After an alarming diabetes diagnosis, Eric Adams, the president of New York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, turned his health around. Here is his story.My plant-based journey started in early 2016. I was having vision problems and tingling in my hands and feet, but I did the typical American man thing. From playing football, you learn to suck it up.Shock, Then DeterminationWhile overseas in Israel, I started having serious pain in my side. After tests, the doctor diagnosed a stomach ulcer, but he was more concerned about the results of my A1C test, which measures average blood sugar. Anything over 6.5 percent is considered diabetes; mine was in the high teens. The doctor said, “I’m surprised you aren’t in a coma.”I visited five different doctors here in the city. They all said I needed insulin. They said diabetes is hereditary, that the tingling in my hands and feet signaled permanent nerve damage, that my vision wouldn’t improve.I wanted to try lifestyle changes before signing up for insulin injections. To their credit, two out of five doctors were willing to work with me, though they thought it was a long shot. I Googled “reversing diabetes,” and a slew of results came up, including Forks Over Knives and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn at the Cleveland Clinic.