Good health is about more than prescriptions. It’s about having someone in your corner – someone to call when your wrists ache, your numbers climb, and you don’t know what to do. For Magdalena, that someone changed everything.
In this edition of Stories from the Circle, meet Magdalena – whose journey from struggling alone to thriving with support shows what’s possible when you have a wellness partner you can trust.
Magdalena W.
More Than Medicine: How Maggie Found a Wellness Partner She Can Trust
From wrist pain to diabetes, one member found that real support means having someone in your corner.
Magdalena was navigating the daily challenges of getting older – aching wrists, diabetes she’d been managing for years, back pain that came and went without warning.
Magdalena was managing it all alone with no one to turn to for guidance. “Nobody would say anything or help me with anything,” she recalls.
Then two years ago, Magdalena received an unexpected phone call inviting her to a Wider Circle breakfast. That’s where she met Manuel Meraz, a Member Engagement Lead who invited her to join his weekly wellness calls covering nutrition, exercise, and chronic condition management.
On those calls, Magdalena found the support system she’d been missing—members sharing practical health tips around issues she was facing too. The calls were a new lifeline. “It gives us confidence in what to do and how to do it,” she says.
When her carpal tunnel flared up, Manuel showed her wrist stretches she now does every evening. When her blood sugar kept spiking, he helped her understand which foods and drinks had hidden sugars. She swapped sugary juices for water, learned to read nutrition labels, and passed those skills on to her daughter. He also checks in regularly, giving her something she didn’t have before: motivation to follow through.
Today, Magdalena’s diabetes is more stable, her wrists don’t ache like they used to, and she knows exactly what to do when something flares up. Her husband saw the difference and joined too – now he’s managing his chronic back pain better. “We are doing better,” she says simply.
Beyond the health improvements, Magdalena has found genuine friendship. She’s formed a tight-knit group within Wider Circle – women she calls regularly, meets for coffee, and genuinely trusts. “No drama, no gossip,” she says. “Just nice people.” Now she and her husband attend events together, trying new restaurants and enjoying a social life they wouldn’t have built on their own.
“I feel good that I have somebody I can trust,” Magdalena shared. “If I have a doubt or want more information, I just call him and he helps me.”
Today, Magdalena serves as a Wider Circle ambassador, translating for Spanish-speaking members during Manuel’s Tuesday calls and helping others find the same support. “I like it because I can help people,” she says. “I like to be with people.”
What started as a breakfast invitation became something Magdalena didn’t know she needed: a wellness partner, a circle of friends, and the confidence to take her health into her own hands.
Thank you, Magdalena, for reminding us that good health isn’t just about doctors and prescriptions – it’s about having someone in your corner.
And thank you to our sponsors for making stories like Magdalena’s possible every day.
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About the author: Jamie Zale
Wider Circle
