It is mid-October as I sit down to write this, which used to be my favorite time of year, but fifteen years ago, on October 20, I lost my mother to complications from Type 2 diabetes, and since then, this month has been plagued with sadness for me. Life changes in an instant.

My mother kept her Type 2 diagnosis a secret. About two years before her death, she had knee replacement surgery and while in the hospital a nurse came to dole out the evening medications. When I recognized the name of one of the pills she was given, my mother looked panic-stricken knowing I had made the connection. That look on her face and the shame that went with it still haunts me. If only I knew then what I know now – about nutrition and the ways in which shame keeps us trapped and can, literally, kill us, if left unfettered.

When my mother died suddenly, I felt like I was drowning in the sadness, and nearly killed myself with food. After months of trying to eat away the grief, I remember this thought cutting through the junk food-fueled haze as loud as day: “There is no amount of cookies that is going to bring her back.”

At the time I was pre-diabetic and weighed over 400 pounds. I knew it was only a matter of time before my body completely gave out, so I went back to Weight Watchers because it was what I was told was the smart and sensible approach to weight loss. When I failed and failed (and failed!) at that, eventually I began making plans to undergo bariatric surgery because it seemed to be my only option. In what can only be described as some kind of divine intervention, two weeks before my appointment I stumbled across a low carb diet online and the rest is history…

Diabetes is very personal for me. It robbed me of decades with my mother and broke my family apart. It is the future that I most certainly was fated to have, and the past that decimated my world as I knew it.

Which brings me to the present day….November is Diabetes Awareness month, and our Tuesday night group coaching calls will be devoted to education and information about diabetes. So many families are impacted by the disease, but many, like my mother, are too ashamed to advocate for themselves, don’t know the questions to ask, or don’t have access to good information. To that end, this month we are proud to open these meetings to non-premium app members in order to reach as many people as possible.

If you or someone you care about have been recently diagnosed with diabetes or have been living with this diagnosis for a long time and are heavily burdened by medications you have been told are only going to increase, please join us on Tuesday nights in November (5:30p EST) for four weeks of education and life-changing information. Learn what diabetes is, how to lower your risk factors and how to implement lifestyle changes that can help potentially avoid (or reduce) medications.

Despite what you have been told, a diabetes diagnosis is not necessarily cemented on your medical chart forever!

Topics to be covered:

• What is diabetes, what is prediabetes?
• Newly diagnosed: what now?
• Talking to your doctor about medication and why safe de-prescription of medications is so important;
• What is a Continuous Glucose Monitor and how can it change your life?
• Lifestyle changes – it’s not as complicated as you’ve been told!
• Hidden sugars and what to look out for on nutrition labels;
• Success stories and inspiration to make lifestyle changes now!

Empower yourself against diabetes and join us in November.