Health Matters - Apple Magazine Health Matters Winter 2018 | Page 7

Like Graham, Voll also takes insulin
and is working with Liu to manage
his health.
Voll, who’s 64, has a complex
medical history. He’s known for
years he was at risk for diabetes.
His family has a history of Type 2
diabetes that reaches back at least
three generations. “My grandmother
had diabetes, and she didn’t manage
it very well. I remember she was
always in the hospital. She probably
didn’t know what to do to stay
healthy,” Voll says. “I know more
about diabetes and what to do.
It’s still hard for me to change,
but I’m trying.”
Liu’s goal is to help patients
overcome their challenges, which
sometimes means meeting in
the middle.
“Patients respond differently to the
demands of diabetes management.
It’s not our job to make demands
and judgments,” Liu says. “We try
to give patients the best knowledge,
tools and information so they can
make the best decisions for their
own health, and ultimately, learn
to self-manage their conditions.”
A long-haul truck driver by trade, his
biggest challenge is healthy eating.
“I stay away from alcohol and I try
to keep active, but when you’re on
the road, it’s hard to eat healthy.
Fast food is an easy option,”
Voll says.
He was referred to MPCN in 2015
after tests during a brief hospital
stay showed extremely high
blood sugar levels. Liu helped Voll
control his blood sugar levels with
medication, manage his insulin and
change how he eats.
Voll says he never used to eat
much during the day, but now
he understands the importance
of eating three or four times a day
to keep his blood sugar stable.
Through his PCN, Charles Voll
knows now that eating regularly
and taking insulin helps to
control his blood sugar.
LE
Managing diabetes often
calls for compassion and
creativity. No two people
with diabetes are alike.
mypcn.ca
WINTER 2018
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