“I had a chance meeting with Donna (Peart). The Plainfield Public Schools hosted a wellness event and the Y had a booth. I was borderline pre-diabetes and my doctor was concerned. I was worried about it, but I wasn’t doing anything about it. I had a lack of motivation. I didn’t address it until she invited me. In the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, the instructor and the material started to stick. What stuck with me the most was when Donna said, ‘you can count calories and fat now, or you can count carbohydrates later when you become a diabetic.’ I didn’t want to become a diabetic. I’ve had weight issues since I was 13 and this was the only thing that resonated with me. The program also included an exercise component and I started exercising, going to classes and it started to click; it made sense. It helped me lose weight, my doctor is impressed, my blood pressure went down and I no longer have prediabetes. Now, I’m trying to stay motivated. For those with prediabetes, come to the Y and listen to what they have to say. It might change your life for the better like it did mine.”