Several times a week I’m asked how is Doug doing, and my usual answer is he has good days and bad days. Yep, that about sums it up. He goes up and down on how he feels. For the most part, his good days are probably not what the rest of us would consider good, but he keeps moving. And that’s what he’s been doing for years. Day in and day out, no matter what he did the day before, he was still a type 1 diabetic and did not have the luxury of taking a day off from that. Now it’s kidney disease.
That’s not an exciting answer because the end point or the finish line, as it were, is not in sight. Most of us want resolution quickly, and for Doug there has been no quick resolution, and unless a miracle happens (which I would never rule out), there won’t be a resolution soon. But he keeps going in spite of that and long past the time I feel many other people would have given up, become embittered and just said, “To hell with it all.” I admire that in him, and especially when I consider he is a very sensitive person who could become easily embittered. He’s wrestled with it, but the Lord keeps him from sinking into it completely.
In these last few years, I’ve begun to wonder how much his condition has contributed to the person he’s become. What would he have been like without it? Funny enough there were many people in our little town who did not even know Doug had anything wrong with him. That’s how little he’s made his disease a part of his conversation. But despite his reticence to talk about it, it’s a factor in his thinking. It’s made him ask hard questions of God. He’s been fearless in that, and sometimes honestly, it makes me uncomfortable even though I’ve always said as Christians we should not be afraid to question and the Lord least of all. The Lord instructs us to do that!
Because of Doug’s sensitivity, and because this place is to be an encouragement to him, I’ve hesitated to put up frequent updates on his health. He doesn’t need to read what he already knows, and to see something in print is almost like chiseling it in stone. But in the interest of giving those who want some news a place to find out what’s happening, I have created a page for updates. It is found here. No notice will go out when this is updated, but when you come to look at the blog, you can check it for anything new. In the meantime, thank you all so much for asking and for caring. Please know that it means a lot to our family, and we also give thanks to the Lord for His care of us.
The Story of Doug 
Thanks for sharing this! Doug continues to be in our prayers, as well as you!!