A diabetes diagnosis can cause feelings of panic. This diagnosis comes with a lifetime of new responsibilities to ensure you are maintaining control of your health. For many, this diagnosis can be a difficult and uncomfortable transition. However, for Vivian Applewhite, she felt it was a chance to prove she was up for the challenge of monitoring and controlling her diabetes.
Initially, Vivian felt the urgent need to change her lifestyle, monitor her diet and become more active. However, fully understanding the changes that needed to be made in order to maintain her health became overwhelming for Vivian. Luckily, she was able to find support and care from our diabetes education program, offered by Mercy Health – Toledo.
“The diabetes education program helped me feel empowered when many would feel hopeless,” Vivian shares. “They have helped me refresh my memory on the importance of reading labels correctly and being diligent in the monitoring of my diet and blood sugar. The program has also given me access to an abundance of information that I am able to use to help me maintain control over my condition.”
And with programs like diabetes education, the effort and dedication of the staff members can truly make a world of difference.
“The staff of the diabetes education program has been so encouraging and supportive of me,” Vivian says. “They have kept me focused on the big things, like diet and exercise, as well as the little things like being positive.”
In addition to our diabetes education team members (pictured above), Vivian has been thrilled to have the option of seeing and communicating with her doctor via our telehealth services.
Vivian adds, “I wish more people would make the effort to take better care of themselves. Sometimes I think we get stuck in our normal routines and feel too comfortable in them, so we can neglect to properly monitor our health. If you really want to live a long and healthy life, you have to do the work. You just have to.”
Learn more about the diabetes management and care services we offer at Mercy Health.
