In less than a year, diabetes has helped me connect with the greatest people I've ever known. People that are empowered to help other people. These wonderful souls have gotten me through some tough times. They brought me out of dark corners and told me I could do this when I was positive I couldn't. I could never thank them enough.
Unfortunately, knowing these people also means knowing their tragedies. Last week, we lost one of them very dear to us in our community. The Schumachers lost a father, a husband, a partner, and a friend last Sunday. Four out of the six of them have T1 diabetes. Could you imagine? Having one person in the family is a big enough test!
Everyone in the Diabetic Online Community got together and prayed for them. Prayers were sent from all over the world. The ones who don't pray, sent positive vibes and good feelings, hoping for a miracle. Our prayers were laid to rest when Ryan died peacefully in the arms of his family.
I wish I could do more. I wish I could hug Meri and tell her I will take all of her pain away. I wish I could nanny for them and take care of everything so they don't have to think about all the mundane things that you have to think about, even though tragedy has struck their hearts. It's a trial to have to deal with diabetes on a normal basis, then throw a death of the most important person in your world in the mix, and it must seem damn near impossible.
I continue to pray for them in hopes that my small little prayer will touch them in bigger ways. I ask that anyone reading this do the same.
They've been calling this the Schumacher Family Miracle. The real miracle is knowing them, knowing their strength, and them letting us be a part of their lives.
