April Federico
I was sitting at my desk at a new job as a content writer at an insurance company (far from ideal from a publishing student’s standpoint). I remember how I felt that morning: like I wanted to call in already because I was feeling feverish and had a sore throat. It was bad enough to have left early because I was suffocating on my own breath, feeling like I was going to vomit and faint, and falling asleep at my desk while practically poisoning myself on anti-acid tablets. The Advil surely wasn’t helping – again, we’ll get there. I kept texting my poor mom who was just trying to get ready to teach her 3:50 p.m. class, which would end at 5:10 p.m. I had gotten home via my father with my lungs lled with cold air, in what were already congested lungs. The amount of physical and emotional pain I was in was unbearable to the point where I succumbed to my mom’s decision to go to the emergency room. I remember getting into the hospital with the National Guard, and I don’t remember anything after that.
I woke up (thankfully) around 4:50 a.m. – almost 5:00. All I wanted to do was break free, like a wild animal that couldn’t be tamed. I remember the hospital staff continuing to ask me, “do you know where you are?” And I couldn’t remember a thing. All I remember was conking out. A few minutes later when I had calmed down and knew where my phone was (I really wanted to text my boyfriend, Mark – he was all I wanted in that moment), I heard the doctor say, “so, April, you know you have diabetes, right?” I wanted to reply with, “I do now.” Again, I don’t remember much.
But this is not a sad story. I am a success story to come out of diabetic keto acidosis, let alone a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. I am a prime example of how I turned pain into purpose and chose courage over fear. I still remember when I was discovered by Lara Feinstein of Ali Daniel’s Punch Drunk Soul, I didn’t know what to think about becoming a coach. When I took a quiz to find out what kind of coach I would be, the results came back as virtual assistant. The first thing that I thought of was, “okay, that’s way too typical for someone with a robust writing background. Sorry, but no.” It was just a quiz, I know. But let’s be serious, shall we? I’m more than someone who can just sit behind a computer screen all day creating copy and graphics; I already did that work in the multitude of internships I’ve held. This is no offense to virtual assistants out there because your work is incredible, always valid, and you worked hard to build your credibility and businesses.
Regardless, I established Be Well By April because I made it a life mission to educate the public on type 2 diabetes prevention and nutrition. I became infatuated with nutrition and the effects it has on anatomy and physiology. That meant abandoning my publishing master's and the idea of graduate school as a whole. But even I know, as someone who also deals with crippling anxiety, that doesn't make me an ostensible "failure." I am a diabetes success story because I went from a whopping A1c of 13% (diabetic) that February to 5.7% (non diabetic) in less than a year. Believe it or not, Western medicine doesn't necessarily focus too much on the mindset portion of health and wellness. Mainly, doctors and dietitians focus on solely exercise and weight loss. However, what about the mindset? That is why I coined my signature "CICERO" method which stands for Condense and Intelligence Create Emotional Resilience to Optimize. www.instagram.com/bewellbyapril
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