As a competitive powerlifter, Nathan Zenero has a unique talent for lifting heavy things. He’s also taken on more than a few challenges in his life, including sports injuries and thyroid cancer. But when he received a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, the 45-year-old says the weight of diabetes stigma felt even heavier than his previous setbacks.

“There’s a belief that you’re powerless and have no ability to control it,” Zenero says. “I felt an intense sense of shame — shame that I had let myself down, that I had let my family down.”

But thanks to the help of his doctor and Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, Zenero overcame the initial shock and learned to use his CGM to his advantage. The Michigan native, girl-dad and husband is now fueled by his newfound control over his health, increased confidence and mission to break diabetes stigma — because, he says, no one should feel the way he felt during his diagnosis.

“Where I was before FreeStyle Libre 3 was a dark place,” Zenero says. “I felt horrible physically, and I because of that, I felt pretty bad mentally. I was concerned about my longevity, and now I feel like I can conquer life.”

Overcoming a Heavy Burden

Diabetes stigma describes the judgment, discrimination and negative attitudes toward people living with diabetes.

“There’s this stigma associated with diabetes that the condition results from someone’s own choices — like eating too much sugar,” says Aleem Kanji, M.D., a board-certified endocrinologist in Houston and Zenero’s doctor. “But that is false, and the stigma that surrounds diabetes really plays a role in people’s mental and emotional health.”

In a U.S. study of 12,000 adults with Type 2 diabetes, 52% said they perceived social stigma from others because of their diabetes¹. In turn, diabetes stigma can impair diabetes management, such that, for example, someone might avoid doctors' appointments².

Fearing that diabetes might hinder his daily activities or affect his role as a husband and father, Zenero was motivated to work even harder to take control of his health. “I didn't want to be the guy that people didn't invite to things because they think I wouldn't be able to make it to the end of a hike or a workout,” says Zenero.

With the help of his doctor, diet changes and the FreeStyle Libre 3 systems, Zenero was on his way toward achieving his health goals.

“To combat stigma, you have to give people an opportunity to improve,” Zenero says. “The best thing you can do is to trust, have faith and confidence in them that they can change and grow.”

Clarity After the Diagnosis

First, Zenero worked with Dr. Kanji to understand his symptoms. Zenero had digestive issues, but as he learned more about diabetes, he realized he had been experiencing more Type 2 diabetes symptoms than he knew at the time: injuries that were slow to heal, weight gain, thirst and frequent urination.

The next step was controlling his diet and getting his glucose levels under control. Zenero and his doctor turned to FreeStyle Libre 3 for that.

“Dr. Kanji and I agreed that I would use the FreeStyle Libre 3 to monitor my glucose, and that if within seven days, I could show him that I made a certain amount of progress towards a healthy metabolic system, I wouldn’t be put on insulin,” Zenero says. “I watched how everything I ate affected my glucose levels, and in doing so, over the course of seven days, my fasting glucose went down about 40%.”

How Does a CGM Help With Type 2 Diabetes?

CGM systems like Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 system display your glucose levels in real time, so you can make confident choices^*1 and lower your hemoglobin A1C^*2. Today, more than 6 million people worldwide use Abbott’s portfolio of FreeStyle Libre systems to monitor their glucose levels³.

One feature of the FreeStyle Libre 3 app that Zenero and his doctor say they both love is the ability to communicate with each other outside of appointments. They use Abbott’s companion app, called LibreView^†. Through this secure, cloud-based system, Zenero shares his glucose data with his doctor and will leave questions about glucose patterns he sees or behavior modifications he should take to which Dr. Kanji can answer in real time^‡.

“To me, it's not just a life-saving device — it's a life-improving device,” Zenero says. “I'm in the driver's seat, and I have nothing to do but improve.”

The views expressed in this video should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment or as a substitute for professional medical advice. Individual symptoms, situations and circumstances may vary.

References

* Among patient-applied sensors.

† The LibreView data management software is intended for use by both patients and healthcare professionals to assist people with diabetes and their healthcare professionals in the review, analysis, and evaluation of historical glucose meter data to support effective diabetes management. The LibreView software is not intended to provide treatment decisions or to be used as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.

‡ The user’s device must have internet connectivity for glucose data to automatically upload to LibreView and to transfer to connected LibreLinkUp app users.

¹ American Diabetes Association, Stigma in People With Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes | Clinical Diabetes, accessed January 10, 2025.

² American Diabetes Association, Weight Stigma and Diabetes Stigma: Implications for Weight-Related Health Behaviors in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, accessed January 10, 2025.

³ Data on file. Abbott Diabetes Care, Inc. 

⁴ FreeStyle Libre 3 User's Manual