Diabetes is a controllable disease

 Many people are diagnosed with diabetes everyday. When first diagnosed some go through a  range of emotions.  Some experience anger, denial, or depression, while others refuse to let diabetes define them.  

Like everything we set our minds to and try to overcome, diabetes requires hard work and patience.  Just ask Cynthia White , Absentee Shawnee Tribal Member, about the changes she has made to help her control diabetes.  Here is her story... 

“When I was first told that I had diabetes; I didn’t know what it was. As it was explained to me, I still did not understand.  I bought books and took meds; but it was still unclear.  I wanted to get rid of it, but didn’t know how.  It kept getting harder for me, because I had to take more medication and more.  I was frustrated and chaos was building up around me, and was stressing me out bad. When the doctor said we were looking at insulin shots, I was terrified!  So I decided to move home to the country.   I lived with my brother, George, and his son.  We learned together what to do. He got me into  exercising with him twice a week; then we started going to cooking classes. They really helped me understand what I needed to do, and my brother and I started losing weight and eating differently.  Even though I still didn’t eat breakfast. It was working. When I first started out being diabetic my A1c was 11% and now it is 6.8%, and I am glad.  Thanks to my brother George, my daughter  Emily, Chrissy, Margaret , and Jimmi I feel better about my life.  I am no longer afraid.”

-Cynthia White