In 2020, Veronica could barely walk the few yards between her couch and kitchen. At 270 pounds and dealing with severe joint pain from gout, her legs ached with every step. Her doctor warned that without a major lifestyle change, her high sugar levels would snowball into diabetes, and she could lose her legs.
That’s when Veronica found a lifeline: the community gym at San Ysidro Senior Village in San Diego. “One day, I decided that enough was enough and that I needed to get healthy,” she said. “So, I went to my community gym to get in shape.”
She started slowly – using a treadmill and elliptical on the lowest settings. Veronica soon found herself drawn to the gym daily, determined to improve her health. For months, the workouts left her with burning muscles … until it eventually got easier.
Over the last four years, Veronica shed more than 100 pounds. Now she rarely needs her walker and regularly treks around the city, to the beach, nearby parks and even movie theaters, thrilled to have regained her freedom.
“I walk every day and I’m keeping myself active,” she said. “I’m a spokesperson to other residents now, too. I’m always telling my neighbors to get up and move so they don’t waste away.”
Veronica said she appreciates the support she receives from San Ysidro Village staff and the healthy eating advice from nutritionists who visit her community.
“We are so happy to support Veronica in her journey,” said Stephanie De La Torre, Hope through Housing regional director. “She encourages others to join healthy activities. That sense of togetherness and camaraderie is exactly what we’re all about at Hope through Housing.”
San Ysidro staff even helped Veronica enroll at San Diego City College to earn a degree as a family therapist.
“I’m grateful for the wonderful apartment, gym and health programs that National CORE and Hope through housing provide – they mean a lot to me,” Veronica said.