Strollerderby
Kindergartner Saves Diabetic Dad from Coma
Danny Stephen has had a tough go of it. Diagnosed twenty-six years ago with diabetes, he’s struggled in recent months to buy the medical supplies needed to take care of himself after being laid off from his job in construction.
What’s more, Danny Stephen is a single dad – his wife Michelle died following a stroke in the fall.
For all those lemons thrown curveball-style his way, Danny Stephen is still filling up on lemonade (sugar free, natch). He’s got a son, five-year-old Jude, who last weekend rescued Danny from a diabetic coma by forcefeeding him sweets.
With his dad flitting in and out of consciousness all day, Jude kept himself out of trouble at the Stephens’ Florida home. But when dinner time came and Dad wasn’t up, Jude went to his side, but Danny literally couldn’t move. He could only mumble nonsense – even his attempt to get the boy to understand he needed juice to pump up his sugar levels were for naught. The boy thought he was saying “Jude.” But Jude eventually got the juice, along with honey and cupcakes, which he practically shoved down his father’s throat – enough to bring Danny Stephen out of the coma. Paramedics said without the tot’s intervention, Danny would have died.
If you’re sobbing at this story – from the passing of mom to dad losing his job to the little hero – you’re not alone. The other part of me is just stark raving mad. Danny Stephen couldn’t afford medical supplies, so a little boy almost lost his second parent in as many years.
What kind of country do we live in where a single dad can’t get test strips to keep track of his blood sugar levels? Criticize socialized medicine all you want (and it does have its faults), but the basic medical supplies are taken care of – even for single parents who have lost their jobs in the midst of an economic crisis. Or we could keep going along as we are – leaving men like Danny Stephen to be rescued by their quick-witted kindergartners.
On a lighter note, the first comment on the site of the Tampa Bay newspaper that broke the story comes from a medical company owner – he’s putting up all the test strips Danny Stephen could use. Bravo.
Image: TopNews
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3 Comments
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amwow, does this hit close to home. my husband is also type 1 diabetic, and we’ve definitely had plenty of ‘he’s delirious/nearly passed out and I’m force feeding fructose’ episodes. the one time i wasn’t there, he landed in the hospital, and it was terrifyingly close. i hope that my children and extended family would know what to do in such a situation.
though american, we live in one of those european countries with universal health care. though homesick, we could never, as freelance artists, afford to treat his diabetes in america. i so hope this changes soon. very soon.
in the meantime, thank you jude.
leahsmom commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amTest strips can be expensive. I once bought a set for a woman in the CVS who was walking away once she heard how much they were. I buy mine in bulk, online, and I use the cheapest brand and they still run me about $65/month. Insulin can run as high as $200. Syringes retail at $60/box, which is about a month’s supply, though you can get them cheaper online sometimes. Strips are essential for monitoring blood sugar.
The paramedics were perhaps overly dramatic – you can die if your blood sugar gets too low without treatment. But many diabetics without insurance have discovered also that the body’s own natural response can save you – the liver kicks in and produces a hormone that will raise blood sugar – then, of course, you often wake up with a high sugar, which, over time, can lead to complications (blindness, amputation, kidney disease) but is less dangerous short-term. So it’s possible dad would have made it through OK, too – though I agree, it’s scary and upsetting when it’s left to chance.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amI agree…it’s just so sad that people can’t afford to get the care that they need. I’m glad someone stepped up for this guy, but what about the thousands of others?
Makes me weep. And we call ourselves civilized!
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