Taking The First Steps - The Healthy Edge - February 2011

By: Shallin Squire

In spite of the jovial "over the hill" and other such references to one's 40^th birthday, Keith Hicken of Pleasant Valley didn't expect his 40^th year to be different from any other. As founder and manager of the Pleasant Valley Hunting Preserve, as well as a lifelong outdoorsman, Keith had been active and healthy for as long as he could remember, so when he and some other Boy Scout leaders decided to take their boys for a six day trip to the High Uintas that summer of 2001, Keith had no reason to doubt he'd be up for the task.

    However, neither the boys nor the animals were as fit or obedient as Keith had anticipated, and getting them off the mountain turned into a nightmare. "I probably went up and down the same 5-mile stretch of trail at least three times," he said. "It was hard. And that's an understatement." When the boys and animals were finally home safely, Keith was miserably exhausted, but carrying on with his usual daily activities was bearable in comparison to what he'd been through.

    After a few days of recovering, Keith joined some friends on a trip to Salt Lake to watch a Utah Jazz game. "I couldn't stay in my seat," he stated. "But it wasn't from the excitement of the game. Instead, I was visiting the restroom every few minutes." It was then Keith began to recognize the dreaded signs of a disease his then 16-year-old daughter, Alison, had been diagnosed with four years before. As soon as he arrived at home, he borrowed Alison's testing equipment and confirmed his suspicion: his blood glucose level was around 400 ("normal" is between 70 and 140, depending on how long it has been since one's last meal).

    Keith made an appointment to see his doctor, who gave the official diagnosis: Type I, or Insulin-Dependent, Diabetes Mellitus.

    Referring to the adjustments Keith had to then make, he said: "It was normal to have a diabetic in our home, but it wasn't normal for that to be me. Although we already ate the types of food a diabetic should eat, I had to learn to do the counting and metering and figuring for myself. That was an adjustment, but I learned rather quickly, and it doesn't bother me at all now." But unlike many patients who are diagnosed with diabetes as adults, Keith didn't have to make any other adjustments to his lifestyle. He wasn't overweight, and the pheasant farm keeps him busy from sunup to sundown, and sometimes more. "I'm on my feet all day," Keith said. "I probably walk and/or run at least 5 miles a day just at work. But I also like to have fun: hiking, water skiing, fishing, just being outside."

    Keith's diabetes is well managed, and thus far he hasn't suffered any complications of the disease. His awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease led to an early diagnosis and an easier transition into diabetes management, and his health-oriented, active lifestyle continues to bring him the vitality and happiness that he plans to relish for several more decades.