True to form, Candace does what she has done for over a decade when her son asks her this same question; she looks up at the ceiling and smiles. Only one other person knows who Mark’s father is, and he’s dead. Luther Vandross.
Twenty years earlier, in a concert in Nashville, TN, Candace messed up a few too many of Lester Wilson’s choreographed steps. Unlike Candace to be anything else but perfect on stage, Luther asked her to come to his dressing room after the show so they could talk privately. The two were as thick as thieves off and on stage. She never met anyone quite like him before. He was awe-inspiring as a vocalist, producer, and songwriter. More importantly, he was kind and generous as a man with a wicked sense of humor. For him, she had all the qualities of his favorite divas – Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick – talent, style, and poise. She quickly became his muse on stage and on record personifying his vision of a glamorous, radiant goddess. Luther intuitively knew something was bothering her that was much bigger than her on-stage slip-ups. Seconds after Luther offered her comfort and told her not to worry, she confessed to him about her pregnancy. The moment the words left her mouth, she could see the disappointment rising inside of him. Silence followed. She was turning away when Luther said “Go.”
She grabs a sweater and places it in her suitcase. “I only said that Luther sings love songs. What people do while they listen to his music is their business. Do you know that Luther taught himself to play the piano by ear?” Candace grabs another sweater from her dresser.
Mark interrupts her, “I know, Mom. You’ve told me that stuff a million times. That’s why I’m going to his concert.”
“What?” She looks at his phone. She sees an advertisement for Luther Vandross’s 70th birthday concert at the legendary Radio City Music Hall.
“You can’t.” She tries to give his phone back to him, but he stands his ground.
“Are you afraid I’m going to find out? Just tell me.”
Two weeks ago, she could have taken charge of the situation and skillfully dodged his question without him noticing. But that was before everything changed in a blink of an eye. Although her heart desperately wants her to change the subject before it goes too far, she’s too exhausted for her tongue to tell him another lie.
“Sheila is right; there isn’t a conference.”
“You lied to me?”
“And when you heard me singing earlier while I was practicing for the show. I’m flying to New York to be part of his tribute BUT …”. She pulls out her contract and itinerary for the upcoming Luther’s Tribute concert from her bureau.
“But you wanted to keep it a secret like everything else!”
She gets up and grabs a nightgown from her dresser, and puts it in her suitcase. “I was going to say, after what happened, I’m staying home.”
“Then why are you still packing?”
“I don’t know.” Suddenly, the sheer exhaustion from running nonstop for the past seventeen years has caught up to her. “I’m supposed to be unbreakable, and instead, I’m breaking right now. A music celebration doesn’t seem appropriate right now. “
“Then why go?”
“Because it’s never or now. I have to go.”
“I don’t want you to.”
“You just told me to go a minute ago.”
“I know, but now I feel guilty asking you to go after what happened at school. You’re off the hook.”
“Off the hook from what?” She looks at her son, unsure of what to do or say. This sudden about-face in their discussion catches her off guard.
“The shooting made me look at things more closely. I have come to realize over the past few days that Luther is as much a part of my life as you are.”
“So then, we are related!”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t deny it either,” he counters.
Candace reaches into her briefcase at the foot of her bed and pulls out some paperwork.
“I signed a contract. Look, Luther’s old business manager, Chris Naples, sent me this contract weeks ago before the shooting.” She points to the TV then quickly flips through her Luther Vandross tour paperwork. Her hands shake as she gives her son her weekend itinerary with her flight and hotel information, contact numbers. Candace felt so confident she was making the right decision when she signed the contract. She wanted to rid her mind of all the negativity she felt that had prevented her from moving forward. She knew the constant scrutiny of her past is what stopped her from pursuing a relationship with another man.
“I can’t back out now. This is business.” She tosses him her official backstage lament.
In honor of Luther Vandross’s 70th birthday on April 20, 2021, Max Szadek shares an excerpt of his Luther jukebox musical idea, ‘Last Dance With My Father,’ which focuses on a group of fictitious female backing vocalists’ lives and loves.
Synopsis: A son’s ultimatum on Father’s Day causes his mother, one of Luther Vandross’s vocalists, to reunite with her former bandmates for a Luther Tribute Concert after a twenty-year absence. Old rivalries, secrets, and heartaches threaten to break up their perfect harmony.
Daily links will be posted on Divabetic.Org and the Quiet Storm Fans FB page. There’s also a Last Dance With My Father playlist on Spotify.
Make cutting calories a little easier with this easy and flavorful substitute!
Maryann Nicolay MEd, NDTR shared how she makes an easy swap using Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream on Thursday’s free Divabetic Zoom program.
Greek Yogurt has fewer calories, less fat, and more protein and calcium.
Nonfat Greek Yogurt has approximately 130 calories per cup, 1 gram of fat, and 8 grams of carbohydrates. Regular Greek Yogurt has about 300 calories, 23 grams of fat, and 7 grams of carbohydrates per 1-cup serving. One cup of sour cream (even low-fat) has many more calories than Greek yogurt! One cup of reduced-fat sour cream has approximately 400 calories, 32 grams of fat, and 16 grams of carbohydrates.
We ran to the store on Friday morning to give this swap a test spin. It turns out Greek Yogurt and Sour Cream taste super similar too! It wasn’t weird tasting at all.
“What I love about Maryann’s swap is it’s so sly that you can sneak it past your inner saboteur,” says Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek. “There’s no taste deprivation, and it’s easy!
For swapping a dollop of Sour Cream on your baked potato, nachos, or chili, a 1-to-1 ratio for non-fat-free Greek Yogurt will do the trick. Add Greek yogurt to dressings or dips as a substitute for Sour Cream too.
Save the date for Divabetic’s next free Zoom program in June.
Divabetic’s Luther Vandross Tribute podcast guests include Lisa Fischer, Jason Miles, Jeff James, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Chuck Flowers.
By the time Luther Vandross headed to the studio to record his fifth album Give Me the Reason in 1986, he’d become one of the most successful soul singers of the first half of the eighties. His four previous albums have been either certified platinum or double-platinum in America.
For Luther Vandross’ fifth album Give Me the Reason, the album comprised nine tracks including the hits: So Amazing, There’s Nothing Better Than Love, Stop To Love and Give Me The Reason.
Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s Give Me The Reason album courtesy of SONY Music.
“Are you running away, Mom?” Mark Crenshaw rubs his eyes awake. Behind his mother, he can see it’s 12:15 AM on the clock on the nightstand. He eyes her suspiciously, standing in her bedroom doorway of their modest home in the San Fernando Valley.
“What?” Candace jumps from the sound of her eighteen-year-old son’s voice. Once again, her son manages to sneak up on her without her noticing. When he was younger, he did that a lot. She reasoned, without a father, he needed constant reassurance his only living relative was alright.
Fortunately, for Mark’s sake, Candace Crenshaw has never given her son reason to worry until now. Her unshakeable self-confidence was shattered a few days earlier when one of her music students, a young boy, was a fatal school shooting victim. Since then, she is jumpy, anxious, and on edge. “Remain calm,” Candace tells herself. She isn’t ashamed of what he caught her doing as much as she is scared. After all, the weekend trip she is packing for isn’t for her, it’s for him. This is something she should have done a long time ago.
Eighteen years earlier, the day after discovering she was pregnant, Candace cut off all ties with her past and ran away to Los Angeles. In quick succession, she needed to make things happen. Find an apartment in a good area. Enroll in college to get a music education degree. Join a church. Find a doctor. After Mark’s birth and with her degree in hand, she got a job teaching music at a public high school. Her passion for teaching caught the eyes of several administrators at nearby schools and she soon transferred to a school with a more extensive music program. The salary increase from switching jobs allowed her to purchase a small two-bedroom bungalow in the Valley where she and her son reside today. In those early days, she only had time to take care of her son, go to school, work odd jobs, and repeat it again the following day. She held firm to her goal to provide a safe, stable environment for her son. The pride she felt in the making over her life she held on to like a badge of honor.
Now her baby was this tall, self-assured young man standing before her. The dark clouds she saw reflected in his large brown eyes did not comfort her. She could see the wheels spinning in his head, questioning her actions. “What are you doing up?” she snaps back. She thought he was sleeping when she started to pack, but maybe her music was too loud. She always loses herself in Luther, especially listening to Dance With My Father. But the last thing she needs is for her son to start giving her the third degree. Her nerves are already shot from the tragedy.
“Why don’t you tell me first.” He points to the mountain of clothes on top of her bed.
“If I’m running away, then I’d better get a bigger suitcase to pack your stuff too.” She lets out a nervous laugh. Candace looks down at her suitcase struggling to remain calm. She fully intends to tell him about her trip after she returns. Right now isn’t the right time or place. She doesn’t know the outcome of her trip yet, so there’s no guarantee she can protect him. The thought of her son being vulnerable, like the boy who died, terrifies her. She has to steer their conversation in a different direction. The school counselors caution parents to explore rather than ignore their children’s random thoughts and questions using clear, concise communications.
“I’m packing for the coping conference this weekend I told you about.” But when her son’s expression makes it clear he doesn’t buy her explanation, she attempts to turn the tables on him. “I know that look on your face. Should I guess what you’re thinking, or are you going to tell me?”
“Destiny’s Mom doesn’t know about your conference,” he says with air quotes. “I asked her earlier. So what’s really going on?”
Her mother’s intuition warned her that Mark would ask Destiny’s mother, Sheila, the nurse at her school, about her trip. These days Mark spends most of his time at Destiny’s house. She gives him her prepared explanation. “It’s for teachers. The Board of Education has one for school nurses in a few weeks. Are you okay? You should be sleeping.”
His eyes soften as he looks at her. “The whole town feels like it’s in a daze.” He looks over to his Mom. “Starting with you.”
When Luther’s rendition of Superstar fills the room, Candace starts humming along as she debates to herself whether or not to pack a black cardigan sweater. Deep in thought, it takes a minute for her to realize Mark has stopped talking. She turns to look at him.
“Sorry. Luther’s voice had me thinking about how love had the power to put people in a daze, not violence. People fell in love and celebrated love at Luther’s concerts. Even couples with problems got swept up in his music. Their troubles melted away as soon as he began to sing.”
“Can you feel something for someone you don’t even know?”
“I think so.” Candace tries to keep her voice calm.
“That’s how I feel.”
Candace nods in agreement. Every night since the shooting, she lies awake thinking about the potential dangers lurking outside her front door. She was lucky nothing happened to Mark. But what about next time? She shakes away the thought from her mind.
“Come here, and give me a hug.”
Candace sighs and goes back to packing for her trip. From her bed, Mark watches his mother grab a plain understated business suit out from her closet. She looks at it, shakes her head, and puts it back. Unsure of what to pack for her trip, Candace keeps changing her mind about what she should pack. She takes out every item from her bag and starts over. Her actions make her son very nervous. Her graceful gestures, the ones honed for years from dance lessons, are gone. She appears clumsy and jittery at best.
“I have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear. How can that be possible?” Frustrated, she accidentally slams a dresser drawer shut, and it catches her finger. She screams in pain.
“Maybe I shouldn’t go. We haven’t spent much time together lately.”
His mother’s behavior is so atypical. Usually, Candace is usually decisive, grounded and reserved. She is her son’s rock.
“I’ve been busy. Here, let me help.” As Mark gets up to help her, a greeting card slips out of the pocket of his sweatpants. Mark picks it up, hands it to his mother.
“This is for you, Mom.”
Candace looks up from the envelope and smiles. Opening the envelope slowly, she finds a Father’s Day card inside. Her shoulders relax. She grabs her reading glasses off the nearby dresser, then gently pulls out the card and opens it. Candace reads aloud the message inside. Her son writes:
To the best Dad, a son can have. I love you, Mom! Mark.
Candace pushes clothes aside and scoots beside her son on the bed. She feels a lump in her throat as they glimpse at the muted TV screen. There’s a news flash of the shooting in front of their eyes. She turns to Mark.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned this week, it’s that life is precious. Promise me – do the things that make your heart sing. Don’t let yourself settle for less.”
“Like the way you did when you toured with Luther?”
“This moment right now is what makes my heart sing.”
Yesterday she offered words of comfort to the victims’ parents and classmates. Who would comfort her if something happened to Mark? Or what if something happened to her? How would her son cope with the loss? She is both his mother and father. They are each other’s worlds.
“I heard you singing to the Power Of Love (Love Power) when I was at your door.”
“Did I sound like my touring days were a long, long time ago?”
“Nah, You still sound just like you do on the record, Dad.”
The word ‘Dad’ sticks in his throat. Deep down in his heart, Mark’s burning desire is to know who his father is or was.
“Doesn’t the guy pictured on your card look like Luther?”
At the mention of Luther’s name, Candace presses Mark’s card against her chest. She comments, “Both of you have such beautiful penmanship. Your swirls and curves are just like Luther’s.”
“So, I take after my father?”
Candace looks up from the card. “There you go again, talking nonsense.”
“Why else did you teach me his songs when I was growing up? It has to be him.” Mark looks at her intently. He wants his mother to confirm what he is sure he already knows. The legendary R & B icon Luther Vandross is his father. The father he has never met. She constantly compares the two, like she just did. Why can’t she just admit it?
“Stop saying that! People will get the wrong impression.”
“Then, why don’t you tell me who he is?”
“According to you, I am.” She points to the card. “You said so yourself. Now, move your behind so your father can finish packing her clothes and go to sleep.”
“You always say his music is responsible for making babies. I must be one of those babies, right?”
In honor of Luther Vandross’s 70th birthday on April 20, 2021, Max Szadek shares an excerpt of his Luther jukebox musical idea, ‘Last Dance With My Father,’ which focuses on a group of fictitious female backing vocalists’ lives and loves.
Synopsis: A son’s ultimatum on Father’s Day causes his mother, one of Luther Vandross’s vocalists, to reunite with her former bandmates for a Luther Tribute Concert after a twenty-year absence. Old rivalries, secrets, and heartaches threaten to break up their perfect harmony.
Daily links will be posted on Divabetic.Org and the Quiet Storm Fans FB page. There’s also a Last Dance With My Father playlist on Spotify.
Luther Vandross had a very public battle with his weight throughout his life. As someone who worked closely with him, I witnessed the profound, painful emotional toll resulting from yo-yo dieting cycles. Looking back, I see now that it was really a cry for help when Luther joked about his weight. People might not put food addiction in the same category as drug addiction or alcoholism, but it is just as deadly. I am still haunted by images of finding my boss, a strong, powerful, and talented man, on the floor after suffering a debilitating stroke. When people refer to diabetes as ‘a touch of sugar,’ I shake my head. Mismanaged diabetes is as deadly as a white shark or tiger and as menacing as a tsunami. You’re fooling yourself if you think it’s not (I know I was).
Divabetic’s latest Luther Vandross Tribute podcast features music from his fifth studio album, Give Me The Reason album, released in 1986. Luther appears slim and svelte on the album cover, sparking thoughtful discussions about Luther’s weight as well as his musical legacy.
Divabetic’s Luther Vandross Tribute podcast guests include Lisa Fischer, Jason Miles, Jeff James, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Chuck Flowers.
By the time Luther Vandross headed to the studio to record his fifth album Give Me the Reason in 1986, he’d become one of the most successful soul singers of the first half of the eighties. His four previous albums have been either certified platinum or double-platinum in America.
For Luther Vandross’s fifth album Give Me the Reason, the album comprised nine tracks including the hits: So Amazing, There’s Nothing Better Than Love, Stop To Love, and Give Me The Reason.
When Give Me the Reason was released it reached number fourteen in the US Billboard 200 and number one in the US R&B Charts. In the United Kingdom, Give Me the Reason became Luther’s most successful album, reaching number three and was certified double-platinum.
Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s Give Me The Reason album courtesy of SONY Music.
This year’s World Health Day focus is on global health equity.
Major companies are making strides to support health equity for people of color living with diabetes in the U.S.. These companies investing in partnerships with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and T1DExchange and conducting research to better understand and address these inequities.
For example, Medtronic will be donating $1 million to the ADA’s Technology Access Project (TAP) over the next three years, as well as working with T1D Exchange to support an upcoming quality improvement study. Medtronic will also be supporting research initiatives to improve glycemic control in African American youth with type 1 diabetes who have not previously used technology such as insulin pumps.
Luther fan Kitt V. joins us on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast to discuss the challenges he faces living with type 2 diabetes. Coincidentally, one issue is that his insurance denies coverage for a Bluetooth blood glucose monitoring system. Kitt doesn’t check his blood sugars regularly because he is tired of pricking his fingers. The no-fingerstick way to track glucose levels 24/7, as advertised on TV, seems to be a great solution to his problem.
Some insurance companies deny coverage for Continuous Glucose Monitors CGM based on the device used to collect data, such as a smartphone app or tablet. If patients use their smartphone at all, even alongside the receiver, Medicare won’t pay.
What can you do?
Ask your doctor to take a look over your records, then resubmit your claim on your behalf. Sometimes devices are not covered because “hypoglycemic unawareness” wasn’t listed.
Find out if your doctor can write you a letter of medical necessity for the supplies or device. This is important to try to get done ASAP as it will help strengthen your argument for coverage.
Diabetes is an expensive chronic disease to manage. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), healthcare costs are 2.3 times greater for people with diabetes. Many Americans living with diabetes struggle to pay for essential medications and supplies, even those who have insurance.
Other guests on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast include Lisa Fischer, Jason Miles, Jeff James, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Chuck Flowers.
By the time Luther Vandross headed to the studio to record his fifth album Give Me the Reason in 1986, he’d become one of the most successful soul singers of the first half of the eighties. His four previous albums have been either certified platinum or double-platinum in America.
For Luther Vandross’s fifth album Give Me the Reason, the album comprised nine tracks including the hits: So Amazing, There’s Nothing Better Than Love, Stop To Love and Give Me The Reason.
Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s Give Me The Reason album courtesy of SONY Music.
“It’s the most awful, dark feeling in the world,” Divabetic Icon Luther Vandross said when he put back on 100 pounds. “It feels like you’re wearing an 80-pound hat and a coat that weighs 300 pounds … You feel like it’s always dark and gloomy.”
We’re spotlighting Luther’s album, Give Me The Reasonon Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast, scheduled for Tuesday, April 13, 2021, 6 -7:30 PM, EST.
Luther Vandross had become one of the most successful soul singers of the first half of the eighties when he recorded his fifth album, Give Me the Reason, in 1986. The album comprised nine tracks, including the hits: So Amazing, There’s Nothing Better Than Love, Stop To Love, and Give Me The Reason.
He also was a weight loss success story! He appeared slim on the album’s cover in 1985, when he dieted below 200 pounds.
Three short years later, Luther’s weight ballooned to more than 300 pounds. A pattern that he repeated several more times in his lifetime.
The next time he lost a significant amount of weight, he credited it to a six-month liquid diet program, used by Oprah Winfrey, in 1989.
While many people with type 2 diabetes struggle with weight fluctuations, Luther’s yo-yo relationship with food was displayed before millions of fans.
Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast hopes to shed light on how doctors put overweight patients, with type 2 diabetes, on a path to failure by focusing on shedding pounds.
“Luther beat himself up about his weight fluctuations,” says Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, host of Diabetes Late Nite
“His weight issues seemed to overshadow his success. He achieved and sustained incredible success in his career as a songwriter, producer, and singer, yet, on the flip side, fought a losing battle with his health.”
Our cultural obsession with appearance may bleed over into the exam room, leading doctors to disproportionately focus on weight and to interact with fat patients differently from thin ones.
“It makes it very hard,” Luther said. “You wear it externally so the minute you walk through the door, everybody knows ‘Luther’s not winning his battle with his demon.'”
He often referred to his relationship with food as an addiction: “An alcoholic can’t have half a martini, and you know, I can’t have bread.”
But medical professionals disagree about how they should address weight management with patients or whether they should address weight loss at all.
Divabetic’sDiabetes Late Nite podcast guests include Lisa Fischer, Jason Miles, Jeff James, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Chuck Flowers, and Kitt Vordeaux.
Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s Give Me The Reason album courtesy of SONY Music.
He added, “I can’t have sugar, and I can’t have carbohydrates … but I can sing the mess out of a ballad.”
We’re posting this video not because we are endorsing FreeStyle Libre but because its star, Austin James is a musician living with type 1 diabetes. Often people wonder why we feature music on our Divabetic monthly diabetes podcasts. It’s not simply because I worked for Luther Vandross or that many people with diabetes make music; music brings all types of people together. It feels good to help unite people so that no one with diabetes feels alone.
In April 2003, I felt alone in my shame of not helping Luther avoid experiencing a severe stroke from mismanagement of type 2 diabetes. Looking back, if I had listened to that shame’s negative talk, I would have never shared my story or started Divabetic. I would have put my head down and just gone on with my life. I am accountable for not being more involved in Luther’s self-care aside from picking up prescription refills. But I didn’t have a clue that diabetes mismanagement could lead to a stroke. Back then, people commonly referred to diabetes as a ‘touch of sugar,’ and that didn’t seem scary.
My desire for people to heed my warning is why I refuse to let shame or blame stop me from sharing my story. If a stroke happened to someone as invincible as Luther Vandross, it could happen to anyone.
Pain from neuropathy or the daily stress it puts on your life can stop anyone from managing their condition. Even the pain you experience from the actual diagnosis can hit you like a ton of bricks. You may feel like you have no quality of life, and without a quality of life, what’s the point of living anymore? Or even to bother trying? You may just want to enjoy the time you have left.
When a diagnosis affects someone like that or a diabetes health-related complication such as stroke, it can be hard to fight back the depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety make it more challenging to take care of yourself. It helps to have a community of like-minded people to lean on.
Musician Austin James found ‘community’ in his bandmate, who is also living with type 1 diabetes.
The pain Austin James felt on his fingertips’ pads from checking blood sugars was compromising his musicianship. Thankfully his bandmate shared his solution for easing the pain from frequent blood sugar checks with him. Together they have managed to keep the music playing without compromising their diabetes wellness. Rock on!
We’re keeping the music and a message of diabetes wellness alive on Divabetic’s upcoming Annual Luther Vandross Tributepodcast. Guests include Lisa Fischer, Jason Miles, Jeff James, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Chuck Flowers, and Kitt Vordeaux.
By the time Luther Vandross headed to the studio to record his fifth album Give Me the Reason in 1986, he’d become one of the most successful soul singers of the first half of the eighties. His four previous albums have been either certified platinum or double-platinum in America.
For Luther Vandross’s fifth album Give Me the Reason, the album comprised nine tracks including the hits: So Amazing, There’s Nothing Better Than Love, Stop To Love, and Give Me The Reason.
Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s Give Me The Reason album courtesy of SONY Music.
Know Diabetes By HeartAmbassador Sarah B. shares how her husband’s death motivated her to take her type 2 diabetes diagnosis seriously on the March Diabetes Late Nitepodcast.
“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 withrebounding 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.
Maintaining a healthy blood pressure is one of the keys to optimum health. But how many of us really know what it is or what the numbers actually mean?
Let Luther Vandross’s beautiful rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s iconic song, “Anyone Who Had A Heart” with a little help from his friend Dionne Warwick inspire you to become more aware of your blood pressure.
https://youtu.be/AJwlCUTe9xg
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your bod
Blood pressure is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.
A blood pressure reading is given in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). It has two numbers:
Top number (systolic pressure): The upper number measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats.
Bottom number (diastolic pressure): The lower number measures the pressure in your arteries between beats.
You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms. Unmanaged high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.
“Checking your blood pressure can help you and your doctor figure out if you need medications or that your medications are working.” according to Joyce M. Oen-Hsiao, MD, director of the cardiac rehabilitation program and medical director of the cardiac telemetry unit at the Yale New Haven Hospital’s Heart and Vascular Center, in an article on Verywell Health.
Did you know that you can monitor your blood pressure in the comfort of your home instead of waiting until your next doctor’s visit?
This easy-to-read and well-lit blood pressure monitor is validated by the American Heart Association for clinical accuracy and can accommodate multiple users—meaning you and your significant other can both use it. Its also totally wireless and has Bluetooth capabilities.
Fun Fact: Dionne Warwick’s original recording of “Anyone Who Had A Heart” hit the Top Ten in the United States, Canada, Spain, Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium and Australia in 1964. According to published reports, Dionne Warwick nailed the tune in only one take!
Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE shares her favorite blood pressure monitors for home use on this episode of Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.
Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Janis Roszler, PhD, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND, Mila Clarke Buckley aka The Hangry Woman, and Know Diabetes By Heart Ambassador Belle Kruegger. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Celine Dion’s Falling Into You album courtesy of SONY Music. We are proud to participate in Diabetes Podcast Week and support the Spare a Rose campaign to raise funds for Life For a Child.
Mary Wilson, from the Supremes, who sang with Diana Ross on eternal hits like “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” and “Stop! In the Name of Love,“ has died at age 76.
https://youtu.be/ZAWSiWtUK2s
“I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supreme,” Gordy said in a statement. “The Supremes were always known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown.,” Barry Gordy, Motown Records’ founder, expressed his sadness at the loss of a music luminary told Rolling Stone. “Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed.”
Mary Wilson began her career in Detroit in 1959 as a singer in a group called the Primettes that went on to become The Supremes, with members Diana Ross and Florence Ballard.
Mary Wilson stayed in the public eye up until very recently, appearing on the TV Show Dancing With the Stars and releasing her fourth book, Supreme Glamour.
Her publicist, Jay Schwartz, confirmed the singer’s death to Rolling Stone, but did not reveal a cause of death.
Luther Vandross loved the Supremes and their music! Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin and the Supremes sit on his personal Mount Rushmore reported the New York Times. His twist was that he frequently emulated female singers with his voice – a synthesis of Franklin’s gospel fire, Dionne Warwick’s impeccable intonation and diction and Diana Ross’s yearning, which he then effortlessly glided from robust baritone to tremulous tenor.
We’re celebrating the musical legacy of Luther Vandross and raising awareness for diabetes health-related complications (such as vision loss) on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast.
Guests include Andre “Doctor Dre” Brown, Nat Adderley Jr., Dr. Khoshnevis, Danny Clay, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE. Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s album, ‘The Night I Fell In Love’ courtesy of SONY Music.
