the intensive care unit at Texas Health Kaufman in early January for nausea, vomiting and heart rhythm problems. He had a blood sugar of 512, an A1c of 15.2 and was severely obese. He was referred to HELP at discharge and attended his first Carb Counting Lunch and Education class in mid-January.  He and his wife were back in late January for a Diabetes Medication Management Class in the HELP Clinic provided by our pharmacist.   Juan was motivated to make changes and had a new baby daughter to serve as extra inspiration.  We discussed lifestyle changes and set small, reachable goals. Juan’s next HELP appointment was late in February and his A1C had gone down to 14.

 Our HELP nurse practitioner began seeing Juan in mid-March.  He had added exercising to his new eating habits and had lost 20 pounds.  Juan’s blood sugars averaged between 90-130 since his hospital discharge and his A1C at this visit had dropped to an awesome 6.3 in two months!  He, his wife and baby girl continued faithfully attending monthly HELP appointments with the nurse practitioner, the nurse and any available extra education opportunities.

 Juan was able to get health insurance in May. While he cannot be seen in HELP anymore he still attends education classes when his work schedule permits. The nurse continues to check on him and send invites to education opportunities that come up. Juan has now lost a total of 65 pounds and serves as an example to us and others of what is possible. We are thankful for his dedication to making better decisions for himself and his family, and we hope he is just one of many.