Prevent Diabetes EKY is a storybank and resource for Eastern Kentuckians who are working to prevent or control type 2 diabetes. Scroll down for stories & info, or tap the menu above!
Diabetes Prevention Resources by County:
Did you know? It is possible to slow—or even prevent—type 2 diabetes. Even if it runs in your family. Taking steps to reduce your diabetes risk can also help lower your risk of complications from other serious illnesses (such as COVID-19), and there are folks right here in Eastern Kentucky who want to help. Click on your county above for information on:
local offerings of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP),
Diabetes Self-Management Education & Support (DSMES) classes,
Farmers’ Markets & other wellness programs, and more.
And click here for more information & resources on prediabetes and type 2 diabetes from the Kentucky Department of Public Health.
Clips from our Storybank:
I’m a very devout Christian. And the Lord has got it in his hands, and whichever way it works out is the way it’s going to be—but I see no reason to take chances that you don’t have to take. So, therefore, the vaccine, that was my choice.
- Jeanie Wheeler, Johnson Co.
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You've got two choices: you either exercise, or you take a shot. I’d rather have exercise... I lost about 25 pounds. I feel like a new person!
- Loran Sturgill (Letcher Co.), on the Tanglewood to Table Walking Program
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I more than met my goal... I was like, 'Oh, I got that little dress in the closet there that I haven’t worn in so many years— I might be able to get into it!'
- Betty Sue Martin Rowe, Pike Co.
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I was a caretaker, so I didn't get out a lot... [I've lost] 23 pounds. This has been life-changing for me. And I couldn't have hand-picked any better group.
- LaDonna Arms (L), of Johnson Co., on the Diabetes Prevention Program
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I used to drink, like, a 24-pack [of Dr. Pepper] in 2 or 3 days. That’s a lot of sugar. Now, every time I get paid, I’ll only buy a 12-pack, and keep it in the fridge, and not buy another one until I get paid again.
- Taylor Pratt, Letcher Co.
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It’s one of those things that— you’ve got to take a hold of it. You can’t let it decide what it’s going to do for you… I was diagnosed [with prediabetes] in 2008. And I’ve kept it under control ever since.
- Marilyn Morgan, Johnson Co.
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People will say, ‘I drink all the time, I’m so thirsty,’ and I say, ‘Have you had your A1C checked!?’ It’s no fun, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Go get it checked! It ain’t gonna hurt.
- Patsy Adams, Letcher Co.
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Iwas like, ‘I wanna talk about a diet. Like, let's sit down and have *that* conversation; don’t just up the medication.’ And so that’s when I started to notice a big difference.
- Willa Johnson, Letcher Co.
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Instead of taking a chance on, ‘Well, my mom was diabetic, my uncle was, my grandma was, so that means I’m gonna be.’ Uh-uh. That doesn’t mean that you have to become a diabetic!
- Connie Godsey Duvall, Cumberland Co.
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That is a misconception—that, you know, a lot of people think, ‘If I’m gonna get it, I’m gonna get it.’ But there are so many things you can do to try to reduce your risk!
- Tiffany Scott (L), Letcher Co.
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In my labs, my A1C was 6.0. Which put me in the prediabetes range. And I’m like, ‘What the crap?!’ I would never have dreamed it... But I think that’s the problem— you don’t know.
- Dianna Ross, Floyd Co.
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Because the symptoms are often hidden, you might not even know it! In fact, the federal CDC estimates that some 1 out of every 3 Americans has prediabetes right now, whether or not you’ve been diagnosed.
If you have prediabetes, your A1C (or “blood sugar”) levels are high enough that you’re at real risk of getting type 2 diabetes within a few years—unless you can make some lifestyle changes. But it’s not too late to make those changes, that can slow down—or even prevent—type 2! Even if it runs in your family, diabetes is not something that you just have to accept.
Click here for a quick quiz to see if you might be at risk for prediabetes, and click here to learn more about the National Diabetes Prevention Program, a small-group, evidence-based lifestyle change program offered at health departments & clinics across Eastern Kentucky.
Betty Sue Martin Rowe (Pike Co.)
Dianna Ross (Floyd Co.)
Type 2 Diabetes and the Covid Vaccine
Connie Godsey Duvall (Cumberland Co.)
Tiffany Scott (Letcher Co.)
