A father of six and media personnel, Leon Lord has, for the first time, shared his journey of being diagnosed with diabetes and facing the threat of having one of his legs amputated.

A photographer by profession, the 41-year-old from Pacific Harbour discovered he had diabetes after collapsing during a photo shoot in May.

Lord says he had been ignoring diabetes symptoms for months, mistaking them for dehydration and fatigue.

He says he had every reason to believe he was living a healthy life.

“I consider myself a very healthy person because I joined the army, I played rugby throughout my life and I was always in a supportive sort of environment. But that day, I felt totally different. It’s something that changed my life, changed me for the rest of my life because it felt like it was going to end.”

Lord was initially told that his leg could not be saved and that an above-knee amputation was the only option. However, after seeking multiple opinions, doctors managed to save his leg.

He adds that after the surgery, he underwent further procedures, having two additional toes removed in the following weeks, leaving him with only three toes after a difficult, months-long bedridden recovery.

He says he changed his lifestyle completely after the surgery.

Lord says he overhauled his diet, reducing meat and sugar while increasing nutrients, describing the process as a challenging but necessary lifestyle change.

Fiji Medical Association President Dr Alipate Vakamocea says that over the years, NCD numbers have been drastically increasing.

“And if you have a look at what the statistics said in the colonial period, we almost had no NCDs back then in the 1950s, 1960s. And then around the early 1990s, you saw the trend starting to go up. And then once we hit 2000s, it’s just gone through the roof and it’s continued to go up”

The transformation paid off for Lord, as earlier this month, he was medically cleared of type 2 diabetes. He is now urging other Fijians to take their health seriously and hopes his journey will encourage others facing similar health challenges.

Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.