Greetings Brothers & Sisters in Christ. I wanted to share my recent experience as I continue Walking with God as I overcome living with diabetes.
Living without a toe is probably the hardest thing I could ever imagine. I didn’t expect it nor did I want it. How did it happen you ask? I guess you can say the story started back in 2006 when I became a diabetic.
My family history has always had medical issues. As far back as I can remember diabetes runs in our family, my great-grandpa, Nana, mother and father all had it.
Great-grandpa, Genero Amaro had his right leg amputated just below the knee, grandma was fortunate, no serious complications materialized. My Mom does experience neuropathy, but nothing too serious and my Dad manages his diabetes.
As previously mentioned, my journey started back in 2006. I didn’t show any signs of diabetes except rapid weight loss, and tiredness, so my mother tested my blood sugar and all the meter said was “high,” so she took me to the ER just to get me checked out. Their meter read 600, and they were surprised that I was still alert and conscious as I should have been dead. I was given insulin to lower my sugar level and stabilize me.
I should have listened to the doctors back then, but being a guy I was stubborn and rarely listened, so I just ignored my condition and just did what I wanted, I lived my life in complete ignorance of my disease.
I dated some but the woman whom I was dating at the time turned out to be a Pastor’s daughter. She invited me to Church one day and God showed up in my life and it turned out to be that her father was the kind of man that took me under his wing and taught me about God, life, being a man and the high priest of my house. One day, I asked her to marry me and she said, yes. We become one as we enter into a marriage covenant with God and each other.
As time went on the Holy Spirit led us in starting our own ministry and soon after, her parents went on to be with the Lord. Life was good as we prayed for others, wrote inspirational messages and aided the homeless community.
In April of 2022, is when my condition reared its ugly head. I happened to get a blister on the side of my left foot, I honestly thought it was a spider bite, and hoped it would go away, but it kept leaking and swelling, so I went to the emergency room. As it turned out this time it was an infection and needed surgery. I ended up getting a hole on the top of my foot. The surgeon said I was blessed that it didn’t reach the tendons, and had to wear a Wound V.A.C Machine. A Wound V.A.C Machine is a medically portable vacuum which collects good skin cells to rebuild tissues and expels the dead skin and tissues into the canister for later disposal when filled. A piece of medical black foam padding is placed directly on the wound itself and used as a vacuum seal during the healing process. The skin changes daily, and it's necessary to change the dressing & padding every other day for the next two months during my healing process.
In November of 2022, I had apparently broken my right big toe, but I had no knowledge of it and by the time I went to the ER for some discomfort, it was infected and gangrene had already set in but needless to say, they couldn’t save the toe and it had to be amputated. I had to wear another Wound V.A.C again except this time it was more intense as I was now missing a big toe. I was transferred to a skilled nursing facility for recovery. I was there for about three months, and it was a hard experience as I was separated from my family. I cried almost on a daily basis. One night I wasn’t feeling well and they called for an ambulance to take me to the emergency. I've had enough visits to the ER to last a lifetime but made the most of it and shared my experience with others. When I got there, I had caught bilateral pneumonia because my oxygen level was at 67 and it needed to be at least 96 or higher.
My wife is my durable POA as it was our plan for medical emergencies. There was no time as my lungs were in danger of collapsing, difficulty swallowing, speaking and becoming a vegetable were now all on the table. Yet, she made the final decision as she has a medical background but didn't rely on it and prayed over me in triage right before submitting me into their care. Wendy has taught me to trust in God no matter what the outcome looks like and I freely placed my life in her hands and she placed our lives & future in the hands of God. Let me tell you, that is a trip nobody should go on, you’re trapped in your own mind with no escape. I could hear Wendy talk to me and I squeezed her hand to respond with the word, Yes. I was given antibiotics and thankfully my body reacted well to the treatments. I remained in the hospital for one week. The medical staff agreed I was progressing very quickly, I was taken off the respirator, my foot wound closed and the V.A.C Machine I wore on my foot was no longer needed as it served its purpose. I was released in my wife's care where she started doing the Wound Care at home, Changing my dressing, applying Santyl, monitoring my levels, minimizing my stubborn ways and preventing swelling by making sure that foot was elevated and just really helped me as I found myself in a dark unknown place. She would do as she was told by the surgeon but she does recognize their powers are limited and took it to the Courts of Heaven with prayer, supplication & anointing my foot.
It's been said, diabetics take a long time to heal but God has seen fit to heal me at a miraculous speed. I'm able to walk without therapy, I have the ability to drive and maintain all levels of my current lifestyle before this mishap. The Lord gave her a word for me at the beginning of my turmoil and that he would raise me up out of my bed of affliction. I am here to say that today my test has become my greatest strength & testimony. The process took one year, in and out of the emergency, hospital, tests but in the end I come to the conclusion that Wounds left untreated fester up and God wants us healthy and whole with nothing missing and nothing broken but if something is missing or you have a void of some type inside your life rest assuredly that there will come a day, God decides to step in and heals all your broken pieces. It takes a very special person to take the good with the bad and choose to stick around no matter what. I am loved, I am accepted and it's not what people say, but it's their actions on how they make you feel when you're in a pitfall and up against one of the darkest moments of your life. I may have a disease but it doesn't have me anymore and if you can set your mind to get up every day, you have conquered half the battle. You are the Winner once you place your feet on the ground! I made this statement to Wendy when she was diagnosed with Stage IV, Uterine Cancer. Today, her Cancer remains in remission for the past sixteen years. She is a testament to me and little did I know she would be there for me during a life-shattering experience and bend in my road. Yet, I've grown through my night season and this has become a stepping stone inside my life, to launch out into the deep and to get ready for an overflow.
Sincerely, Pastor William Schenkel
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