When Curt Stockford and his wife, Meredith, learned about the Juniper Living Well with Diabetes class, their first thought was for others. But when he took the class himself, Curt says he made “huge leaps” in taking better care of himself.
Curt is active in the Lions and has served as district governor for the Lions Clubs in Ramsey, Washington, and Dakota counties. Lions Club International, with more than 46,000 clubs across the world, has identified addressing diabetes as one of its top five priorities and Curt is providing leadership for the Minnesota Lions Diabetes Foundation as it works to address the issue.
Curt, a retired remodeling contractor, and Meredith, a retired nurse, are both Type 2 diabetics and he says they “knew a fair amount” about diabetes. Even so, they found the class valuable. Curt says he made “huge leaps” in taking better care of himself as a result of the class.
“It’s not academic. It uses ‘living room’ language.” He appreciated that the classes were well-constructed, with a good balance of information and action planning. He watched class participants develop self-confidence and strengthen their ability to talk to family members and healthcare providers. Participants supported each other in taking small steps that over time amounted to big changes. He’s convinced that the Juniper class would benefit anyone with diabetes.
Last fall, Curt finished training to be a lay leader of the Living Well with Diabetes class. He is looking forward to leading his first class—which for now is on hold due to COVID-19. He’s convinced that taking the class online will work just fine. He has found that in his Lions’ gatherings more people are available to participant online than in-person—a slight silver lining in the pandemic.
Curt is more motivated than ever to introduce Living Well with Diabetes to his fellow Lions. He likes that the program is research-based and has been vetted through years of experience. He thinks there is a tremendous opportunity to help people with diabetes lessen its impact and make room for getting on with life.
Find upcoming Living Well with Diabetes classes. This is a great opportunity to do something good for yourself—stay connected while social distancing. For information visit yourjuniper.org or call to talk to a Juniper specialist at 1-855-215-2174.