My girlfriend's calling me a diabetic angel, and not to brag, but I kind of feel like one. I experienced some kind of intervention yesterday, or at least something bigger than me, that connected me with a stranger.

I was on my way to go see my grandma. I was driving on a secondary road, a short-cut to pick up the highway and not many people use it. I came across a car that was parked, literally, in the middle of the road. I had seen a car ahead of me drive around it without so much as slowing down, but I thought it was unusal, so I stopped to check it out. I pulled alongside it, rolled down my window and said, "Hey, you're in the middle of the road, is everything ok?" In my gut, I can't explain it, but I had a feeling I knew what was wrong. He looked at me and he just looked like he was so out of it. His eyes were dazed and his face flushed. I walked around to the driver's side of the car and reached out my hand to touch him and his skin was cold and clammy. At this point, I don't know why, but I just knew that this man was probably diabetic and he was suffering from hypoglycemia. I asked, "Are you diabetic?" It was weird because that was the only question that actually made sense to him, and he looked at me with those lost eyes and said, "Yes," clear as day.

I could immediately relate to this man. I reached into my pocket and pulled out some glucose tablets and handed them to him. At first he refused the offer, but I finally was able to get him to eat them on his own. I then put the car in park. (He was sitting with his car in drive, turning the wheel as if he was still driving.) I got him to get out of the car and sat him on the tailgate of my truck. I got into his car and parked it on the side of the road and turned the flashers on. Then, I called 9-1-1. I looked over at him and noticed he was wearing a medical alert necklace that read, "Type 1 Insulin Dependant Diabetic, Call 1-800 ... if found". My intuition was confirmed.

The paramedics arrived less than ten minutes later. They tested his sugar and it was 32 mg/dl. This was fifteen minutes after I had given him those tablets. I can't even imagine how low he was when I first saw him. The paramedics told me that by stopping and giving him that sugar, I saved him from being hooked up to an IV, a trip to the hospital, and who knows what else. I can't help but think of all the things that could have happened.

I can't explain how close we got through this experience; I bonded with him the moment I pulled up next to his car. It took about a half an hour for him to come around. When his sugar was high enough to carry on a conversation, I learned so much about my new friend. Mike is a 61 year old man who has been living with Type 1 since he was five. He was just in town visiting a friend. Now I have Mike's phone number and we've already had a conversation. He continues to express his sincerest appreciation to me and told me he's alive and well thanks to me. What an amazing feeling!

This is the most humble that I can ever recall being. The funny thing is I wasn't having a very good day before that. He says I helped him, but in a way this whole experience has helped me. I truly believe this was more than just a coincidence.

Love ya Mike,

Your "Diabetic Angel," Andy ;)