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| Nickie and Dick Nelson, fighting diabetes for themselves and others |
Dick Nelson just didn’t feel well. Fifteen years ago, the avid golfer and former state tennis champion visited his internist for an examination and got an unexpected diagnosis – diabetes.
This was an incredible shock for Dick and his wife, Nickie. They had certainly known people who had diabetes, but they knew nothing about it other than that it was a dreaded disease and horrible things could happen.
Their internist sent them to Hopkins to meet with Christopher Saudek, M.D., a specialist in diabetes care, and the Nelsons were enrolled in a patient education course. Once over the initial shock, Dick assumed his usual attitude when confronted with a problem – he could overcome it by sheer force of will and make it go away.
But diabetes doesn’t simply go away. Eventually, the Nelsons accepted that their lives were changing.
Shortly after the diagnosis, the Nelsons met another patient with poorly controlled diabetes – a man who looked much older than he was, with ghastly-looking sores on his legs. “Dick’s never going to look like that if I can help it,” Nickie vowed to herself.
Indeed, she could help, and did. She learned a whole new culture of cooking and began always using fresh foods. The first time she saw Dick give himself a shot, she passed out cold. Since then, she has learned to administer his shots. She admits that her protective instincts have heightened. She calls him periodically when she goes out just to check up on him and say hello. On one occasion, she got as far as the elevator lobby only to have the telephone operator tell her to return, that Dick needed her to come back. Her first thought was that something terrible had happened, and she rushed back to find out what was wrong. “You forgot to kiss me good-bye!" he scolded her affectionately.
Dick, in turn, has learned to pay attention to his body and
not overwork, a difficult feat for a successful man who is accustomed to
accomplishing everything right now if not sooner. His eyes now adjust to
changes in light more slowly due to retinopathy, and his legs are weaker, making
it difficult to keep his balance, due to peripheral neuropathy – a complication
that affects nerve endings in the limbs.
Such problems and the resultant limitations would cause many to curse fate. Not the Nelsons. They feel grateful for being directed to the very best of care with Saudek. So grateful, in fact, that they are providing an endowment that will allow Saudek the flexibility to expand clinical research projects in search of better ways to control and possibly cure diabetes. Current research efforts that this funding will help support include a glucose sensor and a joint research project with the Department of Neurology to discover more about diabetic neuropathy. Saudek, who will become President of the American Diabetes Association in June, considers Dick Nelson to be an extraordinary man who has shown remarkable strength and ability to resist the effects of aging despite the physical limitations diabetes has imposed on him.
Today, Dick Nelson is living well with his diabetes, and when Nickie challenges people to guess his age, the usual answer is late 60s. Dick Nelson is actually 81. Nickie attributes his dapper, youthful appearance to the excellent control he keeps over his diabetes.
The Nelsons recently finished remodeling their home, and Dick stayed actively involved in every phase, learning to design electrical systems and helping Nickie with interior design, producing a showcase residence with a “chinabrairie” – a library with china lining the shelves from floor to ceiling. The kitchen was recently photographed for an upcoming feature in a national magazine. Dick is hoping to resume his physical activities this Spring. Golf? “No, that’s too slow. You’re limited by the speed of the people in front of you.” Dick Nelson is planning to hit the tennis courts again. The result will likely be “Nelson, game, set and match.”