People
Feature
Sheldon Beckford
CEO of DECS Waste Management
It’s a busy day at the office for Sheldon Beckford, as he bounces from back to back meetings. This is a typical day in the life of the success driven 39 year old entrepreneur, who runs DECS Waste Management Services, one of Jamaica’s leading private garbage disposal companies. His obsession with cleanliness is reflected in the well-organized office he manages, in what others tend to see as a ‘dirty’ business. When we saw him, he looked much healthier than when we last met two years ago.
Beckford has had his fair share of challenges. He has had quite a few traumatic and life threatening experiences, but none changed his life like the events that unfolded at the dawning of 2012. The memory is permanently etched in his mind. He clearly recounts how he found himself feeling extra thirsty, and was drinking a lot of juice to try and quench his thirst, but with no success. He also found himself urinating a lot. What he didn’t know was that his genetic predisposition to Diabetes had caught up with him, chiefly because of his relaxed and sometimes untroubled lifestyle, which was often marked by excessive use of alcohol.
“It was inevitable; both sides of the family suffered from Diabetes and Hypertension.
However, it was easier for my generation to manage it because of the information that was available to us. I managed to avoid it for 35 years, but alcohol was a very good friend. It was always there at every conversation. I used to enjoy it,” explained Beckford, who has worked tirelessly to build his waste management business since 2008.
Beckford remembers feeling
extremely weak as he drove
himself to the hospital where he
was treated by doctors, who marveled that he had not fallen into a diabetic coma. But luck was on his side, and the doctors managed to get his sugar level down and released him into the care of his personal doctor. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he had to make significant changes in his life to ensure that he never again found himself at the doorsteps of death because of his lifestyle.
Today he’s almost a new man. He no longer drinks excessively and his outlook on life has changed for the better. The proud father of a two year old girl, he has everything to look forward to, and he plans on doing all he can to ensure that he remains alive long enough to see his daughter through some of life’s more serious challenges. Part of this change is to follow the strict advice of his doctor. He admits that he takes a drink every now and then. But for the most part, he sticks to a set diet plan, which includes less sugar and fatty foods, more vegetables and adherence to portion control and exercise. Beckford, who originally hails from Mount Pleasant in St. Andrew, credits his survival and success on this challenging journey to his strong personality and determination.
“I am not easily influenced. My friends don’t tell me what to do. I made a decision to stick by it. It’s not my friends who have the illness. I have to go home and deal with it- not that friend,” said Beckford, who has pretty much been fending for himself since high school at Kingston College. The former security expert, who also spent his early work life in banking, no longer eats what he feels like, when he feels like. He describes his diet as being somewhat “regimental” and his lifestyle as being less stressful, as he no longer takes his work home.
“My typical breakfast is more than likely coffee, whole wheat bread, half a fruit and maybe cereal. Lunch is a small piece of meat, vegetables, a little rice - the less meat, the better. Dinner is a few fingers of banana, meat and vegetables. I am also taking things slower; stress can affect Diabetics and I am trying to survive. It is no longer about making the mighty dollar; it’s about enjoying what
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