Type 2 diabetes (also known today as lifestyle disease) occurs when there is too Diabetes isn’t something you can brush away. …
MEDIA RELEASE 14 November 2006
GREAT-GRAN WINS WAR AGAINST SWEET TOOTH
Over the past 15 months great-grandmother Norma Jack has waged war against
her sweet tooth and won, proving its never too late to make lifestyle
changes for the better
The Te Atatu-South 80-year-old has lost almost 20 kilograms since August
last year when a visit to her doctor revealed she had Type 2 diabetes
I went because I kept needing to go to the loo - I was up and down all
night which was just about driving me crazy she laughs I was tired and
having a bit of trouble with my feet too
Excessive urination and fatigue are two common symptoms of diabetes, while
foot problems due to nerve or blood vessel damage can be one complication
of the disease
Type 2 diabetes also known today as lifestyle disease occurs when there
is too much glucose sugar in the blood and the pancreas cannot make
enough insulin, the hormone the body uses to absorb glucose for energy
Norma says she was shocked at her diagnosis and initially scared and
confused about what it meant
I was like a fish out of water Nobody in my family had had it that I
could remember and I
didnt know what to do
But the keen gardener developed the skills and resolve to take control of
her diabetes after her GP referred her to a six-week diabetes self-
management course run in West Auckland by HealthWEST PHO
I learnt how to cope with it, what it can do to your body, and the types
and quantities of food I could eat Diabetes isnt something you can brush
away Once I knew about the serious complications and how sugar could make
me sick, I just made up my mind to leave it out of my diet
I always liked sweets but I dont eat cakes or lollies now and I have no
problems walking past ice-cream shops - they just dont interest me
anymore Im down to a size 12 and I just have so much energy
Norma, who celebrated her 61st wedding anniversary with husband Trevor last
month, now controls her diabetes with healthy food choices and exercise
She stays active by tending to the enormous fruit and vegetable garden she
and Trevor have cultivated, though she admits that other forms of keeping
fit are less appealing
Ive got a mini-trampoline and a treadmill but Im a bit naughty about
using them
Lisa Johnson, Primary Care Diabetes Manager at HealthWEST PHO, says Norma
is an
inspirational example of how people with diabetes can live healthy
lives
Shes made such dramatic changes and now actively manages her own
condition Diabetes doesnt mean you cant live a full and active life and
Norma is living proof of that
Her husband has also been supportive of the changes, so as a couple
theyre a great team
With Diabetes Awareness Week kicking off on November 21, Normas advice to
anyone who thinks they may be at risk of the condition is simple
It doesnt hurt to just go and have a check-up
For more information about Diabetes Awareness Week visit
wwwdiabetesorgnz, talk to your local GP or attend the RU@RISK? Diabetes
Expo being held at the New Lynn Community Centre from 1000am to 400pm on
Saturday 25 November Information about the Expo is available from
Marguerite Durling at Diabetes Auckland on 623 2508
ENDS
