Local Impact - North Dakota

Cheryl Donoven, Turtle Mountain Chippewa

On Eagles Wings Diabetes Prevention Program

"Today, I feel like I’m letting myself, my kids, and my future grandchildren down if I don’t take care of my health."
- Cheryl Donoven

Since my mom, my aunt and my grandmother all had diabetes I had become used to having my blood sugar checked over the years but I always ended up in the normal range. So when the Diabetes Prevention Program first started, the staff aggressively began to screen for pre-diabetes and recruit community members into the program. Because of my family history I agreed to be tested. When I got the results they said, “You’re lucky. You have pre-diabetes, and we want you to enroll in the program because diabetes is preventable.”

My first reaction was that I didn’t have the time to attend the 24 week classes but it didn’t matter to the staff. They were persistent and if I couldn’t make the class they brought the class to me, even if it meant meeting with me after work. They gave me choices, showed me different exercises I could do, and taught me new grocery shopping and cooking habits.

Before the program I was under the impression that if your family had diabetes you were going to have it too. Now I know that is not true. With the education and support of the SDP supported prevention program, I was able to lose 70 pounds and my blood sugars are completely normal and I’m no longer pre-diabetic! The valuable skills I have learned and having access to the program give me the confidence to know I can continue on this healthy path.

Diabetes in North Dakota

According to 2008 CDC data, approximately 34,000 people in North Dakota – 6.4% of the state’s population – had diagnosed diabetes, and many of them suffer from serious complications or conditions. In addition to the human toll diabetes places on the people of North Dakota, the financial burden diabetes places on the state’s health system is staggering – in 2007, the direct and indirect cost of diabetes in North Dakota was approximately $309 million.