LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Diabetes can be a devastating and deadly disease. CDC data shows Kentucky has a higher rate of diabetes than the national average. The American Diabetes Association says one in every three Kentucky adults is prediabetic.

What You Need To Know

  •  Maria Bernard developed gestational diabetes, then type 2 diabetes 16 years ago

  •  Because of an allergic reaction, medication was not an option for her in treating the disease, so she manages it solely through diet and exercise

  •  Bernard trains others to better manage their diabetes through Baptist Health's NEED Program at Milestone Wellness Center in Louisville

  • Patients in the NEED program work with a trainer like Bernard, along with a dietitian to make healthier lifestyle changes

Native Louisvillian Maria Bernard is working to show people who are prediabetic they can turn their situation around before developing type 2 diabetes. She’s also living proof that those who’ve already developed the disease can manage it effectively through a healthy lifestyle.

Bernard developed type 2 diabetes after having gestational diabetes with her first child. However, she doesn’t take any insulin or medication for the disease. For 16 years, she’s managed it completely through diet and exercise.

“My doctor sat me down and said, ‘Listen, we’ve got to get some of this weight off. In the meantime, try this medication.’ And I had an allergic reaction to it, and that’s when it was like, ‘Oh, I can’t take the medicine. It’s not going to work for me. I have to do better about my nutrition, do better about my exercise and really dive deep into that.’”

While Bernard stays moving, she teaches others how to do so, as well. She’s a fitness director at the Milestone Wellness Center in Louisville and trains people in Baptist Health’s Nutrition, Exercise and Education to Deter Diabetes, or NEED Program.

Through pairing patients with a dietitian and a trainer, the goal of the NEED Program is to prevent those with prediabetes from developing the disease and help those who are already battling the disease manage it better. Bernard says many times insurance will help cover participation in the program.

“It’s kind of empowering that you can do that and it doesn’t have to be the high-intensity stuff you see on the commercials,” Bernard said.

She changes people’s workout plans according to their ages and abilities. She sticks with simple exercises people can learn to do by themselves.

“Whether it’s strength training, whether it’s cardio, the more oxygen you’re taking in, you’re going to help your metabolism and you’re just overall going to feel better,” she said.

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