Photo By Master Sgt. Anthony Highland | Dr. Jana Wardian, Research Director of the Diabetes Center of Excellence, demonstrates...... read more read more
Subscribe
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas--She was only 28. She hadn’t had anything to eat or drink all day and her blood sugar read 368. She sat on the cold table not yet understanding the impact that this number would have on her life. She held back tears as the doctor delivered the news.
When Dr. Jana Wardian, Head of Research for the Diabetes Center of Excellence at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, her entire life changed in a moment.
“I didn’t understand how I could be healthy one day and completely sick the next,” she recalled.
Wardian was a stay-at-home mom in Omaha, Nebraska. While homeschooling her three young boys, she began to feel tired and quickly lost 30 pounds.
“I remember I was eating so much, and I just kept losing weight. It was so hot, we had no air conditioning, and I was drinking water constantly. But, of course, that meant I had to wake up throughout the night to go to the bathroom,” she explained.
It was Wardian’s sister-in-law, a nurse, who first expressed concern.
“She asked how I had lost the weight and I just said ‘I’ve just been eating a whole lot’ and she said that something was wrong. She asked if I had diabetes in my family. I told her I didn’t and she said “you might now,’” she said with an ironic laugh.
By the end of the week, Wardian met with a doctor and described her symptoms. She assumed all parents felt that tired all the time.
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” explained Wardian. “I thought it was normal to be exhausted when you were chasing three kids around all day, but I look back and realize I was incredibly sick. There were times I would sit down and immediately just fall asleep. I’d wake up and be so upset with myself for being so tired all the time.”
It was a struggle to adjust to her new lifestyle. Wardian said she felt like she thought she’d never live a normal life.
“I couldn’t eat anything. All the doctors told me was that I couldn’t eat sugar. Sugar is in everything. I hated parties because I knew there would just be a whole bunch of food I couldn’t have,” she said.
After a year of navigating the diagnosis, Wardian decided she was going to take control of her life.
“I realized that life was too short. My husband told me I should go back to school … after a few years, I earned my bachelor’s degree.”
While an undergraduate degree is no small feat, Wardian didn’t stop there.
“I love learning. I’m a nerd and I was so excited to keep going to school. I earned my master’s and then I got into a PhD program,” she proudly explained.
When she started working for the diabetes center, she was the only employee. Today, she leads a team of fifteen and provides services for people around the world.
While some people may have been thwarted after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, Wardian persevered and became a role model for her children and the countless patients she’s helped treat.
“I thought diabetes was the end for me… but in a lot of ways, it has really shaped me and my passion for research and developed me into the woman I am today.”
| Date Taken: | 01.17.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2021 19:55 |
| Story ID: | 405838 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A diagnosis for life, by MSgt Anthony Highland, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT