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My One Word For 2018

January 23, 2018

I am working very hard on achieving my goals I have lined up for 2018. I began my year by participating in the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend and I ran the Dopey Challenge. This was a large accomplishment for me and a GREAT way to begin my year. I finished a marathon within the first week of the year, which was my 10th marathon, and I ran 48.6 miles in just FOUR days! It also doesn’t hurt to end that great accomplishment with a few days in the parks with the family to celebrate. Starting off my year in Disney is always a highlight for me.

Unfortunately sometimes when I get back home from marathon week there also comes a feeling of sadness and letdown. When I run the Disney races, I run them with many friends. I am part of Team Shenanigans and we are a wacky bunch of nuts who love to have fun. I also run with my friend Diana who I met several years ago. The runDisney races are a chance for all of us to get together and put in the miles, while in costume, catch up with each other in person and share what’s been going on in our lives. It’s also a chance to make more new friends! That’s exactly what I experienced. When it was time to be back home (and yes I was happy to be back home where my bed is), I was sad because I missed being in my special place doing one of the things I love most.

My One Word For 2018

This brings me to my 2018 word. This year I chose the word “Believe”. Heidi gave me a special gift back in October and it was a little charm with a bird on it and the word Believe. I brought it with me to NYC for the NYC marathon. I keep it in my pocket at times and many times it is right next to my computer so I see it every day.

What I find significant and ironic about it, was that during my training for the Dopey challenge, I came across an injured bird and I kept it in our workout room and I nursed it back to life and released it back to nature a few days later. I believed that the bird was going to be ok. I wanted to be the one to help it get back to its natural environment. I enjoyed caring for the bird and having it in my home. On the day we released him he took off and flew away to a safe place in the bushes.

This year I want to take off and spread my wings and do things that I have been afraid to try. I have to believe in myself that I do have the intelligence, the business sense, the industry knowledge, and most importantly the confidence to do what is going to make me happy to get up every day.

Use A Vision Board To See Your Goals

I created a vision board for the first time. My friend Claudia from Trendy Latina has a podcast on how to create one. I also watched her live video on Facebook for more affirmation on what to do. I especially loved her advice to look at the board at night before going to bed. Doing this will activate the creative powers of your subconscious mind and programs the brain to notice available resources that were always there but escaped our notice. She also recommended viewing it first thing in the morning to start off your day knowing what you want to achieve. Through the Law of Attraction, visualization also attracts to you the people, resources, and opportunities you need to achieve your goal.

My Dreams for 2018

I have some wonderful dreams and goals I have set for myself for 2018. I have noticed that when I stop trying so hard and BELIEVE in myself, I receive an email with good news. I recently learned of an opportunity to work with Best Buy, I was selected to be a brand ambassador for Sparkle Skirts, I received a new client. Last year I established a relationship with Social Media Examiner’s CEO, Michael Stelzner, and I am now going to volunteer at their conference in San Diego in February. I cannot wait to have the chance to work among all of his awesome staff members, volunteers, and to meet the incredible speakers in their line up. I believe this is going to be a pivotal moment for my personal growth.

I am looking forward to what this year has for me. I believe that this year is going to come with a lot of changes, some may be hard, some will be rewarding. But I think a lot of things will happen to help me become happier in my days.

Dealing With Grief and Loss – Looking Ahead in 2018

January 1, 2018

I know this is a new year and I usually post about my word of the year. But before I write about my word for this year, there is a topic that I want to address because it has been very heavy on my heart this past year. Our town has been through a lot of tough losses this past year. I always think twice about what I want to write because I know many people who read my blog also live in our town and are affected by these losses. But we are all feeling it together. So I want to share what I am experiencing in hopes that maybe the words will help them find comfort.

My good friend Jeff

Less than two weeks ago, I lost a friend and an old boss from Honeywell. He died suddenly at his desk at work. It was a tragic shock when I received the news and it has been very hard to accept Any loss is hard to accept; but most of the losses I have been experiencing involved an illness so we had time to prepare ourselves. When I heard the news of Jeff’s passing I was devastated. I am so sad and the memorial service was very touching. There were so many old friends from Honeywell there. It was a true testament to the life Jeff led. He died just 3 days past his 60th birthday and one day after the celebration of his 30th anniversary at Honeywell. Also, just five days before Christmas. While there is no good time to lose someone close to you, it is even harder at Christmas.

How I Deal With Grief And Loss

Everyone deals with grief in different ways. I suppress mine. Whenever I have had a traumatic occurrence in my life (end of a relationship, death in the family, death of a friend, loss of a job, etc.), I try to take a positive approach to it; but I also squash it down and don’t “deal with it” for quite some time. Then it starts to creep into my daily life in different ways.

How to Help You Deal With Grief and Loss

I came across this on Facebook and wanted to share it. I know many parents recently who have been through the loss of a child, even Jeff’s mom is struggling with accepting this loss. I think that is probably the worst thing you can go through in life. But this letter helped me wrap my brain around the thought of it. Warning, it will make you cry, but it is a good message of hope and peace. Something we can use for any loss of a loved one in our life.

Dear Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Friend…,

Now that I am in Heaven, I know that life for you there just isn’t the same. I want you to know that I hear you say how much you miss me and love me every day. Yes, I still hear you. I love you so much too. My love for you will never waiver from Heaven. I can’t say that I miss you because you see, missing you is a negative emotion and we simply don’t have negative emotions here in Heaven. And so, instead of missing you for all of the years that you have left in your life, I will Love you through them. I know it is hard to continue on when you feel you are walking through life without me, but I want you to know that I am right here next to you. I walk through your life with you now, guiding you and helping you along the way. Our relationship never ended when I graduated to Heaven, it is simply different now. Heaven is all around you. Heaven is truly only 3 feet off of your floor. I want you to look for the signs that I leave for you from Heaven. You won’t have to look very hard because I will surround you with signs in so many different ways. You see, I am limitless when it comes to leaving you signs. Birds, butterflies, silly shaped rocks, rainbows, clouds that look like me, electronic mishaps, songs on your radio, coins, feathers, oh I wouldn’t begin to be able to tell you how many different kinds of signs that I can bring into your path. When you see the signs I send, don’t let your conscious mind tell you that it wasn’t from me, because it really was. Sometimes you may miss the signs that I send you because it is hard to see the beauty in the world around you through tears and that is okay, I will just keep sending signs of love until those tears clear.

I am not missing out on your milestones or the milestones within our family. I love the way you think of me so often. I think the ways that you and the family have honored me since I journeyed home to Heaven are pretty amazing. Please try not to dwell on the day and way that I passed each day, for my legacy of love that I left behind for you is so much more beautiful than my passing. It hurts you to think of my passing and that hurt is not the best part of me that I left for you. I want you to hold on to our sweet memories that we share with one another. When you find yourself in a day of tears, please just replace one of those tears with your favorite memory of me. I will sit with you as you remember me and enjoy the memory with you. I know you would love to see me in dreams every night as you go to sleep. I would love to be there in your dreams each night as well. When you say out loud, “I never see you in my dreams”, it places blocks in my way because your energy says that you don’t see me. I want to help you with that. I want you to change that phrase to, “ I look forward to seeing you in my dreams in your perfect timing”. It will help you to place this positive focus on seeing me in your dreams when the timing is right. The reason I don’t come every night in your dreams is because you really do need space to work through your grief as well. You see, you are gaining more strength through your grief than you ever knew you could carry in life. Part of that strength is my gift to you and that gift will only make sense someday when you return home to Heaven here with me. We spend our lives there living for our spiritual growth. Some of the most beautiful and strong spirits write some of the most difficult paths and I want you to be so proud of yourself for the life you are living with all of the obstacles you placed within your path. I also want you to know how extremely proud of you I am as I watch you learn and grow from Heaven.

God didn’t punish you when I went to Heaven before you. I simply reached my soul’s beautiful goal of growth in life. I reached that amazing goal before you and it didn’t mean that I left you for one moment. I graduated to the next part of my eternal journey in Heaven. Oh, you should have seen it when I got here!! All of our family and friends who graduated to Heaven before me were right at my side to greet me when I arrived! Even the pets that we had long the way were waiting with smiles and wags as I walked into Heaven’s light! I went into a review of my life after I arrived and it was truly amazing to see all of the lives I touched there with mine. I got to re-live my life through the eyes of each and every person that my life touched along the way. It was beautiful to watch my life through your eyes as well. Don’t worry, when you get here, you will get to review your life through everyone’s eyes as well as your own and even through mine. There will be moments you are extremely proud of and there will also be moments that you will recognize that you could have handled differently. But, the beauty of those moments is that you are living and in your life, not everything will be perfect and that is just part of our growth. None of us can take back the things we could have done differently, but we sure can grow from those moments. Of course, me telling you this now gives you an opportunity to look at the days in your future differently so that you will be proud of them when you look back. I didn’t have to make myself a home when I arrived to Heaven because I already had one. You see, I lived in Heaven before I lived there on Earth with you and I simply returned to my beautiful home in Heaven. You will remember it too when you get here.

The colors here in Heaven aren’t like anything you have there on Earth! The light that fills the air lifts our souls with love for it is made of God. The Angel’s choir has such a Heavenly sound that it brings peaceful showers of love down upon you all on Earth. The weather here is perfect always. Time doesn’t exist here which is really nice too, I mean we don’t have to run around heaven looking at our watches on our spirit wrists worried about being late for anything ha ha. You see, you can’t place a time on Eternity. We don’t work here in Heaven the way that you all work there on Earth, but we do work. We work on our spiritual growth as we are part of God and we are always working on the beautiful evolution of our Souls growth and strength. Just remember as you walk through your life each and every day, that I am right here at your side. I cheer you on in your times of Greatness and I wipe your tears in your moments of pain. So what if you have a day of tears, I will stay at your side for comfort. I can tell you that I am most proud of you as you get out and live life to its fullest. I don’t want you to think that you can no longer live because I am “Gone” because I am not gone at all. Carry me with you in all that you do for I am here. The dreams that you wish you could have lived out with me in life are still possible and don’t you worry, I won’t miss them. My biggest message of all in this letter from Heaven to you is that I am perfect, don’t worry about me, I Love you, and I am with you for always, I want to see you live life to its fullest, I want to see you catch your dreams and I see you and hear you always both when you speak out loud and even when you speak silently to me in your mind. Someday this will all make perfect sense when you get to Heaven with me so don’t worry that it doesn’t make sense now. Just know that you are a miracle because you are made of God and because you are a miracle, you are capable of creating miracles as well. I Love You……

All Of My Love,

Me Up In Heaven

Live Your Life With Purpose

May this help you and bring you peace and when you are struggling with the feelings of despair and extreme sorrow, know that the one you love had a purpose in life from God. Their time was set by him and we don’t know how long our purpose is. So that is why this year I am trying to live my life with a true purpose. I am teaching my kids how to live with a purpose. It’s kind of the only way I, personally, can accept why those we love are taken from us too soon. I have to see the light in their life and what they were here on this earth for. When I think about it like that it is crystal clear to me what their purpose was and I want to be spoken of as highly as they were.

Cancer Didn’t Stop Bindu Panapalli’s Quest To Run A 10K

December 31, 2017

Bindu Panapalli, 47 years old and resident of Glen Allen, Va. near Richmond, always felt a desire to help people with cancer through research. By February 2016, she found herself at the start of 18 months of firsthand experience battling the disease through three surgeries and eight rounds of chemo – she just didn’t know it at the time.

Bindu’s Cancer Diagnosis

Her journey began with a scheduled surgery to treat fibroids and a hysterectomy, leaving her bedridden. Six weeks later, persistent pain led the doctor to find a bowel obstruction and scheduled another surgery. This time, the doctor discovered ovarian cancer and it spread. Six rounds of chemotherapy, which also caused numbness in her leg hindering her ability to walk, stretched from summer into the fall. By November, the third surgery removed the rest of the cancer, but the battle still required two more rounds of chemotherapy in February 2017 before she could finally say she would feel like she’s truly recovering.

“I never thought I would get cancer,” Bindu recalled. “Even before all this, I wanted to help people with cancer as a researcher. After the diagnosis and treatment, I volunteered at the cancer treatment center every Thursday encouraging people during chemotherapy treatment. I was even on the bone marrow donor list.”

Vocational Coaching From Cigna

By August, she felt ready to start thinking about a return to work. She researched what her employer’s Cigna disability insurance benefits offered including the vocational coaching program, so she requested referral. That’s when she met Robin Randol, her Cigna vocational coach, who offered assistance.

“Every customer’s needs are different,” said Robin. “What she wanted was to build up her physical strength, so we talked about self-care and various strategies and tips to address fatigue and stamina. She also wanted to find a new job that matched her passion. We talked about career goals, updated her resume, and I provided help researching job leads.”

Well-educated, Bindu’s background includes nearly enough for a doctorate from India. She hopes to take her work history, education, and personal experience to help people.

“I want to help people,” said Bindu. “I want to interact with patients. Not sit in a lab anymore, but a make a real difference in people’s lives. Now, that I’ve had this experience fighting cancer, I can be even more helpful.”

Robin helped prepare her for job interviews and gave her the encouragement she’s needed to help take back her health and move closer to a job for which she can feel truly passionate.

Achilles International And Cigna

One of the training programs Robin offered was the Cigna customer referral program with Achilles International, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities participate in athletic events. Cigna partners with organizations like Achilles International to help customers achieve their health and return to work goals by providing: access to additional rehabilitation resources including ergonomic office equipment, software, education and accommodations to help customers stay safe and be productive at work, encouragement and support, resume review and job placement assistance.

As a result of her hard work and dedication, Cigna offered Bindu the opportunity to participate in the Walt Disney World® 10K presented by Cigna on Friday, January 5th as a member of Team Cigna. She will be guided on the race course by Jonathan Prokup, Cigna’s executive sponsor of Achilles International and General Counsel for Cigna.

“I’m celebrating my 21st wedding anniversary in January at the race,” said Bindu. “When I cross that finish line, I want to raise a glass and celebrate life.”

The Cigna Customer Referral Program with Achilles International demonstrates Cigna’s promise to partner with customers “Together, All the Way” along their unique health journey. When injury or illness occurs, Cigna helps them get back on track to achieve their goals.

“For Cigna customers, participating in a race represents a healthy milestone on the road to recovery, but also independence,” said Robin. “As people gain physical strength, they also build confidence, which can positively affect all areas of your life.”

“Cancer is a part of me,” said Bindu. “It changed my life completely. Now, because of Robin, I’m back at work part time work with a new employer building towards full time. I want to thank Robin because now I can look forward.”

Cigna and Achilles will help Sonya Hazel Cross Her Finish Line

December 30, 2017

As a member of Team Achilles CT Chapter, I am always happy to share stories of other Achilles athletes. One athlete who will be running the Walt Disney World® 5K presented by Cigna on Thursday, January 4th as a member of Team Cigna is Sonya Hazel. Last year I was lucky to find one of the athletes, Mike Green from Team Cigna on the 5K course that I had written about. I hope to find Sonya or Tony Randolph on this year’s course.

Sonya’s Story

Sonya Hazel, 42 years old and resident of Riverdale, Ga. near Atlanta, didn’t have a chance to avoid that truck on February 23, 2017. The driver attempted to pass her while texting and driving. Like many distracted drivers, he misjudged the distance knocking Sonya’s car out of control. Her vehicle finally came to a stop after hitting a passenger van and breaking a highway wall. When the police officer arrived on the scene, she could hear him talking to the dispatcher. Judging by the vehicle, he thought she died in the crash.

“Before the officer arrived, I couldn’t feel my legs and, as silly as it sounds, I remember thinking my husband would be so upset when he saw the car,” said Sonya. “When the officer ducked down to see inside the vehicle, I startled him when I spoke.”

The emergency room doctor thought she might have gotten away with just a sprain and applied a temporary cast. When she visited the orthopedic surgeon, he took x-rays and found a serious break. The injury caused so much swelling that she needed to wait several weeks until April before surgery could be performed. The mental scars might last the longest.

“To this day, I haven’t been able to drive my car very far,” said Sonya. “The few times I’ve driven, I just pray and play loud music to focus on driving and everything around me.”

Following four to six weeks of therapy that ended in October, she said she felt about 85 percent back. As a mom of five children including four adults and one seven-year-old daughter, she feels the hole of that extra 15 percent still ahead of her.

“I still can’t do certain things,” said Sonya. “Before the accident, I was always active. It’s been a real adjustment for my daughter. I’ll know I’m back at 100 percent when I’m able to keep up with her and run around with my grandson when he’s born next April.”

On the road to recovery and mentally itching to return to work, she asked more information on Cigna’s vocational coaching program. Soon after, she received a call from Bethany Roefs, her Cigna vocational coach, who offered assistance.

“Bethany comforts and encourages me throughout this process to help me get back to work,” said Sonya. “I feel she knows me and cares about my situation. She’s been my liaison between my employer and me and has been right there throughout everything.”

“From the beginning, Sonya’s top goals included returning to work,” said Bethany. “Making sure she stayed on track, I helped coordinate between her doctor and employer to make sure she found the right return to work plan that allowed her to fully recovery without a setback.”

Sonya’s looking forward to returning to work and getting back on track with her career.

“The day of the accident, my boss planned to talk with me about a promotion,” said Sonya. “Now, I’m looking forward to just earning a full paycheck again.”

Cigna Teams Up With Achilles International

One of the resources Bethany offered, the Cigna customer referral program with Achilles International, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities participate in athletic events, helps people like Sonya build up physical strength and stamina.

Cigna partners with organizations like Achilles International to help customers achieve their return to work goals by providing access to additional rehabilitation resources including ergonomic office equipment, software, education and accommodations to help customers stay safe and be productive at work, encouragement and support, resume review and job placement assistance.

As a result of her hard work and dedication to return to work, Cigna offered Sonya the opportunity to participate in the Walt Disney World® 5K presented by Cigna on Thursday, January 4th as a member of Team Cigna.

“When Bethany talked about my progress and asked if I felt ready for a 5K, I assumed she meant a local race,” said Sonya. “Then she told me Disney – surprised doesn’t quite say it. I’m grateful and see it as a challenge to get my body over that last physical hurdle.”

“For Cigna customers, participating in a race represents a healthy milestone on the road to recovery, but also independence,” said Bethany. “As people gain physical strength, they also build confidence, which can positively affect all areas of your life.”

“At one time I thought I wouldn’t be able to walk without a cane,” said Sonya. “Look at me now getting ready for a 5K in Walt Disney World. Once I’m able to return to work, I’m really on my way back to the old Sonya again.”

Tony Randolph Is Back On His Feet Thanks To Cigna

December 29, 2017

Tonight my son and I prepared kits of toiletries for the folks that visit the soup kitchen. The kits include shampoo, conditioner, soap, body lotion, deodorant, tooth paste and a tooth brush. My company, Slalom, volunteers at this soup kitchen every first Tuesday of the month. The employees in my office collected the toiletries from their homes, and we purchased the deodorant in bulk. The tooth paste and tooth brushes were donated from an orthodontist. I had been moved to collect these items when a visitor came to the office to speak to us about homelessness. What stood out to me about what the visitor said was that every person, homeless or not, is a person. They wanted to be treated just like anyone else. They have a name just like everyone else. And what they want most is to be treated just like anyone else. No one wants to be stared at, or treated like they are diseased.

How Tony Randolph Got Back On His Feet

As I came across the next article I wanted to share from Cigna about a runner participating in the races next week, it was appropriate that it was the story about Tony Randolph that I should share. After facing drug addiction, homelessness and suicide, running gets this Baltimore man back on his feet. Tony runs his own landscaping business and thanks to the Cigna Foundation Partner, “Back On My Feet”, Tony will be running the 5K during the WDW marathon weekend.

Back On My Feet Organization (BoMF)

“I was at the end of my rope- using drugs at my Mom’s house, on the verge of homelessness, feeling suicidal, just tired of myself. My nephew told me about the Helping Up Mission, so I decided to check it out. It’s a spiritually-based program that helps with recovery for people who are broken. I was working in the kitchen, and some co-workers came in looking happy and joyous, and I decided I want some of that!”

For lifelong Baltimore resident Tony Randolph, that joy came from joining his co-workers in Back on my Feet (BoMF), an organization that combats homelessness through the power of running. Their running-based model demonstrates that if you first restore confidence, strength, and self-esteem, individuals are better equipped to tackle the road ahead and move toward jobs, homes, and new lives. After a 30 day commitment to running 3 times per week at 5:30 a.m., showing up on time and putting in the miles, teammates progress to Next Steps, a program that looks beyond running to set goals for the next steps in their lives: re-entering the workforce, job training, education, securing housing and health resources.

Tony appreciates that with BoMF, “nobody ever walks or runs alone, everyone starts and stops with you. From the first day, staff showed me they cared even though they don’t know me. That first run is called ‘Miracle Mile’- if you haven’t run in awhile, it’s a miracle to get through it! Running regularly at 5:30 a.m. gets you into mindset of getting up and going to work, and repetition is good.”

How Cigna Helps BoMF

Having Cigna come to the mission where he was living to do blood pressure checks and other tests for residents made Tony “commit to my health and pay more attention to my heart, my head and my feet- they’re all connected.”

Tony continues to run 3 times each week with his BoMF team, moved from the mission to full-time housing, and now operates his own landscaping business. BoMF helped him get his driver’s license and even paid half the cost of his first riding mower to get his business off the ground.

As a result of Tony’s hard work and commitment to his health, The Cigna Foundation, a partner of Back on My Feet, is bringing Tony on an all-expense paid trip to Walt Disney World in January. As a symbol and extension of his health journey, he will participant in the Walt Disney World® 5K on Thursday, January 4.

“Enhancing the well-being of people and the places where they live directly connects to Cigna’s mission, “said Mary Engvall, Executive Director of the Cigna Foundation. “We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their best health, but sometimes those opportunities are limited by factors outside a person’s control. The Cigna Foundation’s philanthropic giving focuses on creating health equity to help people achieve their best possible personal health and enjoy living their best lives.”

Now Tony says, “Life is great! Back on My Feet showed me I can do anything, and they gave me the confidence to do it. I moved back in with my Mom, and where I used to do drugs now I run my landscaping business. I call it getting a raise- I’m not wasting my money on drugs! The confidence BoMF has given me makes me a much better man and father, and I’ve gone from being someone you didn’t want around, to now being the Fred Sanford of the family- whatever you need, call Tony and he’ll help you out. I’ve run several races with my youngest son, and I’ve completed 8 courses including the Baltimore half and some shorter races. Without the help of Cigna and BoMF, I don’t know where I’d be.”

BoMF Program Director Marybeth Moran said, “Tony truly is Back on My Feet for Life. We couldn’t do the important work we do for teammates like Tony without a good partner like the Cigna Foundation, whose mission to promote health, well-being and sense of security so closely mirrors our own.”

Running With Insulin-Dependent Diabetes

December 28, 2017

As the race weekend is coming up quickly, I am sharing stories about the athletes from clients, employees or Cigna foundation partners. Cheryl Murphy is an insulin-dependent diabetic. When her endocrinologist read her latest test results, he asked, “What in the world have you been doing? Whatever it is, keep doing it. You are saving your own life!”

How Running Helped Cheryl

Taking up running last yearis what transformed Cheryl’s health. As Wellness Manager for the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, Cheryl is responsible for improving the health of over 6,000 county employees. When Cheryl was diagnosed with diabetes 4 years ago, she didn’t really do anything about it. “I didn’t have the education about the disease to know what to do. Had I known the changes I needed to make, I could have made lifestyle changes when I was pre-diabetic.” Now, she takes insulin, cholesterol and triglyceride meds, and has to be careful to maintain her sugar levels.

Last year she walked the 5k as part of Team Cigna during the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. After watching her friend finish her first full marathon that same weekend, she decided to pick up the pace and make running a part of her lifestyle. She started following the Jeff Galloway Run Walk Run program, and actually met Jeff at Disney’s Wine & Dine race Expo. She was already registered for the 5k but was hoping to also run the 10k; however, only half marathon registrations remained. She was feeling daunted when she met Jeff and his wife Barb, who both encouraged her to go for it. She finished the half with flying colors, and cannot wait to be back at the Disney Marathon in 2018, where once again she’ll participate as part of Team Cigna! Cheryl’s goal for 2018 is to run a half marathon in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris to tackle the Castle to Chateau Challenge.

Cheryl’s Wellness Role at HCBOCC

In her Wellness role at HCBOCC, Cheryl’s goal is to encourage colleagues to take an active role in understanding their own health and with the help of onsite Cigna Health Coach Holli Rahmings, she is doing just that through a program that focuses on physical, social, emotional and financial well-being. In recognition of their commitment to health, Hillsborough County recently received the Cigna Well-Being Award. “We’ve more than doubled the number of physicals employees took this year. Our Weight Loss Challenge had over 1,000 participants, and our Water Challenge this summer had more than 1600 staff walking around with their reusable water bottles instead of sugary drinks!”

Just as important as those numbers are Cheryl’s own: since taking up running and improving nutrition, her total cholesterol level fell from 208 to 164, triglycerides from 595 to 169, and her A1C dropped from 8.8 to 5.8. Reducing her numbers to normal levels reduces her risk for arteriosclerosis, coronary artery disease, stroke, etc. Not only did this health improvement result in higher energy levels and a reduction in medication, it also had an effect on her mental health and stress levels. “Running has now become a way for me to clear my head and let go of some of the frustrations in life.” She not only looks forward to the possibility of one day becoming insulin free, but also the possibility of spending her retirement at Disney World with her grandchildren instead of sitting in a doctor’s office.

Cigna Health Coach Holli Rahmings explains, “Cheryl has taken many powerful strides to improving her health. She adapted a predominantly plant-based diet and found a passion for competitive races! What started as a 5k has evolved into successfully completing half-marathons. Cheryl has truly demonstrated a firm commitment to resuming control of her health and no longer allowing her conditions to control her passions for living!”

Cheryl’s tips for diabetic runners

It’s really important for diabetic runners to follow all the steps:

Consider your nutrition and hydration a few days before a race. Make sure you drink plenty of water and eat the right foods to ensure you fuel your body. No, this doesn’t give you permission to eat whatever you want!It’s more important than ever to choose healthy foods that will stick with you.
Continue to take your prescribed medications.
Take blood sugar levels before you run, make sure the levels are slightly elevated since you’ll burn off sugar so quickly. Nourish yourself throughout the race to keep your sugar level and your energy up.
Stay hydrated at all times. Drink plenty of water and Powerade or Nuun along the route.
Stay ahead of your diabetes, don’t wait until you feel light-heated to take action-by then it’s too late. If you start feeling weak or dizzy, slow down and eat a snack until you feel better.
As you’re training, it is important to experiment and find out what works for you. For example, I can’t run with food on my stomach, so the energy gels work best for me during a run. But I was so elated to be near the finish line during the Wine and Dine Half Marathon that I forgot to eat my last gel. When I crossed the finish line, my blood sugar plummeted and I had to go to the medical tent.Knowing this, I now make sure I stay ahead of my body signals and immediately have a medic take my blood sugar after crossing the finish line.