Daniel G. Garza has been a Patient Leader for about 20 years. He began his public speaking career after his AIDS diagnosis in September of 2000. He has lived Clean & Sober since June 21, 2007. After being diagnosed with Anal Cancer in May 2015, he had an Ostomy surgery in 2016, was diagnosed with Agoraphobia in 2017 and Diabetes in 2018. All of these events contributed to allowing those that hear his story and take a closer look at the long-term effects of HIV.
Daniel shares his story on social media, through several campaigns such as Positively Fearless, and volunteers for organizations such as Radiant Health Centers in Irvine California. He works with Wisdo as a Mentor, WEGO Health as a consultant and Global Healthy Living Organization as a member of the LGBT-COVID-19 Committee. Through his company Lilmesican Productions, Daniel and his partner, Christian, produce livestream content that is geared towards adding a positive message to their community.
In 1999 Marilyn was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and in 2010 she became insulin dependent. Family genetics, an unhealthy diet and being overweight most likely contributed to the onset of her diagnosis. Appointed by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, Marilyn proudly serves as a Tennessee Health Ambassador who is trained and certified through the Office of Minority Health and Disparity Elimination. Her desire is to develop and implement grass root initiatives in underserved communities in the area of Health and Wellness. Marilyn believes two things, that you cannot exercise away a bad diet and that healthy eating is key to managing and controlling diabetes. Inspired by her granddaughters and a last promise she made to her mother also a type 2 diabetic, led Marilyn to create her first nonprofit organization, Sugga Mommas Cooking Club.
Focusing on the future, our children, SMCC is housed in a local Nashville community center and is a part of their summer camp programming. Sugga Mommas provides the opportunity to young girls whose families may not be able to afford summer camp or cooking classes. Marilyn’s second partner is The Old School Farm, which provides SMGC with fresh organic produce, gardening space, a commercial kitchen and a chef that teaches them how to prepare their harvest in bulk. Among children born in 2000, forty nine percent of African American girls will face a lifetime risk of being diagnosed with diabetes. Our goal is that our program will identify and help to reverse bad habits contributing to the future projections on our children’s health and well-being Marilyn believes God’s greatest gift to woman is the power of influence, and as mothers with the right information we can teach our children how to make healthier lifestyle choices that will carry on for generations!
My Momma Said, ”Marilyn baby, get it together, lead by example, lose the weight and inspire others like you to do the same!” I feel she left me a great roadmap and I hope that you will join in and take the journey with me! I AM keeping that promise!
I’m a 46-year-old high school teacher who underwent a triple bypass on May 24th, 2018. I was also diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes after my surgery. Diabetes is generational and I hoped to fly under the radar, with no luck. I have been able to manage my levels with diet and exercise, with two tri-athletes as my mentors I accept their challenges willingly. I look forward to sharing my journey and how my family’s medical history was the catalysts that lead to my heart attack and my type 2 diagnosis.
Liz was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic in 2014 at the age of 23. With a passion for all things insulin, Liz had just begun graduate school to pursue a PhD in cellular and molecular biology to study insulin signaling in insects. The struggle of balancing the stress of grad school and being a newly diagnosed diabetic, Liz learned the obstacles that many diabetics face first hand. From dealing with insurances to get medications to the mental health issues around stigmas, she knew that she needed to be her own advocate. Through her own health journey and diabetes management, Liz fell in love with connecting with other people, both diabetic and non-diabetic, to take back control of their own health and helping them becoming their own advocates too. Liz began coaching others on their health journey through a partnership with Beachbody and is working on building her own mentorship business.
Vanessa lives in Brazil and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 17 years ago. She is a journalist specialised in Health and works to bring awareness around diabetes in the media, scheduling interviews for doctors, nutritionists and people with diabetes, especially on the occasion of World Diabetes Day. Vanessa is a member of the Council of Associação de Diabetes Juvenil (ADJ), Member of IDF’s Blue Circle Voices and coordinator of an advocacy programme with 30 Brazilian Diabetes Associations. In her capacity as a journalist she has written 14 articles about diabetes for ‘De Bem com a Vida’ site and is a blogger for Convivência com Diabetes. She helps ADJ to fundraise and to organise events, and is a speaker on behalf of 30 Diabetes Associations in Brazil for improving diabetes treatment.