On January 11 of this year a California Highway Patrol cruiser was on the chase of a man in a pickup truck driving recklessly between the towns of Oroville and Chico. When he finally pulled him over, they realized this was not an inebriated driver, but a case of a diabetic episode.
Luckily the California Highway Patrol carry non-prescription medication for low blood sugar and were able to administer multiple doses of glucose before paramedics arrived. He was later driven by police to a local restaurant so he could get something to eat into his system.
This man was terribly disoriented when police pulled him over. He had narrowly missed hitting the guard rails and several other oncoming vehicles.
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/DiabeticEpisodeWhileDriving
This situation could have turned out much worse. What if the police officer had thought the driver was under the influence of alcohol? He may have arrested the man because of his strange behavior, and he might not have gotten the medical attention he needed.
Luckily, this didn’t occur, and we are thankful for heroes like this who surround us everyday just doing their duty.
However, this type of episode is much more common than you would believe. In fact the officer in the story even mentioned this was “the second time in a week he had assisted a person with a diabetic reaction.”
And I believe it, because it happened to me.
A couple years ago I had a hypoglycemic episode while driving alone. I have Type 1 diabetes and a hypoglycemic episode occurs when there is a sudden drop in blood glucose levels.
As I was driving, my eyes started to blur and confusion set in. I was aware that I was driving erratically but could not focus. I literally stopped in the middle of the road and managed to get out of my car and catch the attention of a passing motorist.
The good samaritan spoke to my husband Robert on my cell phone to figure out what he could do to help. My husband explained to him that I am diabetic and needed sugar as soon as possible. He gave me some juice while my husband called 911. The kind stranger stayed with me until paramedics and family members arrived.
As evidenced by the story above, I am not the only one to experience terrifying episodes like this and I was determined to find a way to minimize or prevent future tragedies. I believe every diabetic needs some type of sign for their car notifying others of their condition, in cases of emergency, so appropriate action could be taken.
I designed the dittidecal for exactly this reason. The dittidecal is a window sticker for your car that alerts others to your diabetic condition. I believe this small product can incredibly increase the abilities of authorities to determine what is happening in situations such as the above. In fact, some local departments have already shown interest in adding their official city seals and logos so their officers can easily recognize the importance of this sign. We hope the trend will continue around the country. (If you are interested in joining this program please contact me at mtk@dittibags.com for more information)
My hope is that this little sticker can help save lives. Wouldn’t that be a great hope-filled story to tell!
~M.T.K
