Source: WKRC TV Cinncinnati
Local 12's Liz Bonis says just a few months ago, Darryl Smith couldn't even play with his dogs Rocky and Harley without worrying his blood sugar levels would drop so low he would pass out. That's what had happened recently -- when he was home with his son Braydon --who is four. "I fell flat on my face and Braydon came in --he probably heard me hit the ground and next thing I remember coming in and out and he said daddy I'm eating cookies with you too --and he kept trying to put em in my mouth."
Smith would check his blood sugar levels several times a day to try and manage what Dr Amit Govil calls Type One diabetes. "Which means he never had a pancreas which could produce a good amount of insulin, and he had primary insulin failure."
In spite of insulin injections, Smith eventually went into kidney failure. He needed organ transplant surgery to stop life-threatening complications. So in an effort to fight those complications doctors made the decision to find not just a kidney donor but a kidney pancreas donor. By transplanting both of those organs -believe it or not they could actually cure his diabetes.
Sure enough -- it worked! Within weeks Smith no longer had diabetes! When asked what he said to his team upon this discovery?"I was very emotional about the whole thing --why? Cuz my son, I'm gonna get to see him get older, before I knew I wasn't gonna make it."
As you might imagine -- he's now a big proponent of organ donation. If you'd like to be an organ donor -sign the back of your drivers license --and tell your family your wishes!
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