Lexi Winnell, 9, is insulin resistant, a red-flag sign of diabetes risk. Swimming, walking and exercising, she and her grandparents are determined to bring down her risk of diabetes. “We want her to have a long, healthy life,” grandmother Kelly Winnell said.
West Virginia leads the nation in diabetes, but the state offers no statewide list of diabetes education services. The Gazette-Mail pulled together this list. It’s not complete, but it is more comprehensive than any available.
As director of the West Virginia Uncovered project, Mary Kay McFarland has helped students tell stories about West Virginians from Welch to Wheeling. In 2012, they linked with the Charleston Gazette’s “The Shape We’re In” project. “The state’s obesity epidemic was a natural fit for us,” McFarland said.
Four West Virginia University students crafted videos on topics associated with “The Shape We’re In” series. This is a scene from the first video (see below).
