“Something’s not right with you.” Yolanda’s uncle kept telling her something was off with her. What neither of them knew was that she was living with undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes, and her body had been sending signals for years.
Eventually, Yolanda made a doctor’s appointment. Her blood sugar was around 500 mg/dL, and her blood pressure was dangerously high. The medical team gave her insulin and told her she couldn’t leave until her numbers came down. It was in 2005, and was the first time she learned she had diabetes.
Today, Yolanda has a very different approach to her health.
“Now I don’t play when it comes to my health at all,” she said.
Getting there wasn’t easy. For years, Yolanda experienced homelessness and couch-surfed, making it difficult to focus on managing her diabetes and hypertension because finding a safe place to sleep came first.
When Community of Hope opened a health center near her, Yolanda decided to give it a try. She has been coming ever since.
She enrolled in Community of Hope’s My Health GPS program, a care model that connects patients living with chronic conditions to medical case management, nutrition support, and emotional wellness services all under one roof. She receives support managing her chronic conditions and participated in nutrition, produce, and emotional wellness programs.
One person who made a lasting impact was her Medical Case Manager, Lamia.
“Oh, she’s wonderful,” Yolanda said. “She really helped me.”
The program’s resources extended beyond healthcare. After Yolanda moved into her own apartment, Lamia connected her with an organization that helped furnish her new home, giving her greater stability and a chance to focus on her health.
Through nutrition programming, Yolanda learned new ways to prepare food and became more active. In fact, after completing the program and earning a certificate, she signed up to do it again.
Yolanda, who once started her mornings with Pepsi and hot fries, now prioritizes protein with chicken, fish, and turkey.
“Pepsi just doesn’t taste good to me anymore,” she laughed.
Along the way, Yolanda also connected with Community of Hope’s emotional wellness services, which helped her cope with grief, including the losses of both her mother and her sister in the same year.
Her changes have paid off. Yolanda remembers when her A1C, a measure of average blood sugar, was around 12. At her most recent visit, it was 6.4, a number that puts her well within a healthy range and reflects years of hard work and healthier choices.
She now shares her experience with other program participants, encouraging people who are working to manage chronic conditions of their own.
More than 20 years after her diagnosis, Yolanda has a stable home, confidence in managing her health, and a care team she trusts.
An A1C of 6.4 is worth celebrating, but she doesn’t see it as the finish line. It is proof of what is possible when the right support shows up at the right time.
