April 2012
Grantee Stories
Living with Diabetes 
Jewish Family Service of Metrowest
By the time Maureen Porcella, 70, attended a diabetes education class earlier this year she had already been living with diabetes for 20 years. As far as she was concerned, she knew everything she needed to about how to manage her chronic disease.
But, to Porcella’s surprise, she learned something from the class which was offered as part of a program called “Managing Diabetes in Seniors: A Community/Medical Partnership.” The program is funded through a grant from the Foundation under its Healthy Aging Initiative. The program is a partnership between Jewish Family Service of Metrowest in Framingham and Southboro Medical Group in Southborough.
“By the end of it I thought ‘Whoa, this was really interesting,'” said Porcella who lives in Ashland.
The program is designed to reach people like Porcella – older adults who needed help (whether they realize it or not) managing their diabetes.
Porcella was hospitalized last year for a week and said she nearly died because she was “half-heartedly” managing her diabetes condition.
She admitted she was tired of pricking herself and testing her blood sugar. She didn’t want to take out her glucose meter during lunch with friends to monitor her sugar. She would go days without monitoring her blood sugar and felt like taking insulin for her diabetes four-times a day was “overwhelming.”
In short, she was in denial.
“I didn’t feel like I was in bad shape,” said Porcella sitting at her kitchen table. “I had gotten myself into a real mess.”
Porcella said the class taught her how to approach living with diabetes with a more positive attitude. It’s not easy but Porcella said she’s taking baby steps and making small, but meaningful changes. She’s trying to exercise more is taking her medication and visiting her physician.
“I didn’t realize how negative I was,” said Porcello. “I’ve tried to eliminate that on a regular basis and say ‘No , I can. I can do anything I want.’”
For more information, contact Jewish Family Service of MetroWest at 508-875-3100.
Samantha LaFrance
Scholarship Recipient
First and foremost, I would like to thank you for your generous contribution to my education. I am proud to say I graduated last May with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. When I started planning my future it was only a dream to pursue a degree in nursing. Once I received my acceptance letter from Regis College my dream turned into a real goal.
My junior year in high school I had a son. His dad was in the military and was being deployed. I was afraid of how I was going to raise my son on my own, without a job and plan our future at the same time. How I was going to pay for college was a mystery.
I was honored that you were confident enough in me to help me through college. It wasn’t only a dollar amount that you provided me with but also the assurance to get through school and the motivation to not let you down.
There is nothing I could say that would express how grateful I am that you were there for me. Here I am today, a better person and a better nurse. This would not have been possible without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, you have changed me and my family’s life forever.