Heart of the Valley: Edinburg man is fighting to take his life back after diabetes complications
Related Story
A 47-year-old Edinburg man is fighting to take his life back after a type 2 diabetes diagnosis led to kidney failure and the loss of his ability to walk.
George Garcia now uses a wheelchair and undergoes dialysis at home. He's living with a rare complication called Charcot foot, which can cause the joints in his right foot to collapse if not treated quickly.
"I'm probably never going to be able to walk again," Garcia said.
Garcia was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when he was 20 years old. He was working in the healthcare industry when he started feeling sick.
"We tested my sugar, and the glucometer just read high," Garcia said.
Without insurance at the time, Garcia said he struggled to manage the diagnosis and brushed it off.
"No me va a pasar nada, no, I'll get over it, you know, and I tried to follow it as much as I could, but it's hard to maintain that diet," Garcia said. "And over time, it gradually got worse."
Years later, he suffered a massive heart attack that he didn't even feel. Not long after, his kidneys began to fail.
Garcia now undergoes peritoneal dialysis at home, a treatment that gives him more flexibility but still comes with daily challenges.
He has lost more than 100 pounds since his diagnosis. He weighed 315 pounds at his heaviest and now weighs 170 pounds.
"I've been managing to stay healthy and in good spirits and in good health through it all," Garcia said.
Unidos Contra La Diabetes outreach specialist David Villarreal said Garcia's story is becoming more common across the Rio Grande Valley.
"They don't know that the lunch meal that they're having has over potentially 80 to close to 100 grams of sugar in just one sitting," Villarreal said.
He said that lack of awareness can lead to serious complications like kidney failure.
"Your kidneys cannot filter your waste regularly because of the poor blood flow," Villarreal said. "So it starts affecting your kidneys. It shuts down. You have to go to dialysis."
Experts stress the importance of education, diet, and building healthy habits early.
"Get screened. Get yourself checked out by your primary health physician just to make sure you're on the safe side, that you're good," Villarreal said. "Just mindful nutrition and building those healthy habits, exercising regularly at least 30 minutes a day."
Garcia said the road hasn't been easy, but he refuses to let diabetes define him.
"There's a lot of joy to be had and I'm going to have it," Garcia said. "Diabetes is taking so much, so I'm going to take some of my life back."
Watch the video above for the full story.
This April, CHANNEL 5 NEWS will educate viewers about diabetes prevention and treatment. KRGV will provide a 360-degree look into the diabetes epidemic in the RGV.
H-E-B and South Texas Health System are offering free diabetes screenings in the month of April. Check out the calendar at this link for times and dates when the screenings will be available.
Heart of the Valley: Diabetes is sponsored by Prime Health and South Texas Health System.
News
