Darren’s Story:
Darren is a 43 year old man from Victoria. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when he was 27.
His management of his diabetes was poor – in his own words he was “ too tough to care”. Consequently Darren had swings in weight, poor BGL control , poor diet, poor adherence to medication regimes and undertook little exercise. On reflection Darren feels that his blasé attitude to his diabetes was (unknowingly) reinforced by health professionals who ( to him) failed to explore his management of his diabetes adequately with each visit - the interaction between he and the health professionals seemed superficial - if they weren’t worried why should he be?
In 2004 Darren was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy in his left eye and underwent vitrectomy surgery which halted the progress somewhat, however he subsequently developed a cataract in that eye.
In May 2007 Darren was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy in his right eye and was told the damage was too great to be repaired. Within three weeks he was declared legally blind. Pursuing activities like reading, walking and travelling became difficult, along with other everyday tasks. He could no longer drive. He not only lost his sight but his livelihood and his family. Darren subsequently entered a spiral of depression and attempted suicide. With the support of Vision Australia and local mental health services Darren says his “sense of humor has been restored".
Darren now works as participation team leader for local psychiatric services and works closely with Vision Australia in an advocacy role.
