It's a War

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The story of two brave heroes in the fight against diabetes.

By Tom Karlya

US Senior Airman Tre Porfirio never met Wisconsin teenager Jesse Alswager. Their stories are unique. Two heroes. One should have died, one did. This is not a story for the faint of heart, their stories made me cry and they will probably do the same to you. But their stories need to be told. Their stories are linked by probably the only thing they had in common; diabetes. Their battles made them both heroes.

Jesse, a student at Toki Middle School, a seventh grader who loved sports, including his favorites of baseball, skateboarding and snowboarding and none of that stopped even after his diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. In fact where most kids would have been halted in their tracks, Jesse excelled. Not only in sports but also in music and it was not so uncommon to catch Jesse playing his music on East Washington Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin at the High Noon Saloon. Imagine a ‘chill kid’ playing a night spot; an accomplished musician at age 13?

 Thousands of miles away in Afghanistan, US Senior Airman Tre Porfirio was serving our country in the war against terrorism. He, along with other soldiers, was involved in a short break from battle and had just finished watching a movie on his base. There, from just 10 feet away, an insurgent pretending to be in the Afghanistan army pulled back and let three shots ring out from his M-16 hitting the surprised airman with three direct shots of high velocity bullets in his back.

In his continued battle against diabetes, Jesse testified before Congress to continue funding for a diabetes cure. He helped start a snowboarding camp for kids with type 1 diabetes, and was an advocate in many areas so much so that even the governor of Wisconsin made mention of Jesse’s work in his State address. Nothing was going to stop Jesse; he was someone who knew how to make a difference.

The bullets ravaged the soldier’s body. Surgery after surgery was completed in an effort to save his life. The bullets had damaged his pancreas beyond repair. Walter Reed hospital contacted the Diabetes Research Institute and sent the remains of the soldier’s pancreas in the hope that the insulin producing islet cells might be saved. Dr. Camillo Ricordi salvaged the islet cells, sent them back to the hospital and they put them back in the soldier’s liver; where they worked and began creating insulin; thus avoiding the complication of diabetes on top of his many other injuries. (I apologize at my oversimplification of a very detailed and delicate process and procedure.)

It seems odd, almost a twist of fate. A soldier who had no chance of survival was not only bought back, but was also allowed to move on without diabetes because of the advances in research. Was some of that research funded with money that Jesse raised or had lobbied Congress for years and years ago? It's a long shot, but perhaps. In the battle in Afghanistan, US Senior Airman Tre Porfirio survived, and because of advances in research he will do so without diabetes.

On February 3rd this year, Jesse Alswager lost his battle with diabetes and passed away at the age of 13. The same Governor who had touted his successes attended the funeral along with thousands of others.

They’re both heroes. Their battlefields are different and are even on distant lands; but battles nonetheless. Because Jesse died in the heat of trying to live a full life against the devastation of battling diabetes daily, and at the same time so wholeheartedly advocating and even fundraising to rid diabetes from this world, it is my assessment that he died on the battlefield. He died battling an enemy that would rob his mother, his father, his family, his friends, and this world of one incredible young man at a young age. Jesse Alswager, who refused to ‘just do nothing’, died a hero. The search for a cure is an enormous task. We are not there yet. And what helped a soldier is not the same process that could help a young man. And that is very sad. We just are not there yet. The Alswager family will continue their battle in memory of an incredible young man who will never benefit from the cure he so desperately wanted. There is a soldier who will become a father in a few months who does not have diabetes, and just a few years ago that could not have happened.

Two battles. Two fine young men. One lived a hero, one died the same. Two faced enemies no one should ever have to face. And because of them, the world is a better place.

I’m a Diabetes Dad.

Read more of Tom Karlya's Diabetes Dad columns here.

Disclaimer
dLife's Daily Living columnists are not all medical experts, but everyday people living with diabetes and sharing their personal experiences. While their method of diabetes management may work for them, everyone is different. Please consult with your diabetes care team to find out what will work best for you.