We were full of nerves and excitement at our first presentation at the Mexican Consulate. The Health Education team nervously practiced our parts in Spanish, hoping to sound natural and fluid as we tried to get the important information we wanted to share across to the room of people anxiously waiting for their documents.
There were a few bumps in the road as other groups showed up scheduled to present, but we rolled with the punches and waited our turn. Finally it was time to go. The audience started out fairly quiet and hesitant o participate, with the exception of one woman. She sat in the front row with her husband with her eyes wide and eager to contribute to the conversation about Diabetes, Hypertension and High Blood Pressure. She was the first to volunteer when we offered free testing for those three conditions with our nurse. On the other hand, there was a man who sat in the back with a sly smile who just kept quiet, not quite buying what we were talking about. Throughout the presentation, he became a little more vocal. He asked questions, participated in a demonstration, but still did not want to get tested. As our Diabetic Educator spoke about Diabetes, our Champion poked her bright eyes around the corner of the testing room and displayed her bandaged finger for all to see, proud of getting her blood sugar checked and encouraging others to do the same.
As the discussion wound down, and we asked the last time for people interested in getting their blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol checked, our quiet friend and his sly smile reluctantly shook his head and raised his hand. Empowered not only by the knowledge we imparted, but by the actions and advocacy of his peers, he checked his sugar, which was high, and was referred to out clinic for follow up - something so simple that will help him live a longer and healthier life.
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