Get the diabetes support you need to stay healthy for a lifetime
By Patricia Nugent
As a diabetes sufferer himself, Ernie Richmann is the ideal person to act as life coach of the Lake County YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, which started last August. The program’s goal is to help people with pre-diabetic symptoms make the necessary lifestyle changes to avoid the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
“I feel fortunate to lead the lively weekly discussions with this group of eight motivated and cooperative people who are pre-diabetic,” says the retired Painesville teacher.
“I ask open-ended questions to direct the conversation to places I think will benefit them the most. Just as I consider myself to be a work in progress in terms of my diabetes, so, too, are these folks. I fully understand the challenges and roadblocks to staying healthy.”
He reports the group is progressing nicely on its goal to each lose seven percent of his or her body weight by the end of the year-long program.
“Despite the commonly held belief that a pre-diabetes diagnosis is permanent—it isn’t,” he says. “People have the power to reverse this diagnosis before it leads to full blown Type 2 diabetes.”
According to a study published in the journal Diabetes Care, people who lost five percent of their body weight were more likely to drop their hemoglobin A1C and lower their overall risk of diabetes by 50 percent.
“I’ve lived with my own diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes for the past 11 years, and during that time managed to run marathons and stay as healthy as I can, even though I’m insulin-dependent,” he says.
Open to anyone who is pre-diabetic here in Lake County—which is an estimated 63,000 residents over the age of 18—the program is one of 200 in the country. For the first 16 weeks, the group meets weekly for weigh-ins, activity tracking and educational support, then every other week, then monthly.
Look for more monthly stories as Mimi Magazine chronicles the inspirational journeys of the participants in this initial Lake County YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program. Cost is $429, which may be covered by some insurances, and the YMCA offers financial assistance to those who qualify. You do not have to be a member to participate. Visit LakeCountyYMCA.org, or call 440-354-5656, ext. 310 for more information.