MANSFIELD – Ontario City Council member Eddie Gallo, who turned 50 last October, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last year. After a long period of living in denial and avoiding the doctor like the plague, entering the Strive to Thrive contest and becoming a finalist gave him the push he needed to take his health seriously again.
“Following (Richland Source) and seeing that (they) were doing something like this, and the bedrock of it was to build community awareness for community related things, made me want to get behind it,” Gallo said. “And then I thought, ‘Well, if I’m going to get behind it, why not participate in it?’”
It’s not far reaching to say that by joining the contest and being accepted as a contestant may have saved his life, Gallo said.
“I was in denial about my diabetes and I was not in any hurry to go back to the doctor and find out that I might be put on injections or medicines or whatever else I was going to infer,” Gallo said.
“With doing this contest, obviously part of it was that I needed to have the correct forms filled out and everything, so it forced me to go back to my doctors, and it forced me to get on the right plan.”
In 2019, approximately 463 million adults (20-79 years) were living with diabetes, and by 2045 this will rise to 700 million, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
As a public figure, Gallo wants to set an example for Richland County.
“If in being in my position I can help draw awareness to health related things, especially things like diabetes (and) heart disease… then that’s something that I definitely want to do,” he said. “I definitely want to use what little bit of platform I have to draw awareness and to try to help people be encouraged to do the right thing.”
Growing up adopted, Gallo did not know his biological medical history, however his adoptive father passed away at 52 years old after a massive heart attack. He also had diabetes.
“I’ve kind of been in denial about having diabetes,” Gallo said. “It just didn’t register with me that I could have it. I did not want to be chemically dependent. I was very much against that idea of getting older and relying on medicines.”
Gallo recalled one of the prescriptions he received making him very sick as a side effect to the point where he had to stop taking it. In addition, due to a heavy workload, he would have to cancel doctors appointments and did not get his prescriptions refilled for months.
“Without eating properly, without being active, having the diagnosis even though I was in denial on it and then turning 50—all those things in unison made me start thinking that I need to get my health path on the right course.”
In 2016, Richland County Public Health revealed after conducting a health assessment that 13 percent of Richland County adults had been diagnosed with diabetes, increasing to 27 percent of those over the age of 65. Seven percent of adults were also diagnosed with pre-diabetes.
After finally going to the doctor, Gallo’s diabetes doctor did two blood draws—fasting and nonfasting—explaining to him that his tests needed to show that his sugar was in the normal low 100s. Unfortunately, Gallo registered in the 300s and 400s, putting him at risk.
“If I would’ve continued on that path, then I probably would’ve ended up like my adoptive father,” Gallo said.
For Gallo, self-discipline, eating right and doing the correct things to remain healthy have always been his pitfall. He describes himself as his worst enemy.
“I’m from an Italian family, my wife is from an Italian family,” he said. “Food is like an event for us. It’s not just a sustenance, it’s social; it’s relational. That type of lifestyle was something I needed to break away from. Not just for myself, but as an example for my kids. I want them to do the right thing, choose healthy options and the right lifestyle.”
Now that he’s a contestant in Strive to Thrive, Gallo said that since he’s put himself out there, he now has to commit. The biggest win for him once they reach the end of the competition in April is knowing he’s gotten his diabetes under control. He wants to make sure that he won’t have any issues moving forward that prevent him from living a long life with his wife, kids and future grandkids.
“I don’t want to be overdramatic or anything, but this probably has gone a long way toward making sure I’m not going to be that victim of my own poor choices,” he said.
Follow the Strive to Thrive contestant’s progress and stories here.
