My name is Azmat Ullah, and I am 38 years old.
Back on 12.03.1993, I suddenly felt high thirst and urination for two to three days with sudden weight loss and acute tiredness. It all began innocuously enough, with an unquenchable thirst that seemed to rise from the depths of my very soul. I shrugged it off, attributing it to the summer heat, but the insatiable longing for water persisted. Days turned into weeks, and my energy dwindled, leaving me weak and perpetually fatigued. No amount of sleep could rejuvenate my spirit; instead, my body seemed to be folding in on itself, fading like a photograph left out in the sun.
My family watched with growing concern as my frame withered away, each day a cruel reminder of my diminishing vitality. But it was the night that my body seemingly revolted against me that marked the climax of this harrowing journey.
Upon medical checkup, my parents came to know that I am diagnosed with type one diabetes…
The first person in my family with Diabetes! My sugar levels at the time of diagnosis were 780 mg/dl. I got very serious and was admitted to hospital for 20 days in emergency. I came to know that I was almost dead with my last 2,3 breaths left and recovered from there.
I had danced on the edge of mortality, my body waging a battle against an adversary I hadn’t even known existed. The diagnosis was swift and clear: diabetes, a word that now held the power to define the trajectory of my life. The near-death experience had become a stark wake-up call, a jarring reminder of the fragility of existence and the urgency of taking charge of my health.
In the beginning, it was very difficult for me to live with type one diabetes but one day, I saw my parents were sobbing for me and that was the time when I decided; “ I will fight with type 1 diabetes” (I am a warrior by nature). From that day, I reiterated my previous schedule and restarted playing cricket and extreme walks. Until 2010, I kept walking about 20-30 km per day on average. Time passed and I completed my post-graduation with a good service record. Though I seldom face issues and challenges living with diabetes but during my student life, the challenges I faced were:
- Sometimes it’s urgent to go for urination without any plea of diabetes which resulted in handing over half attempted papers to the examiner. :/
- Hostel life with type one diabetes.
Reflecting on the hostel life experience: Living in a hostel with diabetes was a delicate dance, a tapestry woven from moments of triumph and moments of vulnerability. It reshaped my perspective on independence, self-care, and the importance of advocating for my needs. While it wasn’t always easy, it was undeniably an essential chapter in my journey, one that shaped me into a stronger, more resilient individual ready to face any challenge that came my way.
In the beginning, people showed “sympathy” to me for my condition, but I showed them I’m not living at the verge of sympathy by performing better than the average human being whether it was education, sports, or stamina. And this made them change their perceptions about being living with type one diabetes 😊
As I slowly embarked on the journey of managing my diabetes, each day became a testament to resilience and newfound strength. The ordeal had given me a profound appreciation for the gift of life, transforming the mundane into the miraculous. I no longer took the sunrises, the laughter, and the simple pleasures for granted, for they were the threads that wove the tapestry of my second chance at life – a chance I would seize with unwavering determination.