Kent City Councilman Les Thomas had another one and a half inches removed from his left leg last week as he continues his fight against diabetes.<\/p>\n
Thomas, 72, had just returned Sept. 4 to his first City Council meeting in about four months after a leg amputation when he found out a couple days later more surgery would be needed.<\/p>\n
Although Thomas initially said the amputation had been caused by an infected cut, two of his children contacted the Kent Reporter to clarify that their father has diabetes and complications from the disease led doctors to amputate the left leg about 3 inches below the knee. He has type 2 diabetes, as his blood sugar levels are too high.<\/p>\n
“It’s complications from diabetes,” said son Lee Thomas, of Maple Valley and a Kent attorney, during a phone interview. “It’s pretty devastating physically and psychologically. It’s a lot for him to handle. It’s a lot for anybody to handle.”<\/p>\n
Thomas, in his 15th year on the council, said on Tuesday he was diagnosed with late-onset diabetes in 2010. He has had three surgeries this year as doctors try to stop the infection from spreading.<\/p>\n
“The whole leg might have to come off,” said daughter Joy Thomas, if the most recent surgery doesn’t work.<\/p>\n
Thomas said he takes insulin shots five times a day in efforts to control his blood sugar.<\/p>\n
“It’s a lot of needles,” Thomas said. “But the needles are tiny so I don’t really feel it. It’s more a matter of remembering to do it.”<\/p>\n
When asked about advice for others who are fighting diabetes, Thomas said there are two key steps.<\/p>\n
“The best thing is to eat properly and exercise,” he said.<\/p>\n
About 30 million people have diabetes, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> in Georgia. <\/p>\n In 2015, an estimated 1.5 million new cases of diabetes (6.7 per 1,000 persons) were diagnosed among U.S. adults aged 18 years or older, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of these new cases were among adults ages 45 to 64 years. <\/p>\n