Spílygy Tyrooo, W^rm Springs, Oregon
Page 3
February 15, 2 0 0 7
Tackling diabetes through prevention
By Leslie Mitts
Spilyay Tymoo
Two new counselors with the
Diabetes Prevention Program
are very familiar with the topic
after participating in the pro­
gram themselves.
Winona Stwyer and Edmund
Francis both went from partici­
pant to educator after complet­
ing the four-month program.
According to Stwyer, a fam­
ily history of diabetes was what
prompted her to become in­
volved with the Diabetes Pre­
vention Program.
“My parents were diabetic
and I wanted to avoid it,” Stwyer
explained.
While watching her parents
face complications from diabe­
tes like amputation and dialysis,
Stwyer made the decision to
participate in the Diabetes Pre­
vention Program after Coordi­
nator Montell Elliot gave her
some information about diabe­
tes.
Through the program, she
said, she learned how to eat right
and control her portion size—
something that her entire fam­
ily has picked up.
In Stwyer’s opinion, “The
main thing is reading labels.”
Edmund Francis and Winona Stwyer
When she first entered the
program and began measuring
her portion sizes, she said, her
family would ask, “Is that all
you’re eating?”
“That’s all you’re supposed to
eat,” was her amused response.
Now her children and other
family members are adjusting
their own portion sizes and de­
veloping better eating habits, she
said.
Family is an important rea­
son for her own lifestyle change,
according to Stwyer.
“I ’m go ing to be a new
grandma any day now—that’s
why I joined the program,” she
said.
In addition to a healthy diet,
Stwyer also wears a pedometer
and aims to log in 5,000 steps
per day.
Francis’ reason for joining
the program was a little differ­
ent.
“What prompted me was go­
ing to the doctor and what they
told me,” he said.
According to Francis, “In­
stead of taking pills I thought I
would try to do it as naturally as
le a n .”
He transitioned to the Dia­
betes Prevention Program from
a job at Fire Management.
Stwyer decided to apply for
a job with the Diabetes Preven­
tion Program because of her
experience with the program.
“I figured if I can help some­
one else I’ll give it a try,” she
March to raise awareness o f abuse
Youth Development Team
members from Madras High
School will be leading a march
against child sexual abuse in
Madras on Feb. 19.
The march will begin at 1 p.m.
and move from the fire station
in M adras to Sahalee Park,
where a rally will be held.
Madras High School student
Joanna Williams said they de­
cided to conduct the march in
order to raise awareness of child
sexual abuse.
In addition, she said, they
hope to gain support and find
more ways to help children cope
w ith the problem o f sexual
abuse— especially, she said, “to
show them they’re not alone, in
what’s going on.”
Williams said they hope to
have around 200 participants,
and anyone is welcome to par­
ticipate.
The Youth D evelopm ent
Team is also rallying for young
children to march with them.
They are offering 15 Youth
Development Team sweatshirts
to the first 15 children that show
up with families.
The small sweatshirts read
“ silen t m essages m ust be
heard.”
The Youth D evelopm ent
Team recently completed a film
——.
/
that tackles the subject of child
sexual abuse, “Silent Message,”
which will be shown after the
march at the Jefferson County
Library Annex at 7 p.m. Admis­
sion will be free.
The march will be sponsored
by Madras High School, the
National Center for Victims of
Crime, the National Crime Pre­
ven tio n C ouncil, Jefferso n
C ounty È .M .S., Jefferso n
County Commission on Chil­
dren and Families, the Confed­
erated Tribes of Warm Springs,
Kids C enter, and Jefferso n
County Victims Assistance.
The Youth D evelopm ent
Team is an anti-drug and anti­
violence team made up of stu­
dents who volunteer their time
during lunch at Madras High
School one day per week.
Their film “Silent Message”
premiered in Bend and was later
aired in Madras and in Warm
Springs.
The 30-minute film tackles
the subject of child sexual abuse
in a series of three stories and
is available on DVD from
H udson
P roductions
at
www.hudsonpro.com.
Students from Madras High
School partnered with Hudson
Productions and various com­
munity agencies to create the
|
-
said.
Having already participated
in the program, Stwyer knows
she can connect with the par­
ticipants.
“I’ve been there,” she said.
“I ’ve been there where they
were.”
Prior to working as a coun­
selor she worked as a secretary.
Her new job varies drastically
to what she became accustomed
to, Stwyer said.
“This is a whole different
ballpark I’m in now,” she ex­
plained.
While she used to sit behind
a desk and answ er phones,
Stw yer said, “Now I ’m out
working with patients and I
meet with them face to face.”
One thing that took a bit of
practice was learning how to test
blood sugar by p rickin g a
patient’s finger. But, Stwyer said
with a laugh, “I had good prac­
tice last week on my brother-in-
law.”
■ Participating and working
with the Diabetes Prevention
Program has not only trans­
formed Stwyer’s lifestyle, it has
transformed her body.
She lost 40 pounds through
the Diabetes Prevention Pro­
gram and is now participating in
the “Biggest Loser in Warm
Springs” competition as well as
re-entering into the Diabetes
Prevention Program along with
her patients.
film.
The Youth D evelopm ent
Team in Madras was selected to
be a mentor site for the National
YOVA project—and it’s one of
only seven mentor sites in the
United States.
The team is funded by a
$3,000 grant from the National
Crime Prevention Council and
the National Center for Victims
of Crime.
The tribal Sanitation and
Landfill Department would
like to remind people that
the tribal sanitation facili­
ties, the dum psters
throughout the commu­
nity, and the D ry Creek
landfill and transfer station
are strictly for the use of
tribal members, reserva­
tion residents and autho­
rized personnel only.
There have been many
recent complaints that un­
authorized non-member
non-resident individuals
are utilizing the facilities for
their personal home gar­
bage.
The reservation facili­
ties are paid for by tribal
funds. Unauthorized use
costs the tribes.
U nauthorized use is
against the tribal code and
ordinances, and is a viola­
tion that constitutes illegal
dumping and trespassing.
These violations are sub­
ject to citations and fines
of up to $100 and cost of
disposal.
Any questions should be
directed to Nancy Collins,
R.S., Sanitation and Land­
fill manager at 553-4943.
* fre s h
24 NE Plum St.
in Madras
475-7560
Nathan’s Business Services
$$
FAST
CASH
$$
TAX PREPARATION &
Instant Refund Anticipation Loans(IRAL’s)
15411-553-1200
2197 Highway 26 Warm Springs, OR 97761
By Deschutes Crossing
Monday - Friday 8 AM TO 6 PM
Saturday 8AM to 5PM
A P I ____
• #■
___
BnoksDiAs's, Tnriftw ay
"
I
L ocally
1
o w n ed
l a n d o p e ra te d
I
sin c e
“My goal is to lose at least
25 more pounds,” she said.
The hum ble wom an isn ’t
used to the outpouring of praise
she has been receiving on her
weight loss yet: “It’s hard for me
to take compliments,” she said.
F rancis lo st around 12
pounds through changing his
eating habits— something he at­
tributes to reading labels and
eating at home instead of eat­
ing in restaurants.
In restaurants, he said, the
portions given are much more
than what is needed in a single
serving.
His general health has also
improved, he said.
“It’s a slow trend,” Francis
added.
Stwyer encourages commu­
nity members to participate in
community screenings and to
become involved with the pro­
gram.
Next the two will travel to
Dallas for training to become
certified lifestyle coaches.
The Diabetes Prevention Pro­
gram is a three-year program
based on a grant that the Dia­
betes P revention Program ,
Community Health and Com­
munity Wellness received.
Participants attend a four-
month class and continue to
meet with a coach and receive
help during the rest of the time
period.
Tribal
landfill for
authorized
use only
"W e
have everything
**»>**%■
Valentine's D ay"
12 Roses: Gold G ift Box
From $39.99 |jl|S^
Individual a rra n g e m e n ts
f o r th a t special s o m e o n e .
4