INDIANAPOLIS — "Never give up." That's the motto an Indianapolis teenager and his mother have lived by after he was diagnosed with diabetes a little more than a year ago.
Just before his 16th birthday, Tayè Baker was hospitalized with diabetes ketoacidosis. It is a potentially life-threatening build-up of acid in the blood stream known as ketones and it happens when the body is not able to produce enough insulin.
At the time, Baker weighed more than 300 pounds and said he was overeating the wrong types of food.
His mother, Michelle Stewart, said she was terrified when he was discharged, but made it her mission to do everything she could to help her son.
Immediately, the pair overhauled their diet and worked exercise into their daily routine.
Baker lost 118 pounds over the last year or so, and with these changes was able to stop taking insulin and most medications. He said mentally, he has also made huge strides in building confidence.
Baker’s doctors at Riley Hospital for Children said the dedication to a healthy diet and routine exercise reversed his Type II Diabetes diagnosis.
“God will do anything if you do your part is what I kept telling him. You do your part, He’ll deliver you from this and He did. It happened. He got delivered from diabetes. I mean this doesn’t happen to most people,” Stewart said of her son.
“People may say whatever they want about you, people may hate you, people may try to slow you down, but just focus on yourself. Just try to be a better version of you,” Baker added.
Although Baker is no longer on insulin and his levels are holding in normal ranges, this is a lifestyle he will need to continue. He is hoping to go onto a local university to study computer science and would like to become a mentor for others kids with diabetes.
