John Jones
October 26th, 2007
My story begins over three years ago. I woke up in morning of May 23, 2004, and headed to work to begin what I thought was another normal day. Halfway through the work day I could barely stay awake. I was also having trouble breathing. I told my boss and left work a bit worried about what was going on.The next day I went to the doctor and after performing some tests, he gave me some news I was not expecting. My life, as well as my family’s, really changed that day.
I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, restrictive lung disease and asthma. While most people are familiar with asthma, the first two illnesses are less known. Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person will stop breathing for periods of time while he or she is asleep. Some of the symptoms include fatigue caused by the interrupted sleep. It can become a dangerous disease if it is not monitored. Restrictive lung disease means that I have trouble getting enough air into my lungs when I inhale. All of these disorders have made it tough for me to lead a normal life with my family.In addition to all this, I had been diagnosed with degenerative cervical disc disease and had to have surgery on my neck. While I was in recovery, the plant that I worked at for many years was shut down when the work was relocated to Mexico—not only was I sick, but now I was also unemployed.
The hardest part of all this was not being able to be there for my family. I have a wife and two little boys at home and they are the joy of my life. When your two little boys come up to you and ask, “Daddy, why won’t you come out and play with us? Go hunting with us?” you just don’t know what to say. I was unable to move after my surgery, much less go do the things I’ve always done with my sons.
Things got easier with time, but most of all, I have my medicine to thank for my recovery. With my medicines for all these illnesses, as well as my diabetes, I can live a longer life. With my medicines, I can be a better daddy for my kids and a better husband for my wife.
I think we sometimes take for granted the medicine we depend on everyday. You become incredibly thankful for the medicines and all the science behind it when you suddenly understand what it’s like to NOT have the medicines. I know that with these medicines I will be able to be around to share many more memories with my family in the years to come.
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