Frank Fricano consults certified diabetes educator Welda Joseph, APN (left), and registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Rachna Singh, RD, CDE.
‘I WANT THIS DISEASE TO LOSE’ WITH DIABETES CENTER HELP, A MAN MAKES SMART CHANGES TO AVOID FAMILIAR COMPLICATIONS.
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iabetes is never a welcome diagnosis, but Bridgewater resident Frank Fricano found his to be especially disturbing. Fricano has witnessed several relatives struggle with serious complications from the chronic condition, including vision loss, foot amputation and even death. “I know what diabetes does to the body,” says Fricano, a 64-year-old hotel executive who received his diagnosis in June 2021. Diabetes impairs the body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin, disrupting the body’s Healthy Together
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metabolism, triggering high blood sugar and often leading to a cascade of problems. “I did not want to go down that path,” Fricano says. Equipped with a referral from his primary care physician, Fricano promptly set up an appointment at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset’s renowned Diabetes Center. The center provides one-on-one education, blood sugar monitoring, meal planning, nutritional counseling and other services to help people with diabetes
successfully manage their condition through measures such as exercise, diet modification, weight loss and medication. “I knew from the get-go that I had to change my behaviors and attitudes,” Fricano says. “I had to say to myself, ‘I want this disease to lose and me to win.’”
A PERSONALIZED APPROACH
Diabetes Center staff members such as nutritionists, diabetes educators and advanced practice nurses customize
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