[Becky Share]: When you get that diagnosis of type two diabetes, I thought, what can I eat? It feels hopeless.

[Doug Share]: Almost overwhelming.

[Becky Share]: Overwhelming, and you think, I don't even know what to do. 

[Intro Graphic]: For Ohioans: Coshocton County

[Becky Share]: You get this diagnosis, they wanna give you meds, and you don't get any education on how you can change your eating habits. At one point I saw in our local newspaper, The Beacon, that they were given a class through Extension called Dining with Diabetes, and so I thought, well, let's give that a try. Maybe I can get some ideas or thoughts or hope.

[Text]: Diabetes impacts 12.4% of Coshocton adults, a rate above state and national averages. Local diabetes death rates are more than twice Ohio and U.S. figures.

[Emily Marrison, Family And Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension - Coshocton County]: Dining With Diabetes is a nutrition and cooking education class designed for people with diabetes or those who have pre-diabetes, as well as the support people that are in their life, so that they can learn how to cook better and manage their diabetes well.

[Becky Share]: Doug is not diabetic. He got diagnosed as pre-diabetic right before this class started, and I thought perfect. Honestly, all I was hoping to learn was, have you got any ideas about what in the world I could cook? That's what I was thinking, and I got way more than that. Way more information.

[Emily Marrison]: Our hope is that we are empowering people to be able to make their own changes in their lives.

[Text]: Dining with Diabetes has empowered Ohioans since 2005 with classes that combine nutrition, exercise and wellness guidance to help people take charge of their health.

[Doug Share]: When I went back to my doctor, I'd actually dropped close to 30 pounds. I dropped so much weight that my doctor did a complete blood workup on me. The blood work came back very good. My A1C was lower than pre-diabetic inside of six months.

[Emily Marrison]: You can still be connected to a lot of the memories that you have of food that you've enjoyed before. Maybe there are just some simple things that you can do to help make it a little healthier.

[Becky Share]: Dining with Diabetes gave me a hope that I can do this. I don't feel hopeless, and I also feel like if I were to struggle or start to feel hopeless about it all again, I know that Ohio State Extension and Emily are right down the road.

[Closing Graphic]: The Ohio State University