Commentary

Preventing Amputation: A Doctor’s Guide for Diabetes Patients

POST NEWS GROUP — Amputation is usually the final stage of diabetic foot disease. Earlier signs often involve nerve damage. Some people experience numbness, tingling, burning, or loss of sensation in their feet.

Published

2 months ago

July 15, 2026

Post News Group

For many diabetes patients, amputation becomes a last-resort measure after infections, ulcers, or poor circulation worsen rapidly and leave few other treatment options.

But according to Dr. Estelle Everett, a physician and researcher specializing in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the

University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), most diabetes-related amputations can be prevented through early intervention, consistent medical care, and patient education.

For Everett, her commitment to diabetes prevention is deeply personal. Watching her younger sister navigate Type 1 diabetes exposed her early to the challenges many patients face, including barriers to advanced diabetes technologies such as continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps due to racial disparities in patient care.

Those experiences helped shape her focus on prevention, education, and equitable access to care.

Dr. Everett spoke with California Black Media (CBM) about the warning signs of diabetic complications, prevention strategies, healthcare access, and the role of diabetes technology in improving outcomes.

What are some of the early warning signs that a person with diabetes may be developing circulation and nerve problems that could potentially lead to amputation?

Amputation is usually the final stage of diabetic foot disease. Earlier signs often involve nerve damage. Some people experience numbness, tingling, burning, or loss of sensation in their feet.

Poor circulation is another warning sign. Symptoms can include calf pain while walking, foot pain at rest, cold feet, skin color changes, or wounds that do not heal properly. Foot ulcers, thick calluses, and untreated cuts can also become serious infections that may eventually lead to amputation if they are not treated early.

Before complications reach that stage, what are some early signs of diabetes itself that people should be looking out for?

Many people are walking around with diabetes and do not even realize it. Some patients first seek medical care only after they’ve already developed complications because they’ve had diabetes for years without knowing it.

That’s why routine screenings are so important. If you have diabetes, controlling it early can significantly reduce the risk of severe complications later on.

Many Black Californians harbor a degree of distrust in the healthcare system. What message would you send to encourage people to get regular checkups?

Distrust is real, and there are many reasons people may avoid healthcare. Some fear discrimination or worry they’ll simply be judged instead of helped.

Personally, I realized some of the care my sister received may have been influenced by racial bias. Although she had diabetes for years, she was never offered diabetes technology like insulin pumps or continuous glucose monitors. When she finally asked about them, she was told she had to jump through many hoops.

Later, I realized her experience wasn’t unique. Research shows that minority patients and people from lower-income backgrounds are less likely to be offered diabetes technology. That inspired me to focus my research on improving access for the populations that need these tools the most.

I think building trust is important. Finding the right doctor is almost like dating. If you don’t feel comfortable with your provider, it may help to find someone you connect with and feel understands your concerns. That relationship can make a major difference in getting consistent care.

Are there newer technologies or innovations in diabetes care that people should know about?

One of the biggest advances has been continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs. These small wearable devices track blood sugar levels in real time and have really changed diabetes care over the past decade.

For providers, CGMs give a much clearer picture of blood sugar patterns throughout the day. For patients, they provide immediate feedback about how food, exercise, and other daily habits affect blood sugar levels.

Someone may notice that certain foods cause major spikes while certain exercises lower their blood sugar. That real-time information helps people make healthier decisions and improve blood sugar control. Research shows these technologies can significantly improve outcomes.

What daily habits or preventative measures can reduce the risk of complications or even amputation?

The biggest thing is controlling your diabetes. A lot of people automatically think diabetes will lead to amputations, but research shows the risk is much lower when diabetes is well managed.

That means taking medications as prescribed, making dietary changes, and working to keep your A1C below 7. Managing high blood pressure and high cholesterol is also important because both contribute to circulation problems.

People should also inspect their feet every day, especially if they’ve already lost sensation. Some patients injure their feet without realizing it because they can’t feel the damage. Catching wounds early is critical. Good foot hygiene also plays a major role in prevention.

Are there any common misconceptions about diabetes that stand out to you in your clinical work with Black patients?

One major misconception is that diabetes medications cause complications like kidney failure or amputations. In reality, poorly controlled diabetes causes those complications — not the medications used to treat it.

Those misconceptions sometimes cause patients to avoid medications or stop taking them altogether. Another issue is that some people believe diet and exercise alone should always control diabetes. While lifestyle changes are important, some patients have severe diabetes that also requires medication.

Needing medication is not a personal failure. Sometimes diet and exercise alone are simply not enough, and medication is necessary to prevent serious complications.

This article is supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF). Visit www.chcf.org

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Commentary

Standoff for Justice: Our Homes Are Worth Fighting For

Jendayi refused to leave her home on Tuesday as approximately 15 to 19 deputies arrived to enforce a court order removing her from the property. The order followed a decision by Judge Sandra Bean of the Alameda County Probate Court, a ruling Jendayi has repeatedly described as unjust and based on what she alleges are serious errors in the court record.

Published

4 hours ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

By Tanya Dennis

Sheriff Covers Lens of Resident’s Security Camera as Alameda County Deputies Enter House with Guns Drawn

What began as a long-running legal battle over the home she has lived in for 13 years escalated Tuesday into a dramatic confrontation between Zakiya Jendayi and Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies—one that has raised urgent questions about probate court decisions, due process, and whether a pending bankruptcy filing should have halted the removal.

Jendayi refused to leave her home Tuesday as approximately 15 to 19 deputies arrived to enforce a court order removing her from the property. The order followed a decision by Judge Sandra Bean of the Alameda County Probate Court, a ruling Jendayi has repeatedly described as unjust and based on what she alleges are serious errors in the court record.

Deputies noticed a Ring camera recording their actions and taped over the lens.

Fifteen to 19 Sheriff’s deputies placed tape over her security cameras, before breaking the locks and entering her home despite the bankruptcy filing taped to the door. Courtesy photo.

Adding to the controversy, Jendayi and her supporters state that opposing counsel, attorney Phillip Campbell, had the property placed in his name in October 2025 without notice to Jendayi. Campbell’s attorney, Alana Grice Conner, filed an opposition in connection with Jendayi’s bankruptcy case. Hours later, sheriff’s deputies arrived at Jendayi’s door.

The confrontation was not simply about one woman refusing to leave her home. For Jendayi and her supporters, it represented the culmination of years of litigation and a larger fight over whether courts have the power to overturn the expressed wishes contained in a person’s will or trust.

Last November, The Post published portions of court transcripts that Jendayi says demonstrate a pattern of false and erroneous rulings. Jendayi states that Bean made 45 rulings in the case, 35 of which she characterizes as false, while she contends that others were legally erroneous.

Bean’s judgment in Jendayi’s case, Hamlin v.

Approximately 25 to 30 of Jendayi’s neighbors came out in massive support on Tuesday observing, streaming and challenging the deputies’ actions on Tuesday. Regarding their show of support, on Wednesday, NBC Bay Area interviewed (left to right) Irene Sip, Elaine Chuck, Irene Yamasato, Joan Rosenberg, Joan Rosenberg, Jade Le, Arianna Angel, and David De Hart. Courtesy photo.

Jendayi, was later upheld on appeal, a development that Jendayi and her supporters say only deepened their concerns about whether the underlying record received meaningful review.

Tuesday’s events brought those concerns from the courtroom to her doorstep.

After covering the lens of Jendayi’s security camera, deputies broke the lock on the front door and entered the residence after she did not respond. Fearing for her safety, Jendayi had retreated to her bedroom. She later emerged nude with her hands raised as an officer entered the home with his gun drawn while other deputies remained outside and on the porch.

Officers reportedly stated that their legal department had determined that the bankruptcy filing did not protect Jendayi from eviction. Deputy Sheriff S. White #2198 of the Court Services/Civil Unit showed a Post reporter what appeared to be incomplete bankruptcy documents that suggested the case had been dismissed. However, when the reporter independently accessed the bankruptcy docket, two additional entries reflected future hearing dates.

The significance and legal effect of those docket entries remain matters for the bankruptcy court and other appropriate legal authorities to determine.

Facing an officer with a gun drawn, Jendayi retreated back into her bedroom, locked the door, and refused to come out, stating that she was suicidal.

At approximately 6:30 p.m., an officer read a warning to Jendayi’s neighbors concerning law enforcement’s duty and response when a person is believed to be threatening to take their own life. The officers then left the premises.

Adding another layer of legal controversy to the confrontation, Jendayi and her supporters contend that the bankruptcy filing made before the attempted removal should have triggered protections against further collection or eviction activity.

Zakia Jendayi was interviewed by NBC Bay Area reporter Velena Jones regarding what led to Tuesday’s stand-off with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department. Courtesy photo.

Questions surrounding the legal effect of the filing—and whether the Sheriff’s Office was legally permitted to proceed—are now expected to become central issues in the continuing dispute.

Jendayi remained inside for some time after the officers left.

Outside, neighbors gathered in growing numbers. Angry, alarmed, and deeply engaged, they voiced support for Jendayi and began reaching out to Alameda County District 4 Supervisor Nate Miley, asking him to intervene while questions about the bankruptcy filing and law enforcement actions are investigated.

Although she remains in possession of her home for now, for Jendayi the events of Tuesday are only the latest chapter in a battle she says has exposed something much larger than the loss of her home.

“The probate court is corrupt. It ignored Dr. Head’s wishes that were written into her will and trust, which made me the sole beneficiary of her home,” Jendayi said, referring to the trust established by Dr. Laura Dean Head upon her death in 2013, that made Jendayi executor of the estate. The trust was challenged by Head’s estranged sisters.

Jendayi says she is not alone in her battle with the probate court. “Over 100 other Black families in Alameda County have lost their homes in probate court over the past decade. This is an injustice. Our homes are worth fighting for.”

For background on the case:

The Post News Group, “The Truth Is in the Transcripts,” Week of November 12–18, 2025.

Post News Group archive: https://postnewsgroup.com/week-of-november-12-18-2025/

Additional information: www.protectyourtrust.org

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Black History

Arnold Perkins: At 85, a Life of Service, Faith and Giving Back

Perkins believes that health is not simply physical. It is emotional, mental, and spiritual. And for much of his life, he says, his faith and philosophy of service have kept him vibrant, happy and connected to the world around him.

Published

4 hours ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

By Tanya Dennis

The Post’s Healthy Aging Series addresses key components for healthy aging: mind, body and spirit. This article addresses the importance of having a strong spiritual or religious foundation.

As America’s population grows older, conversations about healthy aging often focus on diet, exercise and medical care. But for Dr. Arnold Xavier Cornelius Perkins, who will celebrate his 85th birthday next month, another ingredient has been equally important: a spiritual foundation and a lifelong commitment to serving others.

“I am my brothers’ and sisters’ keeper,” Perkins said. “I am a ‘we’ person,” and referenced the South African expression of ‘Ubuntu,’ which means ‘I am because we all are.”

Born in Miami, Florida, Perkins came to California in 1954 with his family to attend a Seventh-day Adventist General Conference. His family ultimately decided to remain in California, unwilling to return to the harsh racism of the segregated South.

He grew up in Berkeley, attending Golden Gate Academy, Willard School, and Berkeley High School before joining the Navy during the Vietnam War era. He later attended Merritt College when the Black Panther Party was emerging in Oakland, where he became involved as a volunteer for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He graduated from San Francisco State University and completed additional coursework at Cal State East Bay.

His professional career became a remarkable journey through public service. Perkins served as Alameda County’s homeless coordinator, became a program officer with the San Francisco Foundation, headed a drug and alcohol program, and ultimately served as director of the Alameda County Public Health Department for 12 years before retiring in 2006.

But retirement did not mean stepping away from service.

Perkins jokingly describes this stage of his life as being in “preferment,” doing what he pleases. What he pleases, however, is continuing to help people.

He has worked with young people, served on San Quentin Prison’s warden advisory council, previously served on the Oakland Police Department Selection Commission, and completed two terms as chair of the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Commission. He chaired the University of San Francisco’s Helen Diller Stanley Comprehensive Cancer Center for 10 years and is now in his 11th year serving on the California Wellness Foundation board.

Perkins even views a hereditary heart defect through the lens of his spiritual philosophy.

“I have a hole in my heart, so I’m not physically perfect,” he said. “But I look at it as I have a hole because I pour my heart out to people.”

That perspective may be one of his greatest lessons about healthy living. Perkins believes that kindness, compassion and community have a direct impact on a person’s emotional and spiritual well-being.

“If I see an unsheltered relative, I’d give them that $20,” he said. “My responsibility is to take care.”

For Perkins, giving does not deplete a person; it gives life back. “My life’s mission is to give,” he said. “And what I get back is life.”

He knows firsthand that one person can change another person’s destiny. As a young man, Perkins stuttered and often fought in response to the teasing and humiliation he experienced. A teacher, Jeff Tedisco, defended him and changed the direction of his life.

“If it hadn’t been for him,” Perkins said, “I would have been in San Quentin.”

Instead, Perkins now goes to Indaba Court, a restorative justice program, to help young people who have made wrong choices understand that they are part of a larger community.

“When they harm one person, they harm the community,” he said.

His prescription for a vibrant life is simple: be understanding, be kind and remember that life is not all about you.

“When we fold our arms, we can’t receive anything,” Perkins said. “But when we stretch out our arms and serve one another, we build community.”

At nearly 85, Arnold Perkins continues to prove that a life rooted in faith, service and love may be one of the most powerful foundations for healthy aging.

Next Week: Brenda Dennis Harris “The Body Temple.”