When Karen’s friend told her about a program to help manage her prediabetes the night before the first class started, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Thanks to a last-minute suggestion for the one-year program, Karen lost 20 pounds, lowered her blood sugar and changed her life.

WellSpan’s Prevent T2 Program, backed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is designed for participants like Karen who battled prediabetes and high blood sugar for many years.

“My biggest goal when joining the program was to bring my blood sugar into a normal range,” says Karen. “I wasn’t focused on losing weight initially.”

Although she immediately started working hard to reach her goal, Karen struggled and got frustrated when she didn’t see results after the first few weeks. Her lifestyle coach, a credentialed WellSpan team member, suggested to avoid trying to change all her health habits at the same time.

“Once I got into a rhythm of eating better, I started focusing on exercise and other healthy habits,” says Karen. “After two months into the program, I finally started seeing and feeling a difference.”

Personal Coaching

Karen attributes her success to the personal direction she got from her coach. She enjoyed weekly meetings where the coach would focus on a single health topic and track progress.

“I definitely wouldn’t have tried as hard if we didn’t need to attend class and provide updates,” she shares. “Accountability was key to helping me succeed.”

Karen also loved the support she received from her coach.

“She was such a great teacher and really understood my struggles,” she says. “She would say, ‘I get it’ and never let me give up. It’s because of her that I was able to keep going.”

Five months into the program, Karen saw her blood sugar start to lower and her body weight gradually decrease. When she finished Prevent T2 in January , she was 20 pounds lighter, no longer prediabetic, and some other health issues had resolved.

“I feel fantastic compared to when I started this journey,” Karen says. “This program was life-changing to me. I was living in a fog for years and always feeling terrible – it became normal. I was constantly drained and sleepy. Now the fogginess is gone and I feel great every day. I forgot what that felt like. I got my health back!”

Improving quality of life

WellSpan’s Prevent T2 Program has helped more than 130 individuals lose over 1,300 pounds and live a healthier lifestyle.

Community Health Coordinator Nickie Fickel has been coaching the program since 2016 and says the main goal is to help individuals avoid or prolong type 2 diabetes.

“I have seen people live with diabetes and the struggles they go through,” she says. “It’s really about changing their quality of life long-term and avoiding the struggles of managing diabetes as much as possible.”

She says that the program is important to the community to reduce individuals’ overall risk of type 2 diabetes. It helps improve their quality of life, avoid medical complications, and give them the opportunity to do the things they love longer.

Karen’s advice to anyone considering joining the class? “You can change if you’re struggling,” she says. “It’s not hard once you get into a habit. You are worth it.”

The next virtual Prevent T2 class begins on Tuesday, Nov. 12. If you have been told by your doctor that you have pre-diabetes and might be at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, consider registering here.