KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- A weekend trip to Florida, turned into an almost week-long hospital stay, after a local Bishop suffered a heart attack.

He's home now, but hoping others will learn from his health mistakes.

He cracked a few jokes Monday, but he knows his diabetes is no laughing matter.

Diabetes is a scary and dangerous illness that millions face nation-wide.

And Bishop Richard Stika suffered a mild heart attack as a result of high blood sugar levels.

Now he's smiling as he looks forward to his second chance at life.

Stika says, "I discovered returning to school, after 25 years or so, it almost killed me."

Bishop Richard Stika has a sense of humor now, but it was no laughing matter when he was on life-support for more than a day in Florida.

Stika says, "I stand here today as a witness of the great power of faith and prayer."

After studying Spanish in Texas, he visited a friend in Florida, ignoring the fact that he had been feeling ill for days.

Stika says, "I've been a diabetic for almost 30 years, and I think I got to a point where I took it for granted, and all of a sudden a series of experiences, and in one day's time, I was near death."

What he thought were flu like symptoms turned out to be diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, a life threatening condition that results from a lack insulin in the body.

And then the chest pains started, as Bishop Stika suffered a mild heart attack.

Registered Nurse and Diabetes Educator for UT Medical Center, Lora Yoakum says, "You are 2 to 4 times more at risk of developing heart disease with diabetes, and that is because the narrowing of the blood vessels with high levels of blood sugar over time, that causes fatty deposits."

Yoakum says preventative care is a must for all diabetics, and, "You need to have yearly complete physical exams from your physician. It's also good to have eye exams, feet care, dental care."

Bishop Stika says he will now live a much healthier life, and even challenged other members of The Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville to lose weight.

Stika says, "This event will not just be a moment in my life, but it will be a part of my life."

Stika says he has impaired vision in one eye, and doesn't know if it will ever function like it used to. He's also feeling fatigued and has lightened his schedule until he's feeling better.

But, basically he's lucky. Yoakum says Diabetic Ketoacidosis is very dangerous, and usually deadly.