by Beth Trimarco
This news story is also available in Spanish.
On a foggy day in October, the weather was so dense that participants in the Southern California Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes had trouble finding the event. However, Blue Shield of California project manager Sandie Schneider and her team of 18 family members, friends and Blue Shield coworkers were not discouraged. They completed the walk while making friends, sharing stories and raising money to fight diabetes.
After losing her grandparents, both her parents and her brother to complications from Type 2 diabetes, Schneider is committed to staying healthy and educating everyone around her about this chronic health condition.
“Diabetes is everywhere, and it is always on my mind,” she said. “That’s why I champion being proactive and taking preventive measures. I encourage everyone I meet to get tested — you could be diabetic without even knowing it.”
A family history of diabetes
Schneider’s mom, who was less than 100 pounds, loved fruit and rarely ate sweets, had never had a blood test. She didn’t know she was diabetic until 1995, when at age 52 she had to have an emergency triple bypass surgery — people with diabetes have twice the risk of heart disease. Her mother survived for 22 more years, but she was physically limited and suffered from depression, a symptom of diabetes.
Five years after her mother died, her father also suffered through complications from diabetes. High blood sugar over time can cause nerve damage and loss of sensation of cuts and sores, leading to possible infection. Doctors discussed amputation of her father’s leg, but he passed away before that could happen.
These losses hurt, but nothing could prepare Schneider for the death of her brother. Like their mother, her brother seemed well on the outside. He was a healthy weight and ran marathons. But beneath the surface, diabetes was ravaging his body, and during a bout with the flu, he died in his sleep at age 56.
“Diabetes is not about what you look like or your body mass index (BMI). It can affect anyone,” said Schneider. “What happened to my brother really just knocked our whole family to the ground.”
Taking steps to keep diabetes away
Given her family history, Schneider is vigilant about monitoring her own blood sugar and that of her four children. At one point she was pre-diabetic. And when she was pregnant with her youngest child, she developed gestational diabetes, which can be incredibly dangerous.
The worry and constant blood sugar monitoring was exhausting, and Schneider didn’t want to end up like her family members, so she made significant changes to her diet and turned things around. To stay healthy today, she leans into the Blue Zones app, available at no cost to most Blue Shield members through its lifestyle medicine platform, Wellvolution. The Blue Zones app — a general wellness program app that supports heart health, mental health, weight management, cancer prevention, cognitive health and longevity — includes reminders to eat healthy, walk, get outside, volunteer and see friends.
“I’m a glass half-full kind of person. When I was diagnosed, I immediately figured out what I could do to change the situation,” said Schneider. “The floor doesn’t have to fall out. You just need to make changes. It’s important not to get stuck.”
Instead, she is always on the move. That’s why the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes 5K fundraising walk appealed to her. She’s participated annually for more than a decade, rallying family, friends and Blue Shield colleagues to join the walk and raise funds to support the American Diabetes Foundation. To date, Blue Shield of California employees, including company matching funds, have contributed $90,000 and volunteered over 183 hours to the American Diabetes Foundation. Her team this year was named “To Sir Ricky With Love,” paying homage to her family.
Schneider encourages people to get screened regularly for diabetes. and to remember that if you are pre-diabetic or diabetic, there are ways to manage the condition. “Diabetes is not a death sentence. By being proactive, you can remain healthy for a long time,” she said. “It’s my life mission to educate people about diabetes and do what I can to help.”
Resources
- November is National Diabetes Month. What better time to take the first step and get tested? Ask your doctor about testing options for diabetes, including A1C testing, available at no cost to most members:
- Hemoglobin A1C Test (HbA1c): Provides an average blood sugar level over the past two to three months. This test doesn’t require fasting and is often used to monitor long-term blood sugar control in people with diabetes.
- Prevent and manage diabetes: Blue Shield members can access lifestyle medicine platform Wellvolution, which offers multiple diabetes prevention and management programs. These include digital and on-the-go support, helping members reach a healthy weight, reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, or even reverse an existing diabetes diagnosis.
To learn more about Blue Shield's employee giving and volunteerism program or citizenship work, like the support for the Step Out Walk for Diabetes, visit our CItizenship page at citizenship.blueshieldca.com.