Changing for What Matters Most
Lily Ann Leilani Ryan was determined to do whatever it took to improve her health and envisioned a healthier and more active future spending time with her grandchildren. The MOVE! team at the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System supported Lily in making that vision a reality.
Finding a New Course
In 2012, mustering her motivation after a visit with her primary care provider, Lily launched her efforts to reach a healthier weight. With her A1C (blood sugar) level approaching 14%, Lily embraced the opportunity to work with her health care team to create a plan that worked for her. That plan included the MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans. As she started attending group sessions, Lily learned that taking small steps could lead her to the change she envisioned.
[MOVE! is] an awesome program and every Veteran should stick it out because it works.
Lily Ann Leilani Ryan
Building a New Lifestyle
For Lily, the group setting was a powerful motivator on her health journey. Sharing her story and hearing other Veterans share theirs provided the encouragement and accountability she needed to keep going. Gradually, Lily transformed her eating and physical activity habits. Combining the strategies of adding more vegetables and water to her daily menus with increasing her physical activity by walking more often, Lily found the right balance of healthy behaviors for overall health and wellbeing.
Embracing a New Normal
Lily’s new lifestyle has resulted in benefits that she experiences every day. Sharing her healthy eating habits and newfound positive mindset with her family, Lily not only feels better overall, but she has more energy to spend time with her grandchildren. Reflecting on these changes, Lily explains, "I was so depressed all the time but it’s different now." With her family at the heart of her motivation and progress, she can now celebrate having cut her A1C in half! Lily will be able to dedicate some of her newfound energy to the Maui County Veterans Council, where she was recently elected. She looks forward to giving back and supporting others.
