Imagine becoming legally blind while working at becoming a renowned architectural designer. You have an 18.4% mortgage on a building you’ve just started renovating; rent is due for your office; and employees must be paid. What would you do? Or picture yourself with kidney disease which requires a transplant. Then, at the age of 30, you are diagnosed with heart disease requiring two medicated stents. How would you cope? And, after all that, what if you fought osteomyelitis with IV antibiotics for 20 years but finally had to have your leg amputated? Would you have the strength to survive?

These are a few of the amazing questions resolved in John Robert Wiltgen’s compelling memoir The Candy in My Pocket. He battled many debilitating complications of type 1 diabetes (T1D) while creating a prestigious design firm with projects across America, Canada, Mexico-even Africa.

With unwavering honesty, Wiltgen chronicles the immense challenges he faced in his relentless struggle against this silent killer. But The Candy in My Pocket is not solely about conquering diabetes, it is also about the author’s determination to preserve his identity and keep close those he held dear. This captivating narrative reveals Wiltgen's relentless pursuit of a life of purpose while remaining optimistic amidst overwhelming adversity.

As an award-winning international designer commissioned by celebrities, world leaders, and other luminaries his memoir includes larger-than life tales that are extremely entertaining. It includes exciting celebrity cameos with stars such as Jane Seymour, Timothy Hutton, Angelina Jolie, Sean and Robyn Wright Penn, Steve Harvey, John Cusack, the former Governor of Lagos State, Nigeria (who is now President of that country) and Jesus.

Wiltgen's compassion, wisdom and an irreverent sense of humor will inspire individuals of all beliefs and backgrounds to embrace optimism even in the darkest of times. By sharing the lesser-known consequences of diabetes, Wiltgen also endeavors to raise awareness about this deadly disease.

Wiltgen's narrative intertwines moments of adventure, laughter, and even fear, whisking readers away from their own lives and immersing them in a world brimming with hope and possibility.