When Zelda Medina of Waipahu was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2005, she ignored her doctor’s advice: Exercise and change your diet.

That was until last summer, when her mother suffered a stroke and kidney failure — complications from diabetes. Medina’s mother is now undergoing dialysis.

"That was a rude awakening," said Medina, 49, a mother of three. "That opened my eyes." 

She switched her diet to fish and chicken from pork and beef, to vegetables from french fries, and to a health shake from diet soda.

She also stepped up her fitness regimen: Zumba three times a week and Beachbody workouts with the Dew Fitness Team.

Medina has lost more than 20 pounds so far, dropping to a pants size 4 from size 10. Her cholesterol and blood pressure also have dropped.

In August, Medina’s doctor took her off daily medication meant to control her blood sugar — pills she took for three years.

Constant encouragement and support from her Zumba instructors helped her stay on track, she says: "I look at them as part of my family."

The Zumba family stands to grow Sunday, when De Andra and Darryl Dew of Kapolei and a group of fellow instructors from around the island will participate in the 19th annual Hawaii Children and Youth Day. All share a common goal: to improve the health of isle families.

The Zumba instructors will teach at the Teen Zone on the grounds of the Kalanimoku Building, 1151 Punchbowl St. The event is free.

Zumba is a high-energy dance workout mixing Latin and international beats with dance moves from salsa, merengue and samba. Other styles, such as hip hop, hula or Bollywood, can be infused into the cardiovascular routine based on the instructor’s preference.

Students can go at their own pace. The instructor offers modified movements that are either faster or slower.

In a large air-conditioned room at the Villages of Kapolei Recreation Center one recent night, about 25 students mirrored Darryl Dew’s repetitive hip-swaying and arm-raising movements to the fast-paced, bass-beating Latin music, mixing lunges and crunches into the routine. De Andra joined her husband at times on the hardwood floor, dancing in sync.

Doctors say that kind of regular exercise can help stave off Type 2 diabetes, a disease that relates to lifestyle as well as genetics.

Diabetes, which allows sugar to build up in the blood, can affect all organs, leading to heart and kidney disease, blindness and amputations of the legs, according to Leslie Lam, executive director of the American Diabetes Association-Hawaii.

"Although the cause of diabetes remain a mystery, genetics and environmental factors play a role," she said.

De Andra Dew, 39, a mother of four, says she can relate to Medina’s battle.

Dew’s father, Fred Duhaylonsod, 72, died from complications of the disease. Though an active runner and bowler, he saw his health start to decline in his 50s.

In February 2011, Duhaylonsod was admitted to Pali Momi Medical Center, where he suffered a stroke and a ruptured appendix. He went blind and died three months later.

An unhealthy diet led to his onset of Type 2 diabetes, De Andra Dew contends.

His death prompted Dew, already passionate about fitness, and her family to help the community with their fitness goals to combat chronic health conditions like diabetes.

The Dews’ Zumba class draws residents from their 20s to 60s, including couples, mothers and daughters, siblings and friends. Many regular students have developed a rapport.

"Everybody made such good friends where they push and motivate each other," said De Andra Dew.

Zumba is a family affair for the Dews.

Darryl teaches while De Andra handles the administrative side, scheduling and organizing classes and special events. Oldest daughter Angel Duhaylonsod, also a Zumba instructor, energizes students by dancing alongside them. Another daughter, Ana Duhaylonsod, helps check in students and babysits younger siblings Elijah and Eva.

Fitness is a foundation for the family, said De Andra.

"We motivate each other."