Brenda Bodnar
Diabetes
and Healthy Heart Educator
Brenda Bodnar, Carrier Tribe
First Nations, RD, CDE, is a registered dietitian and a
certified diabetic education (CDE) who works with the
Flathead Diabetes and Native Heart Beat Programs. Bodnar’s
program is located on one of the four clinics on the
Flathead Reservation, but she teaches at health fairs and
in other settings throughout the reservation. Her cooking
classes include cooking with elk meat. Some of her other
classes focus on issues identified through community
assessments, such as fast-and-easy food and eating on a
budget.
“I grew up
poor. My parents weren’t educated and didn’t value
education. When my husband and I started our family, we
knew we needed to be educated.
“My first career was as a chef. I loved cooking. It is a
highly competitive, male-dominated field. It wore me down.
After I was 40 it was harder.
“I went back to school as an adult. Half way through I had
to choose between dietetics and food science. Dietetics
accepted me so that’s what I did. I failed the exam the
first time. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to be a good
dietitian. The second time I passed with a good score.
Later several dietitians told me they failed the first time
and that is not uncommon. I wish they had told me earlier.
“Some people have a difficult time passing the RD exam. I
could really use their help and I think they could help on
other reservations doing such things as, teaching community
classes and teaching in schools.
“I grew my own job. I was willing to take on new things,
such as creating classes and a conference.
I also become a certified diabetic education. It took 5
years, but I did it. If people say they can’t become an RD
or a CDE, I say, “If I can do it, you can do it.
Advice
to Students
“If I had
realized how difficult the coursework is, I might not have
gone ahead. (You have to take courses like biochemistry and
calculus.) I took one semester at a time. Each time I
completed a class, I was one step closer.
“It’s important to have good study and reading skills.”
This
article was originally published in the Summer, 2009
issue of
Winds of Change. (The cover
artist is William Rabbit, Cherokee.)