Lori Stevenson

Lunenburg, Massachusetts

On September 17, 2007, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. To say that I was shocked is an understatement. How could this be? I wasn't significantly overweight, I was pretty active, and I didn't eat THAT badly... but, I was over 40 years old and there was some family history.

So, there you go... life handed me a challenge, and a significant one at that. I was very overwhelmed and afraid. To think that I would have to change so many things about the way I lived my life... well, it was awful. I went to diabetes classes, and learned how I could manage my blood sugars, and re-work my life.

I now walk EVERYDAY without fail, I eat better (but, let's be honest, I still don’t care much for vegetables - but I eat 'em!) and I have lost 30 pounds - but I am still reliant on daily medication... Each day, I have to CHOOSE to do these things for myself, and to re-commit to my health several times a day. These are the things I can control. I cannot, however, control the diabetic neuropathy in my feet, or the damage that has already been done to my body before my diagnosis...

I hope that there will be medical advances to help ALL diabetics with the myriad of issues that can arise, in the meantime of finding a CURE.