Spotlight on Diabetes ~ I'm A Traveling Man ~

by Jerry Buckey


I am a 56-year old diabetic, married, and the proud father of a great daughter and son. We also have a wonderful granddaughter that the whole family sort of revolves around. I also became a diabetic when I turned 40. The life I enjoyed at the time as an Air Force pilot may have contributed to my becoming diabetic. Throughout my adult life, I had lived an erratic life style as I did not maintain regular hours.



My early years were spent on a farm in North Dakota. There the hours were frequently long and very predictable. This all changed when I went to college. I was exposed to traveling in an airplane. After that first trip I was hooked on flying and traveling.



After five years of college, I started my career in the United States Air Force as a pilot trainee. The first year however, was definitely not a walk in the park, yet the joy and thrill of flying made it worth all of the effort required to succeed.



During my 22 year Air Force career, I flew a variety of aircraft and lived in several different places. The smallest plane that I flew was an 0-2 (Cessna 337) and the largest one was the B-52. In addition, I flew or logged time in the A-1, T-33, T-37, T-38, and the C-130. We lived in Enid OK, Merced CA, Roswell NM, and Los Angeles CA. I also spent 15 months in Southeast Asia, Viet Nam, and Thailand, and 12 months in Osan, South Korea



At the age of 40, while stationed in Los Angeles, I was diagnosed as a diabetic. This was quite a shock for me to accept. We did not have any family history of diabetes. Other than a pain in my knee, I did not have any noticeable symptoms of being diabetic. When I finally accepted that I was diabetic, I was determined that diabetes was not going to stop me from traveling, being successful and enjoying life to the fullest.



After stabilizing on oral medication, I left for my South Korea assignment. In order to maintain flight status, I had to get off the medication. By following a strict diet and exercise program, I was able to get off oral medication and back on flight status. This worked until I returned to the States and started eating more stateside food. Soon I had to start taking oral medication again and then finally the insulin shots.



Being diabetic, I have had to make some life style changes. Of course, the sweets I had often enjoyed such as chocolate chip and Oreo cookies had to go, but the biggest challenge I had to overcome was simply accepting that I was diabetic. Then I had to figure out how I could continue traveling. Being dependent on insulin, I needed to maintain a steady routine as much as possible. Traveling across different time zones and climates further complicated the challenge. I travel into torrid as well as frigid climates. I fly about 75,000 passenger miles per year and also drive about 40,000 miles too. I am away from home at least two weeks per month. Needless to say, in order to maintain stable blood sugar levels, I have to take my shots wherever I may be. I basically carry my insulin kit with me almost all the time. I have accepted and met the challenges of being diabetic. My wife Marles and I are enjoying our life and traveling as we desire.



Added Note: As a Personal Financial Analyst (my work now-a-days), I frequently have to carry my insulin into my clients homes to protect it from the weather elements. For example, in North Dakota I can not leave the insulin in the car, winter or summer. This is not quite as big a problem when we travel for pleasure, as we can usually leave the insulin in our time share condo after we arrive.