After I got out of the hospital and when my mother and sister arrived at my house, they didn’t waste any time in getting the house in order. They inspected each room and quickly identified a set of activities that needed to get done.

In addition, because of the information they had received from Cynthia, they concluded that it was imperative to collect all my unopened snacks and junk food and return them to the grocery store. They made me pack up my cakes, pies, potato chips, sodas, TV dinners, cookies, bottled juices, etc. and return them to the Wegman’s grocery store. This was quite embarrassing, but what choice did I have?  Face my mother? It was easier to face the store clerk.

When the store clerk saw the three carts of food that I was returning, she asked me why. I meekly whispered and pointed to my mother who was standing behind me with a stern look on her face. I think the clerk felt sorry for me, so she accepted the returned food and gave me a store credit of almost $250! During the next month, I didn’t have to pay for any food that I bought from the store. Thanks to my mother and the Wegman’s grocery store, it was financially beneficial for me to eat healthy.

My mother felt it was necessary that I learn how to cook properly so she wrote several recipes for some of her dishes. My mother and my sister both showed me how easy it was to prepare a healthy breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner in very little time. They also dragged me to other stores to purchase other items such as the Foreman Grill, a blender, a nonstick frying pan, and a steamer.
 
People ask me all the time how I was able to turn around my bad eating habits so quickly. I point out that it wasn’t really me – it was my daughter, mother and sister who drove all of the changes.

Hmm-mm . . . three women – I didn’t have a fighting chance now that I think about it. They didn’t feel sorry for me when we went grocery shopping. They would go up and down each aisle at least 3 times while I held onto the grocery cart because my legs were so weak. There were many times when I just wanted to rest, but they would always have something that needed to get done: go to the store, clean out the garage, clean the bedrooms, do the laundry . . . I believe they were killing me and enjoying it at the same time. Ironically, my doctor believes this push from them and not feeling sorry for me may have accelerated my healing.

But the doctors were very concerned that I would eventually lapse into another coma. I told my mother what the doctors had said: "According to medical science, you should be dead. According to medical science, you should have lost one or both feet to amputation. According to medical science, you should . . ." 

My mother interrupted me and said: "Boy, you tell them doctors that there is a science (listen to me now) . . . there is a science that is bigger, much bigger than medical science - that science, boy, is called God's science, and you tell them doctors that God's science can fix any disease. Besides, God has other plans for you now."

At that time, I didn't understand what plans my mother was referring to. Anyhow, after about two weeks, my mother and sister felt that they had accomplished what needed to get done, so they returned home.
 
Amazingly, after about 4 months, I was off the insulin and the other drugs -- Thanks to my mother, daughter and sister ...

I got lucky -- my mother says "blessed" -- to beat the disease such that, according to the doctor's medical tests, I no longer required any insulin or other drug! Somehow, I had saved my eyes, my kidneys, and, my legs from amputation.

But, my mother kept telling me that my journey was not over, that it was just beginning.

But I thought it was over. (You would think that by now I would have learned that my mother was always right in these matters)

However, when I returned to work (from disability), the next part of my journey started  --  just as my mother predicted ... the office visits from other diabetics ... the church speeches ... the diabetic support groups ... the ADA ... the newspaper article ... being interviewed on radio, then TV ... writing the book ...

Because of my engineering and technical writing background, I was able to complete my medical research and write a report about my successful bout with diabetes, the life-threatening blood clots and near death.

I shared my testimony (and medical report) with several black churches, my mother's church, and the American Diabetes Association. That led to other presentations to churches and community groups, but people wanted to know more than what was written in the report. Eventually that led me to write a book about my diabetes and how to prevent and beat the disease -- especially given that more people, including children, were being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

My mother told me: "God truly does work in mysterious ways: All these years you've been working in Corporate America as an engineer, God was preparing you for this moment -- to help people beat this disease. Son, your book is going to save lives!"

Thanks, Mom ...