One man’s reversal of medical issues in a fitness journey that began with walking has been hailed by the Bermuda Diabetes Association as an example of how people can take charge of their health.

Wendell Hollis, 71, said he has “never been healthier” after getting off medications for high blood pressure and cholesterol.

“I started with one step, and then took another and another,” the lawyer, now a dedicated racewalker, told The Royal Gazette.

He was highlighted by the BDA after the charity kicked off its “Live Your Best Life” programme — showing how people with type 2 diabetes can lessen their symptoms and potentially even reverse the course of a chronic lifestyle-related disease.

While Mr Hollis is not affected by diabetes, his story dovetails with the BDA’s campaign.

Debbie Jones, a member of the BDA’s executive committee, said: “With type 2 diabetes, everybody used to think it couldn’t change, that once you have it, it’s over. But it’s not.

“What your body can do is amazing if you give it a chance.

“People don’t necessarily understand that you can lose a little bit of weight, get some exercise, and your liver and pancreas start working better.”

Ms Jones said that the biggest impediment to lifestyle change was people “starting too fast, they don’t enjoy it, and they don’t continue”.

“If they start slowly and then in the next couple of weeks they do a little bit more, they discover that they can do it.”

Mr Hollis, who once enjoyed sports, experienced a life-changing crash in December 2009 that resulted in a paralysed left arm, among other injuries.

He said he was left with about 30 per cent use of his arm, and “intense pain, 24/7, that doesn’t go away”.

Grappling with his own health issues, Mr Hollis also witnessed the debilitating effects of type 2 diabetes on his mother, who died at 66.

She was also struck with early onset Alzheimer’s disease — an illness that, along with dementia, has been shown to be an increased risk for people with type 2 diabetes.

Mr Hollis said his return to fitness took him some time.

“It’s not like I took up walking right away,” he noted. “It took a while for me to rediscover it. Covid-19 was the catalyst.”

During lockdown, when residents could leave their homes for exercise, Mr Hollis found himself enjoying taking a stroll and wanting to go farther.

He said: “It kept going from there. In 2022, I challenged myself to walk every path, road and track in Bermuda in three months.”

Mr Hollis found himself feeling better, increasingly enjoying the activity and looking for more challenges.

In late 2022 he became interested in racewalking, a long-distance sport requiring one foot to be on the ground at all times.

Mr Hollis now participates in most of the island’s races as a competitive walker — frequently coming in near the top of the pack.

He took on the international 10K last year and came in fifth out of the 85 in his category.

At last year’s Bermuda Day Marathon 2023, in his “first-ever attempt at the age of 70”, Mr Hollis finished second in the 70-plus category, including runners, at 2hr 49min.

“When I’m walking, the pain in my arm is something I’m just not conscious of,” he added.

“It’s good for weight control, and I was able to give up on medicines for blood pressure and cholesterol.

“I’ve always been sports-minded, but I do not think I’ve ever been as healthy as I am now.

“That’s the message I want to get out there. I’m still 70 per cent handicapped in my left arm, and paralysed in my left diaphragm.

“But this helps me with getting my oxygen and, generally speaking, all my vital signs are in really good shape.

“I suppose the other thing to add is that, as someone who just recently retired, it gives you something to do.”

Mr Hollis added that the walking life keeps him fit without any need to attend a gym.

He said he has even been able to reduce his pain medication.

The diabetes association showcased a similar story in November with Kennita Perry, whose severe type 2 diabetes has become manageable with simple exercises such as walking, and taking control of her diet.

Ms Jones said perspectives in Bermuda were shifting away from a fatalist mindset.

“We have so much evidence for it now,” she said. “You just have to take that first step.”