In memory of Wade Wilson

[observer]

- - -

Wade Wilson, former quarterback of the Dallas
Cowboys who backed up Troy Aikman in the last
Cowboys Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXX), was diag-
nosed with Islit, abbreviation for new clarify-
ing name of Insulinitis, near-total to total
loss of endogenous insulin, in 1985, at age 26.

- - -

For reference, I've had Islit since March of
1961, getting it at age 5, and have had it for
almost 58 years.

- - -

Wade passed away on February 1, 2019, on his
60th birthday, as he was born February 1, 1959.
https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article225422465.html
https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/former-dallas-qb-assistant-coach-wade-wilson-dies-on-60th-birthday
https://www.wfaa.com/video/sports/nfl/cowboys/we-say-goodbye-to-former-cowboys-player-and-coach-wade-wilson/287-19b19151-4e53-41f3-a660-bb8b1a84db19

Wade passed away 10 years before his expected
life expectancy for white men born in 1959 of
70 years: https://www.infoplease.com/life-expectancy-birth-race-and-sex-1930-2010

No mention of cause of death in any of the
articles about Wade's death.

- - -

Pass posts I've made pertaining to Wade Wilson
and Islit in misc.health.diabetes (under another
ID) or in a Dallas Cowboys newsgroup [with clar-
ifying inserts in brackets, not part of original
articles]:

- - -
October 15 13,810,000,003 (2016 CE)

Wade Wilson, Insulinitis, Toe Amputation
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/misc.health.diabetes/QCOFflnYIkM/UL57o3XIAgAJ
- - -

Wade Wilson, ex-NFL quarterback who is now
a QB coach with the Dallas Cowboys, recently
had the 2nd toe on his right foot amputated.

Per the following article, he has Insulinitis*
[Islit].

Elsewhere, it's documented he's had the con-
dition since 1985, having been diagnosed at
the age of 26.

...

[This post includes a link to an article that
mistakenly says Wade had type II diabetes, and
it talks about Wade dealing with sequelae in
the 2000s]

The article which says Wade has "type 1 diabetes"
[Islit]:

- - -
October 14, 2016

Cowboys QB coach had toe amputated in August
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article108395992.html
- - -

- - -
May 1 13,809,999,995 (2008 CE)

Broncos QB Jay Cutler reveals he has [Islit]
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.sports.football.pro.dallas-cowboys/u6od5im4VJM/5v8uKpBsMZ4J

May 3 13,809,999,995 (2008 CE)
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.sports.football.pro.dallas-cowboys/u6od5im4VJM/yRnkIC_Iuq4J
- - -

QB Jay Cutler, recently diagnosed with
[Islit] at the age of [24]. I've had it
for over 47 years, since age 5, so know-
ing the challenges that reside ahead for
Jay, all my best to him regarding dealing
with this condition.

---
May 1, 2008
[link no longer available]
---

Excerpt:

Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler
told CBS station KCNC-TV in Denver's
Vic Lombardi Thursday night he has been
diagnosed with [Islit].

...

--- end excerpt ---

---
May 3, 2008
[link no longer available]
---

Excerpt:

...

[Wade] Wilson can relate

Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson could
relate to the news when Denver quarterback
Jay Cutler announced he has [Islit]. Wilson
was diagnosed with the condition when he was
25 but played football until he was 39.

"It's a tough deal," Wilson said. "But I tried
to relate it to the discipline it takes to play
professional football. That has to be applied
to managing your [Islit]. It's a daily [and
nightly] thing you have to deal with."

Wilson said as long as he was able to "get it
under control [not the best choice of words],"
playing with [Islit] never affected him. But
he took [insulin] shots then and still does,
as well as exercising and monitoring his in-
take of sugars [glucose/carbs] and high-carb ...

... foods [unmentioned, dealying with all the
times the glucose goes too low with (ideally)
fast-acting carbs, and using glucose blood-
pricks].

--- end excerpt ---

Comments:

Every [individual with Islit] has a common
experience, as a[n Islit individual], and
a unique experience, regarding how [Islit]
impacts them and regarding how they deal
with the consequences of having [Islit].

Some [with Islit] get it very young, as
early as birth, and some get it very late,
well into adulthood. Most get it young,
'tis why it once went by the name juvenile
diabetes.

The cause, genetic in nature. [Cellosis,
new clarifying name for type 2 diabetes]
is also impacted by genetics, but an addi-
tional factor in [Cellosis], for some,
is weight [the risk of it increases as
one's BMI increases].

Some convey they enjoy what Wade referred
to as 'discipline', give multiple daily
injects (4 or more), test their blood
sugars often (up to 8 times per day).

I suspect that most, regardless of their
public pronouncements, have a less than
thankful and a less than positive position
regarding the disease an its impact.

Some die very young from the disease.

Some die prematurely due to the [sequelae]
which vary from person to person, or due
to having a low blood sugar [glucose] event
causing an accident or from having a high
sugar [glucose] event which can cause a
coma/unconsciousness and death if the ...

... person does not receive medical atten-
tion in time.

Recently, I read about [an individual who
had undiagnosed Islit] ... on a military
ship, and who died in a high blood sugar
[glucose] coma.

Many die prematurely (estimates are that
the life expectancy for [those with Islit]
are 15 years less than for the general pop-
ulace) [I think those estimates are over-
stated].

Here's an article I wrote in a blog a few
weeks ago (watered down a bit in this post,
to cut down on the negative I was feeling
at the time I wrote the following) regard-
ing my personal experience as [someone who
has Islit], in response to a newly ...

... diagnosed 44-year old [with Islit] who
was feeling the loneliness of having [Islit]:

--- [my post at a ... blogsite] ---

I've been [an indivdual with Islit] since
the age of 5, for going on 47 years and
counting. Treatment, initially, was 2
shots per day, NPH and Regular.

Now? 2 shots per day, NPH and Regular.

Blood Sugar Tests at the time I got the dis-
ease? A visit to the Doctor, as the only test
available at home was urine testing, not help-
ful and at the time, I didn't view it in a
positive light.

Now? Same view, unchanged despite the [High
Glucose] community, by and large, promoting
the stick-test motif to 'manage' the [dis-
parate High Glucose Conditions], as if.

[My opinion on this changed when I became
hypoglycemia unaware in 2009]

Needless to say, I've got psychological is-
sues with having [Islit] that I've yet to
'fix'.

I battled depression my whole life, 'til
a couple of years ago, borderline suicidal
mostly as a long-term impact of a most un-
welcome divorce, but also as a result of
having chronic depression since the age
of 8, as best I can recall.

I happened to get lucky, and found a doctor
that prescribed the 'right' drugs for me
[Wellbutrin XL and Mirtazapine]. Fixed the
suicidal depression, and I've been off that
for quite some time.

The depression didn't recur in that persist-
ent unrelenting unable to be 'cured' way,
-but- one of the side effects of the medica-
tion was a long-lasting hypoglycemic unaware-
ness -and- a propensity to have low blood
sugars at work, at home, on the road

--- yikes, but fortunately, the two times
that happened in the last two years, no
wrecks, though many years ago, I had an
insulin reaction and flipped my convertible
Mustang 6 times -- my daughter was in ...

... the back seat, protected by a roll bar
I purchased for that very purpose, but my
ex-wife ... well, needless to say, whatever
chance I had to spend sufficient time with
my daughter, it was lost then and there

Actually, my ex-wife allowed me to see my
daughter at Christmas, when I was still able
to pay child support though I'd been unem-
ployed for quite some time, but later, un-
able to pay when my funds ran dry and when
my life-long depression problems were so ...

... strong that later, I sunk into the state
mentioned above, she cut me out of my only
child's life for several years when she was
10, about 5 months after I was fired by my ...

... ex-friend, probably due in no small part
to my having an insulin reaction in his new
truck.

That hypoglycemic-unawareness lasted for many
months -after- going off the meds. That seems
to have passed, recently, so now I'm back to
being more worried about highs than lows, ...

... though lows, as [those with Islit] well
know, are always a risk for those on injec-
tions [and insulin pumps and those who use
inhaled insulin along with injections].

However, I found out, from a comment from a
parent of a[n Islit individual] at work, that
being on an insulin pump, her child has a much
greater risk of highs. Oh well, can't win for
losing with this damnable disease.

[Well, all that, I learned in 2009, my hypo-
glycemia unawareness wasn't caused by those
depression meds, and I had to join the blood-
prick to stay alive routine, later, late in
2013 and early in 2014, joining the CGM and
insulin pump users]

On a bright note, research into a cure is out
there, but as most [with Islit] will tell you,
it's been a long time coming and many (most?)
are losing hope in that regard.

I found this group (one of the [HGC] groups
with blog capability) by searching for info
on Brett Michaels (ex-lead singer for the
rock band Poison).

Funny thing, I was a big Poison fan from their
start, -but- had no idea that Brett [had Islit]
'til, I dunno, a few years ago.

... (skipped comments which, upon reflection,
were honest, but which, I feel, might be un-
helpful in this particular post)

... I just seem trapped by this disease, no
matter how much / many like to convey that it's
merely a hardship that, with the 'right' amount
of effort, one can ... how should one character-
ize their optimism ... oh well, I'll let the
optimists take care of that, as my life exper-
ience has been far removed from theirs.

The cure? I still hope for it, and all I can
tell you is that for some, like me, [Islit] is
a living hell, a constant unrelenting nightmare,
from which the only escape is a bonafide genuine
cure (as this disease and the manner in which ...

... the burden for its maintenance falls over-
whelmingly on the individual, requires 24X7X365,
366 every leap year, guarding against and dealing
with lows/car wrecks/accidents, guarding against
and dealing with highs / potential comas, trying
to prevent heart attacks, strokes, impotence, ...

... blindness, kidney failure, and other such
delights). Sorry for the downside look, just
trying to be honest in differing with the overly
(in my view) optimistic views of those who submit
that there is not a very high cost emotionally, ...

... socially, psychologically, financially,
health-wise of dealing with [Islit] for what-
ever length, and of note, I just read about [an
individual with Islit] who got [it] at age 11,
in 1937, and lived to be 81, a very long life, ...

... most of which was lived in a day and age
prior to finger-pricking your way to happiness
(?).

Best of luck.

--- (end of post at a [HGC] blogsite)

- - -
August 16 13,809,999,995 (2008 CE)
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.sports.football.pro.dallas-cowboys/TAnrAhZGWTg/K1HhjFjoXZkJ
- - -

...

---
August 16 13,809,999,995 (2008 CE)

[Islit] pushes aside Dove Valley drills
[link no longer available]
---

Excerpt:

...

[Wade] Wilson, the Cowboys quarterbacks coach,
and Cutler, Denver's starting quarterback, spoke
about blood sugar [glucose] and insulin pumps
and managing life with [Islit].

"It's a constant battle," said Wilson, who has
lived with [Islit] the last 22 years, "but if
he can handle professional football, he can
handle [Islit]. I told him I'd be pulling for
him."

...

--- end excerpt ---

Comments: Optimal control (handling) is automatic
for the overwhelming majority whose blood sugar
[glucose] is handled without human interaction.

[Islit individuals] require manual handling, a
24x7x365 (366 every 4 years) process. Ideally,
football players such as Cutler will receive
help in handling [Islit], -if- medical personnel
are adequately involved. Most have to handle
[Islit] with little to no help.

---
May 29 13,809,999,995 (2008 CE)

Increased death risk for [Islit individuals]:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL96676320080529
---

Excerpts:

Relative to their peers without [Islit], patients
who are diagnosed with [Islit] in young adult-
hood are at greater risk for death than those
diagnosed in childhood ...

Overall, [Islit individuals] in the study were
4.7-times more likely to die during follow-up
than similar-aged individuals drawn from the gen-
eral population.

The relative death risk, however, differed for
younger and older [Islit] patients. In individuals
between 15 and 29 years of age, [Islit] increased
the risk of death by 6.2-fold, whereas in younger
people, the disease raised the risk by 4.2-fold.

The risk of death increased with increasing [Islit]
duration, the report indicates.

Of the 108 deaths, 47 resulted from [Islit seque-
lae]. Twenty-four deaths were related to acci-
dents or violence, including six suicides.

In addition, 17 deaths were attributed to drug[s]
... , which included insulin [dosed above the
needed amount], as well as over-doses with other
drugs, mainly with opiates.

...

--- end excerpt ---

- - -
Wade Wilson Wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_Wilson_(American_football)
- - -

... On May 22, 1995, [Wade Wilson] was signed by
the Dallas Cowboys to be the backup quarterback
to Troy Aikman. He was a part of the Super Bowl
XXX winning team.

... Wilson was the Dallas Cowboys quarterback
coach from 2000 to 2002. He then became the Chi-
cago Bears quarterback coach from 2004 until 2006,
while reaching Super Bowl XLI. On February 22,
2007, he re-signed with the Cowboys.

On September 1, 2007, Wilson was suspended five
games and fined $100,000 for purchasing and using
performance-enhancing drugs. In his own defense,
Wilson said that the drug (HGH) was used to help
his problem with [Islit].

However the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seemed
to sidestep this defense saying, "First of all,
I'm not going to get into the personal situations
of why Wade was taking it, but that's not an accur-
ate point."

The Cowboys decided to part ways with Wilson fol-
lowing the 2017 season. ...

- - - end excerpts - - -

- - -
January 22 13,810,000,005 (2018 CE)

Does HGH Really Help [Islit and other disparate
High Glucose Conditions]?
https://www.odfmedical.com/family-health-and-medical/hgh-and-diabetes/
- - -

...

Arguments for both the negative and positive ef-
fects of HGH on [Islit and other disparate High
Glucose Conditions (HGCs)] might seem confusing.
The difference appears to be in how long and fre-
quently you take HGH.

It is thought to be safe for managing [Islit &
other disparate HGCs] when taken in low doses and
not taken for long uninterrupted periods of time.

- - - end excerpt - - -

[observer]

- - -

Apart from very famous people, all-too-often
it's unfortunate that no articles include
very much information about the life of the
individual who passed away.

Mickey Spagnola gives us a thorough picture
of Wade Wilson's life as Mickey experienced
it in the 17 years Mickey spent around Wade:

- - -

See the following for original link in this
thread:
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.sports.football.pro.dallas-cowboys/gaGnBIUFncY/oakoaxoHBQAJ

- - -
February 4 13,810,000,006 (2019 CE)

Spagnola: Wade Touched So Many of Our Lives

by Mickey Spagnola,
DallasCowboys.com columnist
https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/spagnola-wade-touched-so-many-of-our-lives
- - -

Complete article:

This is sad.

Real sad.

Wade Wilson passed away on Friday. On his 60th
birthday, born Feb. 1, 1959, Greenville, Texas.

Most know him as the Dallas Cowboys’ former quar-
terbacks coach and backup quarterback. Backed up
Troy Aikman for three seasons, 1995-97. Earned a
Super Bowl XXX ring with the Cowboys. Then know
him as the Cowboys quarterbacks coach, 14 seasons
over two terms, the second from 2007 through the
2017 season.

But on a need to know basis, he was so much more.
Touched so, so many more over his 60 years. Played
his high school ball at Commerce High. Stayed at
home to play his college ball at what was then
known as East Texas State University, where he
became an NAIA All-American quarterback.

Played well enough to become an eighth-round draft
choice of the Minnesota Vikings in 1981, back when
there were 12 rounds in the draft. Spent 10 seasons
with the Vikings, mostly as a backup. But he did
start 22 of the 28 games he played in 1988-89, sel-
ected as a Pro Bowl quarterback that ’88 season.

Ended up playing 19 seasons in the NFL. Spent one
in Atlanta, two in New Orleans, the three in Dallas
and another two in Oakland, before retiring from
his playing career at age 40.

He served then as Dave Campo’s quarterback coach
with the Cowboys for three seasons, spent three
more coaching quarterbacks for East Texas-born
Lovie Smith with Chicago, where under his tutelage
Rex Grossman had his finest year in the NFL, lead-
ing the Bears to a 13-3 record and into Super Bowl
XLI.

He would then in 2007 return to the Cowboys, where
he was instrumental in developing a young Tony Romo
and became an advocate of the Cowboys selecting Dak
Prescott in the fourth round of 2016.

Think about this now. Over a 36-year NFL career,
Wade touched players, coaches and fans for six dif-
ferent franchises, mostly as a backup quarterback
and then as a quarterbacks coach. That’s a lot of
lives.

And never, over all those years, all those stops,
did you ever hear a discouraging word about Charles
Wade Wilson, father of four.

Never ever did he raise a ruckus over a career back-
ing up the likes of Tommy Kramer, Rich Gannon, Chris
Miller, Jim Everett, Troy Aikman, Rich Gannon again
and Jeff George.

His nickname, especially around here, was “Sticks,”
as in tall (6-3) and thin (210).

That nickname very well could have been “Easy,” be-
cause, well, to steal a line from Lionel Richie, Wade
truly was “Easy as Sunday morning.”

Saw where someone out there either stole or copied
my exact sentiments, saying Wade “was one of the
nicest persons I’ve ever met.”

Me, too.

Why he became my sounding board during his three
seasons as Aikman’s backup, and truth be told, those
were not three easy seasons for the Cowboys, despite
winning Super Bowl XXX that first year.

Remember, the Cowboys were struggling until reaching
the playoffs that season. Then in 1996 the Cowboys’
streak of four consecutive NFC Championship-game ap-
pearances ended.

And in 1997 the Cowboys’ streak of six straight win-
ning seasons ended, too, as did Barry Switzer’s four-
year run as head coach.

But gosh darn, if I ever needed someone to give a
complete explanation of what went right – or what
went wrong – on a certain play in a game, and with
the crowd around Aikman doing interviews, I would
slide over to Wade. His insight was honest. Forth-
coming. Insightful.

Same as when an assistant coach. Wade didn’t say much.

Didn’t go out of his way to attract attention. But if
you made the effort to stop him, that Texas boy, son
of a football coach, in him would come out. Straight-
forward, to the point.

Spent 17 years around Wade. That’s why Friday’s news
of him passing away hit hard. Came somewhat out of
the blue, though knowing for many years Wade strug-
gled with Type 1 diabetes for 30 years, knowing how
he would be giving himself insulin shots, seeing him
snacking to keep his blood sugar count at proper lev-
els.

In fact, during training camp in 2016, Wade suffered
a foot abrasion, causing an infection, and, compli-
cated with his diabetes, landed him in the hospital
where he was placed on an antibiotic-laced IV. One
of his toes eventually was amputated.

Yet he continued coaching.

He was quoted at the time saying, “I have to take
better care of myself. It got infected. I waited
too long to do something about it and it got too
bad. I should have been better about it. Now I'm
going to be better.”

Let me personally vouch for how serious foot infec-
tions can become.

So, it was about a year ago this time the Cowboys
decided against renewing Wade’s contract. They
would turn his job over to former backup Kellen
Moore, recently named the team’s offensive coordin-
ator. That 36-year NFL career would come to an end.

Remember his last day here seeing him from a dis-
tance walking down the hallway, heading toward the
coaches locker room. I’m grateful, especially now,
that I fast-walked to catch up with him. Wanted to
wish him well and thank him for all his insight over
the years.

He didn’t seem ready to retire, only saying the Cow-
boys had decided to go in another direction. Wasn’t
mad, or anything, but seemed disappointed. Said there
would have to be a really good situation to take a
coaching job somewhere else.

Coaching seems to get in guys’ blood. It’s what keeps
them going. Seen evidence of that like 36 years ago.
Covered the final game of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s 25-year
career at Alabama, a Liberty Bowl victory over Illinois
on Dec. 29, 1982. He had announced his retirement prior
to the game.

Bryant died of a heart attack Jan. 26, 1983, less than
four weeks later at the age of 69. He seemed much older
than that.

My understanding is Wade missed coaching. He missed the
game. He had been doing some consulting work for a friend
of mine who had been working on a virtual reality-type
coaching video for quarterbacks. He had just spoken with
Wade a Sunday ago by phone. Said he sounded good, upbeat.

There has been no official word yet of Wade’s cause of
death, though word of having a heart attack has been
circulating. He was found unresponsive at his home in
Coppell that Friday morning, efforts to resuscitate him
having failed. EMS workers responding to a 911 call
found him already having passed away.

How we go seems irrelevant at times like this.

It becomes more about how we stayed, lives we impacted.
And if Twitter is emblematic of Wade Wilson’s life,
there has been an outpouring of tweets from the Cowboys
organization, former teammates and former players he
coached, from Troy Aikman to a man of few words Larry
Allen to Emmitt Smith and even the troubled Ryan Leaf, ...

... who was trying to revive a failing career with the
Cowboys in 2001, one of four starting quarterbacks Wade
coached that season, calling him an “amazing mentor,
friend and father.”

Then there was this succinct Tweet from DeMarco Murray:
Great coach and even greater Man! RIP sticks, will be
missed!!

Yep, he will be.

Because Wade, he stayed awfully well.

- - - end of article - - -