RUMFORD — “Taking Control” is the subject of a special program about diabetes management being offered in the Rumford area on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 8 and 9.

Ruth Charne, a New York City resident, who learned in 1986, at age 40, that she had Type 1 diabetes, will discuss how she learned to effectively manage her disease.

Her presentation will include: achieving good glucose control, learning about effective self-management, developing a balanced healthy lifestyle, planning and prioritizing diabetes management, overcoming fears surrounding diabetes and finding resources for diabetes support.

She will share diabetes self-management and lifestyle strategies based on her own extensive training and personal experience living with diabetes.

Charne is a member of the A1C Champions Program, supported by Sanofi, a pharmaceuticals manufacturer. A1C is a commonly used term for a testing process that measures an index of average blood sugar in people with diabetes.

After her diagnosis, Charne said she obsessed over her condition. Every time she ate, she worried about her blood sugar. She worried about future complications. “It was wearing me out,” she recalls.

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She said she has taken control of the disease. “I’ve learned to tell people in advance that I have diabetes, that I’m in control of it and they needn’t worry about what I’m eating, It kind of throws them off balance, but there is so much people don’t understand. Many don’t realize it can be controlled,” she said.

Before going on the road for the A1C Champions Program, Charne was a New York City health and physical education teacher who retired after 29 years. After retirement, she worked part-time as a veterinarian assistant. She now devotes her time to visiting her grandkids in Arizona, presenting programs for the A1C Champions and traveling with friends.

Charne will speak at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, in Conference Room A at Rumford Hospital, 420 Franklin St. She will make a second presentation at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 9, at the Muskie Development Center, 20 Congress St.

Rumford Hospital diabetes educators, Barbara MacGregor, a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator, and licensed-registered dietitian Rachael Hall, are hosting the presentation.

Anyone interested in learning more about the presentations should call Barbara MacGregor at 369-1222 or email MacGreBa@cmhc.org.


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