Beyond the Don’ts : Why Diabetes Awareness Is Personal to Me
National Diabetes Awareness Month — November 2026
When I think about diabetes, I don’t start with statistics or medical terms.
I think about a little boy.
My first real understanding of diabetes came through a child close to our family who was diagnosed when he was very young. I remember how much of his life seemed to be about what he couldn’t do.
He couldn’t eat candy. He couldn’t always eat what his friends were eating. There were always reminders, corrections and instructions.
His mother was doing what any mother would do. She was trying to protect her child.
But I remember thinking about that little boy and wondering what it must feel like to grow up with so many “no’s.”
Years later, I saw some of those same struggles with my brother-in-law, who was also diagnosed when he was young.
There were missed days. Scary moments. More “no’s.”
I remember his mother being afraid that his blood sugar might drop while he was alone. What if he was on the side of the road and no one was there to help him?
At the time I did not know much but those memories have stayed with me.
Over the years they have made me realize that diabetes doesn’t just affect the person who has it. It affects the whole family.
Finding a Different Way
I was adopted, and my father was in the military. Growing up, unless someone close to us was dealing with an illness, I really didn’t know much about it.
Diabetes was one of those things.
When I came to Wimberly’s Roots, there was already a diabetes education class. It was a good program and an important outreach to our community.
But attendance started to drop.
Then one day, nobody came.
The program ended.
I just couldn’t believe the need had gone away.
Maybe we just needed to try it a different way.
Along with five other people, we started looking for a way to bring diabetes education back to our community.
That search led us to the University of Georgia Right Bite Cooking School.
.
We had a beautiful demonstration kitchen at Wimberly’s Roots. And we started thinking about what could happen if we used that kitchen for diabetes education.
We didn’t want it to feel like a doctor’s office.
We wanted people to come in, sit down, cook something, ask questions and talk.
We wanted someone who was worried about developing diabetes to feel comfortable asking a question.
We wanted someone living with diabetes to be able to share what they had learned.
We wanted families to learn together.
And we wanted to change the conversation.
Instead of always talking about what you can’t eat, why not talk about what you can eat?
What can you make?
What can you learn?
What can you change?
That became Right Bite.
The Smile That Meant Success
Recently, something happened at one of our Right Bite classes that I won’t forget.
A woman who had been to our class one time before walked through the door . She was smiling and looking for a place to sit.
Then she told me she had been looking forward to the class all month.
I remember her smile.
That may sound like a little thing.
To me, it wasn’t.
She wasn’t there because someone told her she needed to be there.
She wanted to be there.
That felt like success.
We have people who come back month after month.
They bring questions.
They remember things we talked about.
They tell us about recipes they tried at home.
That tells me something important.
The learning doesn’t stop when the class is over.
Sometimes success isn’t a big number.
Sometimes it’s one person walking through the door.
Sometimes it’s trying one new recipe.
Sometimes it’s asking one question.
Sometimes it’s a smile.
Why Diabetes Awareness Matters
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and I think about how important education and understanding are for our neighbors here in Winder and Barrow County.
Diabetes is not one simple thing. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are different, and they come with different challenges.
But no matter what type of diabetes someone is living with, they deserve understanding, encouragement and support.
I don’t believe one cooking class is going to solve all the challenges of diabetes in our community.
But I do believe one conversation can make a difference.
One recipe can make a difference.
One person learning something they can take home and use can make a difference.
I believe people learn better when they feel welcome.
I believe they learn better when they don’t feel judged.
And I believe food has a way of bringing people together.
That’s what I hope Right Bite continues to be at Wimberly’s Roots.
A place to come in.
A place to learn.
A place to ask questions.
A place to cook.
A place to share.
And maybe a place where we can replace a few of those “no’s” with some “yes, you can.”
Years ago, I remember a little boy whose life seemed filled with things he couldn’t do.
Today, I remember a woman walking into our kitchen with a smile because she was excited about what she could learn.
Somewhere between those two memories is the reason Diabetes Awareness means so much to me.
And maybe that’s what diabetes awareness is really about.
Not just the disease.
The people.
The families.
The stories.
And finding more of what we can do.
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