Jon Stanton: No Wonder He’s an ADA Ambassador: What do you say to a guy who’s lost more than 200 pounds and wants to address the subject of diabetes? Nothing. You simply sit and listen because he probably has something important to say.
Argus-Press.com was there when Jon Stanton gave a speech to walkers who participated in this year’s “Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes” event sponsored by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The Ovid, Michigan resident once weight 430 pounds and was a Type 2 diabetic and is now an ambassador for ADA’s Michigan branch. His team raised $700 for the 2-mile walk.
Here are some highlights from Stanton’s speech. It should be noted that Stanton no longer has symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, but he does not feel his battle is over.
“(Type 2 diabetes) is almost entirely lifestyle driven with being overweight probably being the most significant risk factor. The statistic that hit the most home with me was that one in three children in America can be expected to develop diabetes if we keep going at our current rate.”
“If you’ve had it at some point, it is likely to come back, but if you use common sense with eating and exercise on a regular basis, it is largely treatable until late in life.”
“I was a heavy kid while growing up, but I was rare. Now it is more of the norm. If you go back 30 or 40 years ago, people weren’t developing Type 2 diabetes until they were in their 60s or 70s – it was a late-in-life disease. We have kids now 10, 11 and 12 years old who are being diagnosed with this and they are setting themselves up for a life of pain and limitations. No kid deserves that, especially when it can be prevented.”
Stanton also speaks out on his personal website.
“Did you know that the current generation of children will likely be the first since the Great Depression to have a LOWER life expectancy than their parents – because of poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle?”
“The average American is now consuming 22 teaspoons of added sugar daily. Teenagers consume 34 teaspoons on average. What is especially disturbing is that these measures include only “added” sugar – meaning that naturally occurring sugars (such as “fructose” in fruit and “lactose” in dairy) are not included. Experts say that ideally, women should not consume more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar daily and men should not consume more than 9. Obviously, we have a LONG road before us to get to those numbers!”
“On August 5, 2007, I paid a visit to my doctor that changed my life forever. At that time, I weighed 430 pounds, had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, early-stage congestive heart failure and Type 2 diabetes. Today, I suffer from NONE of those ailments, I am medication-free (except for a pill for acid reflux) and I have lost 230 pounds! God is so good, and I am BLESSED to be alive and healthy!”
Stanton adds one final bit of advice most of us can follow, “Get out there and walk, and save yourself and the nation’s health care system some money! Remember – start slowly if you have not been exercising regularly.”
After reading the things that Stanton has to say it is very clear why he was asked to be the ADA ambassador for Michigan. Anyone care for a walk?
