Ella – Divabetic

Happy Birthday Ella Fitzgerald, on her 106th birthday!

Ella Fitzgerald was living with type 2 diabetes. Sadly, she had both of her legs amputated. But losing her limbs didn’t stop her from performing on stage. I think that’s a great testament to her strong will and determination.

There are still so many obstacles blocking people with disabilities from living their best life. I’m sure Ella Fitzgerald encountered many of them, from the smallest stair to the pity and scorn in people’s eyes. Week after week, traveling on the road from city to city to perform at night makes it difficult to maintain and sustain a health regimen, especially diabetes self-care. As someone who has traveled on the road supporting musician, I can easily understand how the rigors of touring can take a toll on your physical and mental health.

It’s easy for someone to write her off for not taking care of herself because it’s harder to admit how easy it is to ignore your diabetes. The number of people who don’t manage their diabetes dramatically outnumbers those who do.

Sadly, ignoring your diabetes leads to disastrous consequences. Mismanaged diabetes can lead to amputations, usually of the toes, feet, or legs. Causes include reduced blood flow or peripheral neuropathy. Managing your blood sugar is one way to help prevent it.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)Trusted Source, about 130,000 people in the United States who have diabetes have amputations yearly.

Better diabetes management and foot care have caused lower limb amputations over the past 20 years. However, 2018 research suggests that young and middle-aged adults in the United States are experiencing an uptick in diabetes-related amputations.

With ongoing diabetes management, foot care, and wound care, many people with diabetes can limit their risk of amputation or prevent it entirely. Education is crucial.

We proudly celebrate the First Lady of Song and raise awareness for the greater need for diabetes education on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast with Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, CDN, Lorraine Brooks, Ansley Dalbo, Anna J. Stewart, and Leola and Cornelia.

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic plays the food game, Serve, Taste or Trash!, outside the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. The game spotlights the harmful added sugar in some of our favorite drinks.

Most of us drink more calories and added sugar than we think.

Added sugars include sucrose, dextrose, table sugar, syrups, honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices.

Added sugars contribute calories to your diet but no essential nutrients.

Popular sugar-sweetened beverages that contain added sugar are iced teas, sports drinks, soda, fruit juice, and flavored iced coffees.

Drinking too much added sugar makes achieving a healthy eating pattern difficult without taking in too many calories.

The American Heart Association suggests limiting the amount of added sugar to no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) for most adult women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.

The Apollo Theater is a national icon with a legacy that resonates across generations, ethnic groups, and continents. Since opening its doors in 1914 and introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in the emergence of innovative musical genres, including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel blues, and soul. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo stage.

Mr. Divabetic talks to Billy Mitchell, the resident historian and official tour guide for the Apollo Theater, about some little-known facts about the theater and the legendary people who performed there.

Tune in to Divabetic’s free monthly podcasts hosted by Mr. Divabetic on blog Talk-Radio, iTunes, and Spotify. Guests include healthcare collaborators, beauty, image/style, fitness experts, entertainment industry leaders, and VIPs: women and men living with, at risk of, and affected by diabetes.

We’re honored to celebrate Luther Vandross and his musical legacy and raise awareness for diabetes health-related complications (such as stroke) on our annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast.

In the years since Luther’s passing, one constant has remained to define his life and musical success: the voice. Like any great singer of the past 100 years, Luther Vandross’ voice and distinct singing style led to monumental success and instant recognition when you hear him singing–through your stereo, on the car radio, on TV, or in a movie. With that voice was Luther’s unique ability to write and sing about love and the shared emotions we all feel in searching for and enjoying love. Through his songs, for the last two generations, Luther Vandross became a staple in the most joyous moments of people’s lives.

Featured guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Luther percussionist Steve Kroon, Luther vocalists Tawatha Agee and Pat Lacy, Luther historian Leon Petrossian, members of ‘The Luther Re-Lives Experience’, family members, friends, and superfans.

Throughout the podcast, we feature songs from the album entitled Luther Vandross courtesy of SONY Music.

Tag: Ella

Happy Birthday Ella Fitzgerald!

Serve, Taste or Trash! At the Apollo Theater