I met Oren Liebermann in 2014, 5 months after he had been diagnosed with diabetes. Though his journey to diagnosis was anything but conventional.

In the middle of a yearlong backpacking trip around the world with his wife, Oren was teaching English to young Buddhist monks in Pokhara, Nepal, when his body began to fail him. He had picked up a virus in Kenya weeks earlier, and had been traveling for two months as a medical time bomb.

He had been brushing off signs of poor health for months; dismissing constant thirst as a consequence of the Bangkok heat; exhaustion in the Himalayas to the altitude, and weakness / extreme weight loss to malnutrition.

But after visiting a local clinic in Nepal, a doctor gives him a diagnosis that will change his life forever: “I’m sorry to tell you, my friend, that you are a diabetic.”

Oren’s reaction? “Holy shit”.

Book Review: The Insulin Express

Bold, raw, and poignantly candid, it tells the story of what happens when the best-made travel plans are subject to the ever-present chaos of life, and how a major setback can turn into the opportunity of a lifetime.

Being diagnosed with a life-threatening disease when you’re 7,500 miles away from home is no-one’s idea of a holiday.

The True Story

Being diagnosed with a life-threatening disease when you’re 7,500 miles away from home is no-one’s idea of a holiday. And it certainly wasn’t what Oren and Cassie had in mind when they quit their jobs, sold their belongings, and traded in the American dream for a one way flight.

What followed his diagnosis in Nepal were the hardest days of their trip, and the darkest hours of his life. And The Insulin Express is a gripping travel memoir that recounts that journey.

Devastated, Oren is trapped in a freezing hospital room, trying to recover enough to fly home. His friends and family urge him to call off the rest of his trip. He had quit his job as a TV news reporter for this dream-come-true journey, but the nightmare diagnosis has thrown his world into disarray.

The hospital stay in Nepal is horrendous, and his health is only getting worse. So they fly home to the US to recover. But weeks later he’s back in Southeast Asia with his wife, and his diabetes, determined to finish the trip.

From the Photo Insert

“Bold, Raw, and Poignantly Candid”

“I often say, ‘I live my life and diabetes just comes along for the ride.’ In Liebermann’s yearlong journey around the world, that’s never been more true.

The Insulin Express is one of those stories you’re completely drawn into, and unable to put down. It takes you through thirty countries, a thousand insulin injections, and one man’s journey from despair to confidence.

Bold, raw, and poignantly candid, it tells the story of what happens when the best-made travel plans are subject to the ever-present chaos of life, and how a major setback can turn into the opportunity of a lifetime.

Despite struggling with a chronic disease that almost kills him in the Himalayas, Oren recovers, and resumes his journey, to later hike along the Great Wall of China, conquer the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and sip cobra whiskey in Laos. It is an incredibly inspiring story about a man who refuses to be defined by his disease.

A Message to His Disease

A Captivating Travelogue

As a journey of resilience and self discovery, this book is an inspirational read. But with his candid writing style and rich, detailed descriptions of places most of us have never been, the chapters up until the point of his diagnosis could stand as a captivating travel-logue alone.

As a travel chronicle, Libermann is funny and relatable, and you instantly forge a connection with him as he recounts his remarkable journey – by the end of the book you feel as though you’ve traveled with him, and know him intimately as a friend.

With a flair for storytelling and a sharp wit, Oren tells tales about camping illegally along the Great Wall of China, finding himself bewilderingly lost in Bangkok, and why you should never trust Mexican restaurants when not in or at least near Mexico.

His determination to continue on traveling after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is inspirational in the truest sense of the word, but what truly engrossed me was his comedic humor, his spirited storytelling, and an infectious wide-eyed wonder for the world.

If you’re looking for a book which is both comedic and uplifting, while inspiring a deep sense of wanderlust, The Insulin Express should be your next read.

Links

➡ Start reading (buy on Amazon)

➡ Oren’s interview with Diabetes Self-Management

➡ 42nd Class (Oren & Cassie’s blog)

➡ The American Diabetes Association

Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.

Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.