Meet Zach Hebert

When Zach found out about a job opening at the Diabetes Care Club last year, he was stoked. He nailed the interview and got the job, but there was just one problem: "I thought I was applying for a job with the web team," he says. The disappointment didn't last long; once he met his new coworkers and started interacting with the patients, he knew he had landed the right job. We sat down with Zach to find out more about him and why he makes such a great patient care representative.

Interview

Q. Did you have any experience with diabetes before coming here?

A: One of my best friends has it, and he once slipped into a diabetic coma. That was actually one of the catalysts for coming to work here. Diabetes is an epidemic, and a lot of people don't realize how serious it can get in a blink of an eye.

Q. What's the biggest thing you've learned from on-the-job training?

A. I've never been an impatient person, but I've definitely learned a lot about patience from this job. It's so important, especially when you're doing new meter trainings. Sometimes you can be on the phone 45 minutes or an hour just to get one blood sample. And keep in mind that they've probably been trying for hours before they call. It can be tough - for me and for the patient. But when the patient finally gets it, that's huge for both of us. There's a lot of gratification with this job. It just feels good to know that I'm helping someone.

Q. Staying healthy is important for your patients. Do you practice what you preach?

A. Definitely. In my family, diabetes isn't prevalent, but heart disease and high cholesterol are, particularly among the men. I do a lot of weight training, and I've also learned how to make my favorite recipes much healthier. I'm Cajun, so I cook a lot of Cajun food. Before coming here, it was always white rice, tons of pork sausage with way too much salt. Today, it's brown rice, turkey sausage and fresh vegetables and seasoning. It's much healthier, but just as delicious.