Although unhealthy lifestyles are all too common these days, the onset of diabetes or another serious illness can often be the spark for positive change.

Such was the case for Bruce Cameron, a well-known figure in the Thompson community thanks to his involvement with minor hockey. Last November, Cameron went to see his doctor for a check-up, at the suggestion of his wife. The result was not good: he was diagnosed with diabetes. Despite being told that he could manage the disease with medication, bringing it under control, Cameron saw this as an opportunity to make major changes to his overall health. “A lot of people want to up the medication instead of fixing the problems that caused it in the first place,” he said, “I told myself that medication was not going to be the answer. I wanted to do it another way.”

Cameron, who worked for more than 30 years at Vale and is best known for his roles in local minor hockey, including as keeper of the Munn Cup, notes that before the discovery of his diabetes, he wasn't giving a lot of thought to his level of health. “I think we neglect our health,” he said, quick to include his pre-diagnosis self in that group, “I was eating too much, eating late at night, and eating fatty foods. [That stuff] is killng you slowly, and you don't even know what you are doing.”

For help, Cameron turned to his family physician, Dr. Mustafa Aboelnour, along with the Burntwood Community Health Resource Centre (BCHRC). The BCHRC put him in contact with Winnie Lei, one of their therapists. Lei is also the BCHRC's risk factor coach. The Risk Factor Coach Program is a chronic disease prevention initiative, intended to help those with chronic diseases such as diabetes to fight their disease with lifestyle changes rather than prescriptions. This is done by promoting the reduction of what are called “behavioural risk factors”, encouraging healthy eating, physical activity, weight management, smoking cessation, stress management and so on—“all the good things that we talk about but we never do,” as Cameron calls them.. Cameron worked with Lei and a team of dietitians to figure out exactly what changes he needed to make.

Those changes included a healthier diet, more exercise, and a generally more active lifestyle. “I wanted to make a real serious attempt at it, not just a one-week thing,” he explained. Cameron now spends at least 30 minutes each day using the treadmill he bought for his house. He was worried about relapsing during a trip to Cuba last winter, but he made sure to limit his alcohol intake, moderate his portion sizes, and get in plenty of exercise through swimming. One of Cameron's biggest changes involved his grocery shopping habits—“now I'm actually reading labels and seeing what's on them,” he said. He is particularly careful to avoid foods that are high in salt or sugar content.

The Canadian Diabetes Association estimates that 285 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes, with that number rising by seven million each year. In Canada alone, there are over three million cases of diabetes, a number that is expected to rise to 3.7 million by 2020.

Cameron has lost more than 40 pounds in seven months, but he realizes that all his hard work can be undone just as quickly—“whatever I am doing now,” he says, “I'm going to have to stay the course … a few little things have done big things for me.”

Though medication was needed in the initial stage of his treatment, Cameron worked hard and no longer requires it. He still checks his blood pressure and glucose regularly, as a precaution, to make sure the disease has not encroached further.