One life changed within minutes

Noah Lenwai at Hospital. Personal Photography by Sarah Lenwai. 16 January 2011.

A young boy named Noah had an amazing life until he got what everyone thought was the flu. He visited many doctors and no one realized what was truly wrong with him until a nurse pointed out the smell of his breath. She told Noah’s dad, Dave, that he may have a serious illness and sent him to the hospital down the street. At the hospital the doctors tested his blood sugar and found that it was 771 and that he could go into a coma or die at any minute. They immediately transported Noah to MUSC by helicopter and notified his parents that he had type 1 diabetes. Noah had to be transported to MUSC rather than being treated in Myrtle Beach, because there are no Endocrinologist working in this area. Noah stayed strong and kept fighting for his life with the help of his doctors and support of his family and friends. After a week of learning about all of the medicines and what was going to change in his life, Noah was able to go home. Every few weeks Noah gets checked on by his doctors and within a year he will have a diabetes dog that will go everywhere with him and can call 911 when needed. Everyone looks at Noah the same way and loves him just as much as they did before; he still has fun with his friends and participates in sports as he is happy with his life. This young boy is my brother and he almost died because there are no Endocrinologist working in Myrtle Beach.