Hershel Witherspoon, 61, of Dallas went to a doctor for the first time when he was 46. And even then, an on-the-job injury forced the decision.
“I didn’t think I really needed to see the doctor until I got the sugar 10 years ago,” he says. By “sugar,” he’s referring to Type II diabetes, the disease that strikes African-Americans such as Witherspoon with greater frequency than it does whites.
African-Americans are about twice as likely to contract diabetes than the general population.
The “sugar” reference was passing, but Witherspoon’s commitment to health is anything but. It hasn’t always been that way for the retired truck driver.
The diagnosis came in 1986 after he spent a year ignoring dizzy spells, dry mouth and frequent urination. He lived with the symptoms, but when they persisted, he relented and saw a doctor.
“I didn’t believe in doctors. There wasn’t a whole lot of `going to the doctor’ when I was coming up. Black folks didn’t go unless they were sick. Guess you fall into a habit.”
After the diagnosis, he faced the inevitable: He would have to treat his illness and change his lifestyle.
For Witherspoon, that meant regular doctor visits and treatment, an improved diet and exercise. It was the latter that brought him the most comfort — the realization that he was not alone.
It’s 9:30 a.m., and a handful of senior men, most of them diabetic, are assembled in a small, spare exercise room at the Moorland YMCA in Dallas. The session is low-impact aerobics, but the enthusiasm is high.
YMCA staff member Jackye White waits for the group to settle in as they spend a few minutes “chewing the fat.”
On this morning, the group is relaxed, enthusiastic and very talkative.
“It’s not usually this way. They have something to say today,” says White. “Most of the time, they get right to the business of exercising.” The men do have plenty to say about the error of their ways.
“I never exercised until I started coming here two years ago,” says Tom Smith. “Now I look forward to it.” Like Witherspoon, Smith, 66, also is a Type II diabetic and a retired trucker.
“My wakeup call came in 1990. I found out I was borderline in ’82, but I had to keep working,” Smith says. “Anyway, I never thought I’d really get diabetes.”
Smith started ailing six years ago and had to see a doctor. The diagnosis was shocking, he says. There is no history of diabetes in his family, and he otherwise had been healthy — “healthy as a horse” — until then. Now, he says, he takes care of his diabetes and sees a black internist on a regular basis.
“I feel very comfortable with my doctor. I feel like he understands me, and I trust him to take good care of me.”
What Smith didn’t know earlier is that Type II diabetes, the most common form, is most likely to start in adults who are over 45, overweight and sedentary. It’s also the fourth-leading cause of death in the world.
“It’s all downhill after 40, anyway,” says Vernon Jackson as he summons the group to get going. He, too, has diabetes. “That’s why we do this (exercise) twice a week.”
As the soothing gospel music of Andre Crouch rhythmically pumps out from a boom box, the group begins to exercise. A simple warmup routine and some stretches get the men going. They do a typical low-impact aerobic routine, then return to stretches.
It’s the friendly camaraderie that keeps the men coming back Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are more of a support group than they realize. To them, they’re just doing what comes naturally.
Discussion centers on community — they talk about church, civic happenings and events in the neighborhood, such as free screenings.
Witherspoon remembers that many of his mother’s siblings died of diabetes. His mother, 88, and his father, 90, both managed to escape the disease.
Diabetes tends to run in families but is not necessarily hereditary. There are, however, direct links to lifestyle and environment.
Jackson, who has colon cancer that is in remission, also had a heart attack several years ago and was hospitalized. Diabetes was detected shortly after he recovered from heart surgery.
“My health was never a priority. I guess I didn’t have enough respect for medical care. I didn’t believe in doctors.”
If there is one lesson to be learned, he says, it’s that the treatment extends beyond the doctor’s office. He has lost 40 pounds in three years, and he has been exercising regularly the entire time.
The class is coming to an end now. Afterward, some of the men will extend their workout in the weight room. But, before the dismissal comes the all-important closing prayer. This day, the men invite “Brother Witherspoon” to lead. The four sit in a circle and bow their heads.
“Lord, thank you for our lying down last night and getting up this morning. Thank you for allowing us to come together for another exercise class and for allowing our instructor to give us proper exercises for the nourishment of our bodies and our souls.”
