Divabetic Remembers Barry White

Barry White gave us romantic moments with a unique music score with his deep booming bass. Unfortunately, he lost his long battle with kidney disease brought on by high blood pressure at age 58.

Our kidneys play a key role in keeping our blood pressure in a healthy range. The kidneys help filter wastes and extra fluids from blood, and they use a lot of blood vessels to do so. When the blood vessels become damaged, the nephrons that filter your blood don’t receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to function well. This is why high blood pressure (HBP or hypertension) is the second leading cause of kidney failure.

Diseased kidneys are less able to help regulate blood pressure. As a result, blood pressure increases. If you have chronic kidney disease (CKD), high blood pressure makes it more likely that your kidney disease will get worse and you will have heart problems.

Still, the music Barry White created over 30 years will permanently set the stage for lovers of all ages in many parts of the world. 

Barry White had his first number one on the music charts in 1974 with Love’s Theme by The Love Unlimited Orchestra. Love’s Theme was initially intended to be an overture for the girl group, also named Love Unlimited’s’ debut album titled Under the Influence of Love Unlimited. But as it turned out, the Orchestra became more popular than the singers.

As the Love Unlimited album producer, Barry White subsequently made his debut as a performer. He introduced his “pillow talk” vocals in Walkin’ in the Rain with the One I Love with Love Unlimited.

The success of the song led to his solo album as a singer. So after being a songwriter, producer, arranger since he was 17 and a singer since he was eight, Barry finally had his own hit. The song was I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More Baby. He would alternate crooning and speaking seductive, yearning lyrics in his distinctive bass against the lush background melodies set to disco beats.

Barry White won two Grammys in 2000 as Best Male and Best Traditional R&B Performance for Staying Power in the album of the same title. 

Don’t miss Divabetic’s first podcast of the year featuring Rachel Zinman, Arthur Aston, and Patricia Addie Gentle RN, CDCES on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 6 PM, EST.

Our musical inspiration, R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass, who was not living with diabetes, overcame many obstacles and continued to sing after a car crash in 1982 that left him in a wheelchair.

Before the crash, Mr. Pendergrass’s explosive, raw voice earned turned him into an international star and sex symbol. His masculinity, passion, and the joys and sorrow of romance were featured in songs such as Close the Door, Love T.K.O, and other hits that have since become classics.

Teddy’s longtime collaborator Kenny Gamble said, “He had a tremendous career ahead of him, and the accident sort of got in the way of many of those plans.”

Mr. Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down – still able to sing but without his signature power. The image of the masculine, virile lover was replaced with one that drew sympathy.

But instead of becoming bitter or depressed, Teddy Pendergrass created a new identity – that as a role model, Mr. Gamble said.

“He never showed me that he was angry at all about his accident,” Mr. Gamble said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “In fact, he was very courageous.”

After extensive physical therapy, he resumed his recording career. He had Top 10 rhythm and blues hits and gold albums into the ’90s.

We hope Teddy Pendergrass helps inspire you to focus on the positive in the face of challenges related to managing your diabetes.

Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music by Teddy Pendergrass courtesy of SONY Music.

 

Know Diabetes By Heart Ambassador Sarah Shares Her Diagnosis To Diva Story

Know Diabetes By Heart  Ambassador Sarah B. shares how her husband’s death motivated her to take her type 2 diabetes diagnosis seriously on the March Diabetes Late Nite podcast.  

I watched how diabetes coupled with a stroke ravished him and how it caused him to basically give up hope,” she said after her husband was wheelchair bound because of a stroke caused by mismanagement of his type 2 diabetes. “Watching how he had been debilitated by the disease, I knew I could not go down that path.” 

Sarah urges other caregivers to take care of themselves and be mindful of their health. “When someone relies on you, you need to take care of yourself. Their well-being is tied to your well-being, so you have to ensure that you stay well.” 

Sarah has made a conscious decision to manage her diabetes with diet and exercise. “Not exercising for me is not an option!” She starts her days with rebounding on a mini trampoline. To stay motivated, she watches a variety of rebounding workout videos on YouTube.  

An adventure group for widows she discovered on Facebook helps her stay active too. Last year the group entered a Spartan Race, a 5K obstacle course, which required them to climb over a wall just to get to the starting line! Sarah said that the group members “prove to ourselves that life goes on and we can be better than we thought we were.” 

She has also adopted a whole-food, plant-based diet after watching several documentaries about the meat industry on Netflix. One of her favorite foods is the Japanese sweet potato. “I top them with beans, broccoli, onions and mushrooms.” 

Japanese sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins (especially vitamin A), minerals, potassium, iron, copper and fiber. Since they are high in carbohydrates, Healthline recommends that you keep your portions small and boil instead of baking them to help ensure a lower glycemic load. 

Sarah’s late husband’s tragic health story mirrors the story of Divabetic icon Luther Vandross. Luther experienced a stroke related to type 2 diabetes in 2003 and died in 2005 at the age of 54.

We’d like to encourage you to “keep your house a home” and learn how to prevent and/or delay a diabetes health-related complication like kidney disease. March is National Kidney Month. If you have type 2 diabetes, you run an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Thankfully, you can test kidney function to find out about problems early – and make changes to prevent CKD – with a simple screening.

LEARN MORE 

Debbie Allen’s Prediabetes Diagnosis Didn’t Surprise Her

Dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen admits she wasn’t surprised she was diagnosed with prediabetes, even though she’s been active throughout her life. 

“When I found out late, this past summer, it was not a surprise. I was kind of expecting that it might happen,” Debbie Allen told MadameNoire magazine.

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Her father lived with type 2 diabetes and several of her family members died from complications of the same disease. “It’s in my DNA and it’s in my children’s DNA, so they need to know. I believe, again, that information is power,” she said. 

As a child, Allen’s father encouraged her to keep dancing to prevent her from developing type 2 diabetes. One of her biggest challenges in managing her prediabetes has been making herself her top priority.

“I’m so busy and I don’t think about myself. And that’s been my biggest problem. I’m always last on my list. I have two grandchildren now and my husband, my son, my daughter and I have all these beautiful young people that I’m mentoring.”

Debbie Allen also admits that she isn’t as active today as she once was, when she was dancing 7-8 hours a day. “I’m directing, administering, I’m looking at film. I’m teaching my live IG class. But my physical life has changed a bit because of my career.”

Debbie Allen has partnered with the National Kidney Foundation to raise awareness about the link between type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

If you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes, Divabetic encourages you to talk to your health care professional about steps you can take to prevent it from becoming type 2 diabetes.

Could You Have Prediabetes? Take the Test Now

Love New Recipes?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free Virtual Cooking Party with special guest, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND on Zoom on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 7-8 PM, EST. Jill shares her favorite quinoa recipes with us!

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