For many, diabetes might seem like a death sentence, but four South Africans are inspiring the nation with how they not only took charge of the chronic health condition, but ultimately turned their lives around.
Karen Storm (60), Gert Marais (71), Pieter van Wyk (64) and Dr Ken Kwaku (76) participated in a recent #DiabetesOvercomers webinar series hosted by a pharmaceutical giant, Boehringer Ingelheim. In the webinars, they spoke candidly about their diagnosis, challenges as well as how they are managing to live a healthy life despite the d-word.
Currently, about 4.6 million South Africans are living with diabetes. It is a major health issue that has reached alarming levels, affecting half a billion people worldwide.
Diabetes occurs when there are raised levels of glucose in a person’s blood because their body cannot produce any or enough of the hormone insulin or cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
Kwaku, who is from Ghana, says he went for a health check-up and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after realising he was drinking four to five litres of water every night and going often to the bathroom.
He believes that knowledge can be empowering. Understanding diabetes has allowed him to stay disciplined about losing weight, exercising and eating a predominantly plant-based diet.“I never used to read information on food packages. Now I do it religiously.”
Storm, a retired cabin crew member for South African Airways, says she was struggling with the emotional journey that being diabetic entailed. The fatigue, thirst and inability to control her weight was also tough on her. She adds that it was not easy to accept being a diabetic.
“Discipline is difficult. It is a choice you have to make.”
#DiabetesOvercomer, Karen Storm
Meanwhile, Marais was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when he was in his early 20s. At the time, the doctors estimated that he would have another ten more years to live.
When he was 45, he started to develop complications, especially with his eyes which the specialist could not laser anymore. He was convinced that he would go blind in a couple of years.
With proper nutrition, Marais reversed loss of vision as well as the loss of feeling in his legs which crept up after playing tennis .
“I decided I will have a normal life. That’s been the way.”
#DiabetesOvercomer, Gert Marais
Van Wyk was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes which occurs in up to 15% of people with diabetes. Diabetes has never been a family problem although he admits, “I was always with an injection and a sweety in my pocket.”
Few years back, without the typical warning signs like chest pain, Van Wyk was alsodiagnosed with coronary heart disease and needed to have stents inserted in his arteries. He now knows not to ignore any unusual symptoms. A healthy lifestyle has served him in good stead. “I have lost weight and I feel like a teenager again.”
Staying ahead of risks
If left unchecked over the long term, an insulin deficit and raised blood sugar causes damage to different organs and can lead to life-threatening health complications. This includes heart diseases, nerve and kidney damage as well as eye disease and even blindness.
However, if diabetes is properly managed, these complications can be prevented, delayed, and sometimes reversed.
John Fagan, general manager and head of human pharmaceuticals at Boehringer Ingelheim in South Africa says, “The honest accounts we hear from our #DiabetesOvercomers also reflect the challenges that they have encountered and how they tackled them. These are powerful lessons that millions of other patients struggling with such complexities can follow to stay healthy and to adopt a similar mental approach that will help them manage their diabetes.”
The #DiabetesOvercomers put down their good health and overall wellness to a few basics:being informed about their condition which allows for smart nutrition decisions for their blood sugar levels; taking the prescribed medication; being alert to and dealing with possible health complications; regular physical exercise; staying adaptable to how they feel; and enjoying personal and professional relationships, pursuits and hobbies.
Fagan adds, “Yet, millions of South Africans live with diabetes every day. Their daily reality – how they feel and what happens to their blood sugar levels – depends on many factors,including what they eat, whether they are physically active, do they smoke. And as we hear from Ken, Karen, Pieter and Gert, a strong positive attitude can make all the difference.”
