Katie Dearman: Getting
my diagnosis was a negative
in the beginning in that I spent
so much time being down about it
and beating myself up over it.
Sure, I wish I would have
tackled it sooner and done
something about it sooner.
But I didn't.
That's in the past,
but I've done something now
and that's what counts.
When my doctor told me
I had type 2 diabetes full
blown, I remember feeling
a huge sense of guilt
that I had done this to myself.
I'm responsible for this.
Some people can do it
on their own, completely.
I'm not one of those.
I need accountability.
If you can do it with at least
one other person,
that's very helpful
because of the support
and encouragement
you can give each other.
The very first thing I had to do
was understand what diabetes
was.
I started making better food
choices,
learning the different foods
and the effect of the sugar
on me.
When I started getting off
the sugar
and how I stated feeling so much
better and then I would eat
something really, really sweet
and I would actually feel
the sugar dump,
that was a horrible feeling.
I think I'd been eating so much
sugar that I never got
to that dump part.
I don't know.
But it was really
an awful feeling.
When I started out walking I
couldn't go very far.
We're talking couch to like end
of the driveway and I was out
of breath.
And I was embarrassed to go out
and walk.
So I walked in front of the TV,
I walked the circle
in our house.
So from there it grew.
I started going
outside a little bit.
And again, I could not go very
far, but I kept increasing it
and increasing it.
I've actually jogged.
I mean Katie Dearman has jogged
out in public where people can
see me.
I didn't realize how bad I felt
until I felt better.
And when I started feeling
better, oh my gosh,
I wanted more and more and more.
That is a huge motivator.
My life has gone from zero
to 150 in energy, in being
positive, and being excited
about being alive.
