Better Lives with AIA Vitality: How Ngaire beat type 2 diabetes into remission with small choices

Ngaire had always considered herself healthy – until a series of profound challenges forced her to re-examine this belief.

At 25 years old, Ngaire was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). For more than a decade, she and her husband tried for a child – without success. Then, finally, the pair welcomed a daughter into the world. “It was amazing,” Ngaire recalls.

In 2018, Ngaire fell pregnant again – but tragically lost her unborn baby at 24 weeks. “It was heartbreaking,” she says. “My daughter knew what was happening. She was excited to be a big sister.”

While still grieving this devastating loss, Ngaire’s PCOS began to affect her hormones, which led to a raft of other health issues, including weight gain. “I went from 45 kilograms to 89 kilograms,” says Ngaire, who’s 150cm tall. “I knew something was wrong.”

To try and cope with the trauma of losing her baby, Ngaire threw herself into her career. “I got back into working too early,” she says. “It wasn’t a good thing to do.” A few months passed, and Ngaire began feeling increasingly tired and unwell. After consulting with a doctor, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. “I felt betrayed by my body,” she remembers.

Joining AIA Vitality in 2020 and completing her nutrition self-assessment helped Ngaire become more aware of her food choices. Via the programme, she also consulted with a Mission Nutrition dietitian – which allowed her to focus on the areas she wanted to improve. “I'm an emotional eater, and she gave me strategies on how to deal with [that],” she says.

Beyond this, Ngaire also benefited from the mental health assessment within the AIA Vitality programme. “You feel sometimes you can't actually talk to somebody about it,” says Ngaire of her mental wellbeing. “Having an app I can go to and assess myself and how I'm feeling helped a lot.”

Inspired by the success she saw by taking control of her nutrition, Ngaire has set new goals and taken small steps to realising them. “Since I've lost the weight, I've been able to do a lot more things,” Ngaire says. Achieving new statuses within the AIA Vitality App has been a great incentive to keep besting herself. “I'm trying to get to Gold Status. I do about 17,000 steps a day.”

While her type 2 diabetes is in remission, there’s always the possibility it could return. This means Ngaire understands – more than most – the importance of sustainable habits. “It's a change of mindset,” she says. “I needed something to happen to me to make that change.”

Ngaire has done a lot of good for herself in the past few years. But one of the achievements she’s most proud of is setting a positive example for her eight-year-old daughter. “I'm able to run around with my daughter now,” says Ngaire. “We go biking. I can outrun her now… She loves it.”

Through Ngaire, her daughter is now learning first-hand the importance of nutrition. “The other day, when I was quite sick, she knew exactly what to give me,” Ngaire says proudly. “She got me some fruit to make me feel better.”

People in her community have also noticed the change in Ngaire, often asking what her secret is. “I [say], ‘All I've done is just made these minor changes to understand how my body works.’”

Ngaire believes to inspire intergenerational change, we need to model positive behaviours for others. “It’s helped the wider community,” she says. “I'm able to have that influence on people, because they see that I've made the change.”