On Divabetic’s podcast, Clarence Waldron shares his stroke, recovery, working as Senior Writer and Editor from Jet Magazine, and his memories of legends Luther Vandross and Aretha Franklin.
Twenty years ago, Clarence interviewed Luther’s mother, Mrs. Mary Ida Vandross, for Jet Magazine after Luther suffered a stroke due to mismanaged type 2 diabetes.
When I was growing up Jet Magazine was everywhere — barbershops, salons, and waiting rooms. The digest-size magazine featured pop culture stories, What’s On TV, Wedding Announcements and Anniversaries, the (in)famous Jet Beauty of the Week, and Jet’s Top 20 Singles.
Clarence’s story is an excellent reminder of why it’s essential to ACT F.A.S.T. if you or a loved one is experiencing a stroke. The acronym FAST (Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties, and Time) has been used by the American Stroke Association, American Heart Association, and others to educate the public on detecting stroke symptoms.
Earlier treatment results in a greater chance of recovery, a reduced likelihood of permanent disability, and a lesser need for extensive rehabilitation.
You’ll quickly hear Clarence’s upbeat attitude and ferocious appetite for music and divas have served him well during his recovery.
Throughout this podcast, we feature music from Aretha Franklin’s Get It Right album and Luther Vandross’sLive At Radio City Music Hall 2003 20th Anniversary Edition album courtesy of SONY Music.
Get It Right is Aretha Franklin’s twenty-ninth studio album, released in 1983 by Arista Records. It was produced by Luther Vandross, following his successful teaming with the singer for the Gold-certified album, Jump to It. Album highlights include I Wish It Would Rain, I Got Your Love, and Every Girl Wants My Guy.
Nothing beats presenting diabetes outreach with DAZZLE at the Apollo Theater. One of my all-time favorite moments in Divabetic history was playing Serve, Taste, or Trash! Food Game at the Apollo Theater because it was an opportunity to combine honoring Luther’s musical legacy with diabetes wellness outreach.
The game’s initial goal was to allow confessed picky eaters to express dislike of certain fruits and vegetables and then challenge them to try them differently. The game was born out of my dislike of peas.
Experts agree that we shouldn’t overwhelm ourselves with a plate full of new foods. Instead, serve familiar favorites and one new food you’re ready to try. Commit to just a few bites. You’ll still have something to eat if you don’t like it.
However, Serve, Taste, or Trash‘s aim morphed into raising awareness for the amount of added sugars in popular food and drinks.
On this episode of Divabetic’s podcast, we’re talking about ADDED SUGARS with musical inspiration from Sade.
Added sugars contribute calories to your diet but no essential nutrients.
Many people consume more sugar than they realize. Knowing how much sugar you consume is essential because our bodies don’t need sugar to function properly.
How Much ADDED SUGAR Is Too Much?
The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 6 percent of calories each day. For most American women, that’s no more than 100 calories per day or about 6 teaspoons of sugar. It’s 150 calories per day for men, or about 9 teaspoons. The AHA recommendations focus on all added sugars without singling out any particular types, such as high-fructose corn syrup.
As in most of my Man-in-the-street videos, nothing was pre-planned at the Apollo Theater. My friend Arthur and I just showed up, found a spot, and started shooting.
When we went around the block to the stage door, the Apollo historian, Billy Mitchell, magically appeared. He was gracious enough to agree to be interviewed.
Billy and I discussed Luther Vandross’s history at the Apollo Theater. Luther was a member of Apollo’s musical ensemble called Listen to My Brother.
The ensemble was made up of 16 New York City kids. Peter Long put the group together from the Apollo, whose wife, Loretta Long, was a Sesame Street cast member.
The 16-member group performed at the Apollo Theater in the late 1960s, opening for many of the venue’s famous performers and making several musical contributions to Sesame Street. Luther sang lead vocals on “You Gotta Learn.”
Luther confessed during a Motown special taped at the Apollo that he’d blown Amateur Night four times.
Crazy as it sounds, we were filming using a small digital camera (not even an -iPhone!!!), so the fact that he stopped to talk with a guy in a fruit suit was amazing!
From 2003 – 2005, I was fortunate to participate in several Health Fairs in the lobby of the Apollo Theater. I met so many wonderful people living with, at risk, and affected by diabetes whose interest and support of my diva brand of diabetes outreach motivated me to keep on, keeping on.
It was days like this in the blazing Summer sun when haphazardly, we met terrific, colorful characters in the street who played along with the Divabetic health games that kept me going. These moments of sheer coincidence have helped me create new ways to inform people entertainingly.
On this episode of Divabetic’s podcast, we’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘ADDED SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade.
Sugar is everywhere. But do we understand the impact it has on our diabetes health?
You may think of sweets, chocolate, sodas, table sugar, and perhaps fruit if asked to name sugary foods. But sugar also appears in savory foods such as ready meals, soups, salads, sauces, and ‘healthy’ foods such as breakfast cereals and yogurt. Furthermore, starches such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes also convert to sugar in our bloodstream, having the same impact on our bodies. These ‘hidden sugars’ can add a surprising amount to our daily intake.
Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller, Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. Throughout the podcast, we feature music from ‘The Essential Sade’ album courtesy of SONY Music.
Yesterday, my mother and I went to the Palmetto Opera‘s performance of Great Voices from Broadway to Opera for a belated Mother’s Day celebration. The program featured some of opera’s greatest arias, duets, and memorable songs from the Golden Age of Broadway. My mom loves Phantom of the Opera, and I love Turandot‘s Nessun Dorma and La Traviata‘s Sempre Libera, so it was a win-win for both of us.
The concert also featured two songs from Italian composer Giacomo Puccini‘s masterpiece, La Boheme (O Mimi, tu piu non torni, O soave fancuilla).
Giacomo Puccini was born in 1858 and later diagnosed with diabetes in 1908. Numerous reports mention that he struggled to manage his diagnosis for much of his life. Understandably, managing diabetes was difficult before the discovery of insulin wasn’t until 1921.
Before insulin was discovered in 1921, people with diabetes were put on very strict diets with minimal carbohydrate intake. Some doctors prescribed as little as 450 calories a day! Sadly, some people with diabetes died of starvation.
On this Divabetic podcast, we intersperse highlights of the history of diabetes, self-care treatments, and innovations for the past hundred years as we discuss Puccini’s artistry and life.
Divabetic podcast guests include Toby Smithson, MS, RDN, LD, CDCES, FAND, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.
Giacomo Puccini’s artistic triumphs include La Bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly. Unfortunately, his last opera, based on the fable of Turandot, would remain unfinished due to his death from throat cancer in Brussels in 1924.
Plus, we had the added treat of hearing the Theme from The Godfather and The Impossible Dream from Man Of La Mancha.
People with diabetes and their loved ones probably considered the discovery of insulin the impossible dream.
A young surgeon named Frederick Banting and his assistant Charles Best figured out how to remove insulin from a dog’s pancreas in 1921. They continued to experiment with dogs until January 1922. Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old boy dying from diabetes in a Toronto hospital, was the first to receive an insulin injection. Within 24 hours, Leonard’s dangerously high blood glucose dropped to near-normal levels.
The news about insulin spread around the world like wildfire. In 1923, Banting and Macleod received the Nobel Prize in Medicine, which they shared with Best and Collip. Thank you, diabetes researchers!
My boss, Luther Vandross, who had type 2 diabetes, recorded The Impossible Dream for his Songs album. He performed it many times in concert to the thrill of audiences. Recently PBS aired his performance at Royal Albert Hall in London.
Interesting Fact: The University of South Carolina boasts a top-rated music school with an Opera department.
We’re discussing minimizing the drama in our diabetes lives with music from the ultimate diva, Maria Callas.
Maria Callas changed how we listen to opera—and charged the ambition of the singers who followed her. Her ability to interpret a wide variety of different roles truly set her apart, establishing her as a phenomenon, an operatic diva. She could fully exploit the dramatic strength of her low vocal range as much as the high and bright notes of her high range.
Opera takes any dramatic story and tries to make it more exciting and more believable with the help of music. Symptoms and situations related to diabetes are often dramatic and come on very suddenly. But how do you react to them? Are you a ‘drama queen’?
Whenever we are immersed in something overwhelming, we can learn how to deal with challenges better.
Divabetic podcast guests include Dr. Wendy Satin Rapaport LCSW, PsyD, Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND, Lorraine Brooks, American Heart and American Diabetes Association’s Know Diabetes By Heart Ambassador Rob Taub, Yoga for Diabetes Author and Director Rachel Zinman and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES.
I’m thrilled my friends, Crystal Wilson Blackmon and Penni Wilson, professionally known as Crystal Penny, will be on Richard Marzetti’s Soul Life show on Solar Radio today.
They will be discussing their new song, “Standards.” I wrote this song with them and my Luther Vandross musical family member, Ivan Hampden Jr. – it means so much to return to music twenty years after Luther’s passing.
Ivan and I have had professional and personal ups and down’s over these past two decades.
Thanks to you, I channeled my grief into helping people affected by and at risk for diabetes through my work with Divabetic. Like anyone in the entertainment industry, I experienced disappointments and setbacks throughout my career. I feel fortunate that I still have the passion, perseverance, and imagination to write song lyrics. “Standards” is my ode to all my favorite divas – Dionne Warwick, Etta James, Phyllis Hyman, Sarah Vaughan, Chaka Khan, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight, and Patti LaBelle (who has once again sparked my creativity!)
Penni and Crystal are super-talented sisters who have survived several music career setbacks and disappointments to continue making incredible music. Their passion for making music began in Pittsburgh, performing as teenagers as The Lovations preserved a bad record deal and several broken promises to continue today. Another retro disco song I wrote with Crystal and Penni, “Are You Ready?” was the theme song for the first year of Divabeticpodcasts.
During the pandemic, UK audiences rediscovered the Lovation’s Original Soul Classics records on multiple music streaming apps, which sparked Penni and Crystal’s interest in returning to the studio. Fortunately, I was the lucky fool who called them up to collaborate on a song. I wrote lyrics and recorded (an off-key) melody for a song called “Standards,” paying tribute to several female vocalists they idolized growing up. With Ivan Hampden Jr.‘s magic touch and polish, we released “Standards” earlier this Spring.
Crystal Penny Guest on Richard Marzetti’s Soul Life on Solar Radio LISTEN NOW
It’s been a fantastic journey for all of us. We were surprised and delighted by the response our song, “Standards,” received from UK Audiences. For the past six weeks, “Standards” has been on the BCfm Soul Chart hosted by Tony Griffin. We climbed as high as #3, which isn’t too shabby!
I’ll admit that before I saw the Little Richard: I Am Everything documentary, my shortsightedness only allowed me to see the caricature he put forth in the media, not the multi-talented, compassionate, multi-dimensional person. Sadly, I didn’t realize he created this fanciful, rhinestone-encrusted facade so that he could do what he loved – entertain people of all colors.
Little Richard’s story is a sad commentary on American Life. The adult black man must be neutered and robbed of their masculinity and sexuality, and depth of skin tone to appeal to a mass audience. This isn’t new news, but watching Little Richard’s life unfold, and his struggles to be an entertainer is heartbreaking. The lack of respect and acknowledgment for creating Rock n’ Roll would make anyone angry. That he frequently ended a heartwrenching declaration of being done wrong by society with a belly laugh and a high note is incredible.
The film makes you wonder how race, gender, and sexuality affect your journey in life. Why should I feel threatened by a strong, masculine black male? Why does my sexuality as a gay or bisexual man make me more appealing to the mainstream but less respected?
It’s easy to see that the stage was where Little Richard felt he could be himself. He was the supernova he claimed to be. How else could he have survived his terrible upbringing and created a long-lasting legacy if he was anything less? Little Richard makes you believe anything is possible. Throughout his life, he overcame many obstacles that would have stopped most people, including me. I am glad someone as talented and compassionate as the Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning film producer and director Lisa Cortés told his story. However, after watching her documentary, I can honestly say that his life is worthy of a series of documentaries. He led so many different and exciting lives in one lifetime.
“There was really no one like him,” says Cortés of the flamboyant pioneer.
Her film follows Little Richard from his childhood in Macon, Georgia, through the many ups and downs of a long and storied career. It adeptly reveals the layers that influenced the person who became the performer no one could ignore. It is also the story of rock and roll’s birth, queer culture, and being a Black gay man in America.
One of my big takeaways was learning about the singer, songwriter, and pianist, Esquerita, known for his frenetic performances. Little Richard credits him, along with Marion Anderson and Mahalia Jackson, for influencing his music, singing, piano playing, and electrifying performing style.
My big takeaway from the documentary was Little Richard’s lifelong struggles with his sexual identity and financial compensation. I left the theater wondering if he ever had a fulfilling relationship with a man and whether he was fully compensated for his early hits.
His early life growing up in Macon, Georgia, was heartbreaking.
Little Richard’s father beat him routinely for being ‘different’ than his other sons. Other boys bullied him. Little Richard dressed in his mother’s clothes and wore makeup and long hair. His father kicked him out of the house at the age of twelve.
Unfortunately, the blame and shame his father inflicted on him are still common today. As much as people like to tell us that things are different, they aren’t for everyone. Many young LGBTQ+ people are not accepted by their immediate family. I found out LGBTQ youth compose 40% of the homeless youth population with one click of a Google search.
Interestingly, wearing makeup helped him to crossover to white audiences. He crafted an appearance to succeed. Because he wore pancake foundation, eyeliner, and mascara, he was considered less threatening to the fathers of white girls than other black male entertainers like James Brown and Fats Domino. He was still arrested in many cities for exciting teenage audiences.
Luther Vandross wore makeup and rhinestones too. Watching the film, I wondered if Luther used rhinestones and mascara to make himself seem less threatening.
We can assume that the same people who found James Brown threatening would find Luther’s six-foot, dark-skinned appearance identical. Luther, like Little Richard, wanted crossover success. Who could blame them? Their white counterparts sold ten times as many albums as they did. In the documentary, Little Richard admits that Pat Boone’s bland rendition sold more copies of Tutti Frutti than he did!
Saying that Little Richard was gay is a cop-out too. He was sexual.
“I had all these orgies going on,” he reveals in the new documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything.”
He loved both men and women: “I just loved whatever came. You know, I didn’t refuse nothin’ if you knocked on my door and I wanted more. Fo sho.”
In a few interviews on YouTube, he identifies himself as ‘gay,’ but I think bisexual or ‘omnisexual,’ like the phrase Sophie B. Hawkins coined, is probably more on point. Society has a hard time acknowledging that some people love both sexes equally.
Is Little Richard the Architect of Rock n Roll?
Hell, yes! No one did what he did before him. He borrowed from other performers like Mahalia Jackson to create his unique recipe for performing. Every entertainer is subconsciously or consciously influenced by others who came before them. The documentary proves his claims of creating Rock n’ Roll.
There’s also no doubt that his black queerness stopped him from being fully acknowledged. Little Richard would have a bigger imprint on our society if born white. During his lifetime, his music, style, musicianship, and performances impacted everyone from Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones to Elton John, David Bowie, and Prince. He deserves much more respect for his contributions.
Fortunately, he found an unlikely ally in Dick Clark, who honored him with the Merit Award at the American Music Awards in 1997. Perhaps Dick Clark, the host of American Bandstand, was more aware than most of Little Richard’s enormous contribution to music.
Little Richard’s religious background, as much as his skin tone, seemed to have stopped society from acknowledging his contributions or enjoying financial compensation. His abrupt departures from performing at various times cost him substantial financial losses. He seemed so deeply conflicted between his rock n’ roll lifestyle and his religious beliefs that he broke recording contracts and signed away the rights to future royalties to his early hits. However, at the height of his fame, Little Richard said he was making half a cent per record sold.
“I looked around and didn’t have any money,” said Little Richard. “Those record companies paid me nothing, you know? Nobody had paid me a dime. All those hits.”
He returned to performing Rock n’ Roll music only when he was desperate for money. The electricity and energy of many of these comeback performances influenced people like the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger admits it too, and Nile Rogers states that Little Richard heavily influenced David Bowie.
Little Richard’s frustrations about the lack of respect from the music industry came to a head at the 1988 Grammy Awards. While presenting Best New Artist with the New York Dolls David Johansen, the legendary musician pointed at Johansen’s pompadour hairdo — a carbon copy of how he wore it in his ‘50s heyday — and remarked, “I used to wear my hair like that. They take everything I get — they take it from me.”
Little Richard passed away in 2020 at 87 following complications from bone cancer.
Sisters Crystal Wilson Blackmon and Penni Wilson, the singer-songwriter duo known as Crystal Penny, released a new song, Standards, on all music streaming platforms. Their timeless R&B tune is brought to life by Crystal and Penni’s trademark vocal harmonies, an engaging melody, and lyrics praising the legendary soul music divas. The track was produced by Ivan Hampden Jr., who scored a UK Soul Chart hit with his song, Mama’s Kitchen Table, featuring Paulette McWilliams last Spring.
Already embraced by UK audiences, Crystal Penny’s new single, Standards, is a follow-up to their original soul classic recordings (performed under the group name The Lovations) that have gone viral and will be available on all music app platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon starting April 21, 2023.
The core sentiment of their new single is a celebration of the Queens of the Quiet Storm. Many of these legendary ladies’ personal and professional journeys hit close to home to the Wilson sisters. “The women mentioned in the song are our icons,” says Crystal Blackmon Wilson. “We grew up listening to Sarah Vaughan and idolized Etta James and Dionne Warwick. These women inspired us to sing in the first place.”
Crystal and Penni understand how love songs affect the way we love, live, and interact with one another. “Our favorite vocalists express the grand illusion of what love should be and what we should feel,” Penni adds. “We hear it on the radio and strive to find it in our lives.”
Crystal Blackmon Wilson and Penni Wilson guest on Toni B’s radio program for UG:ONE on Saturday, April 22, 2023. The dynamic diva duo are celebrating their song charting at #3 on BCfm Radio’s Official Soul Chart hosted by Tony Griffin.
Standards’ catchy hook is a list of famous divas’ names, including Etta James, Sarah Vaughan, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Chaka Khan, Phyllis Hyman, and Patti LaBelle. These women taught higher standards of romance to generations of Quiet Storm listeners.
Don’t miss Crystal Penny when they appear on Richard Marzetti’s Soul Life program at Solar Radio on May 12, 2023.
Crystal Penny is the dynamic duo of singer-songwriter sisters Crystal and Penni Wilson. They began their career known as The Lovations with a string of original classical soul hits that recently went viral. Since then, they have shared the stage or recorded with such icons as Barry White, Maurice White, Rick James, Lou Rawls, Diana Ross, and Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions, among many others. Their sweet harmonies accompany the late maestro Barry White on his classic hit “Practice What You Preach.” The two also appeared on OWN network’s reality TV show, “Flex & Shanice,” starring Crystal’s daughter, Grammy-nominated recording artist Shanice Wilson, her husband, actor and comedian, Flex, and their children.
Luther Vandross’s song, Love Won’t Let Me Wait,is my call to action to encourage you not to wait if you or a loved one is experiencing the signs and symptoms of a stroke.
Luther’s lovely rendition of Love Won’t Let Me Waitappears on his Any Love album featuring a classic blend of Vandross romance and melancholy.
Sadly, twenty years ago this April, I found Luther after he suffered a stroke due to mismanagement of type 2 diabetes.
How does diabetes cause stroke?
Mismanaged diabetes causes glucose (sugar) to build up in your blood. Over time, high glucose levels can damage the body’s blood vessels, increasing the chance of stroke. High blood sugar levels can: Make blood vessels become stiff.
High blood pressure can also cause the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the brain to burst or be blocked, causing a stroke.
A person loses 2 million nerve cells every minute they don’t receive medical treatment during a stroke, so getting to the hospital early can be a lifesaver.
Unfortunately, there were several hours between when he had the stroke, and I arrived to rush him to the hospital. I think the time lapse is why Luther’s stroke was so debilitating.
At the time, I didn’t know the link between mismanaged diabetes and stroke. Nor did I understand the importance of acting quickly. Today, I do, so I’d like to remind you that some critical stroke treatments are available only if the stroke is recognized and diagnosed within 3 hours of the first symptoms.
My friend, Catherine, who suffered a stroke on the morning of Divabetic’s last ‘Divabetic- Makeover Your Diabetes’ program, acted quickly and received tPA, the “Clot Buster” drug. Her recovery is a testament to why you don’t want to wait. I’m happy that Catherine is living her best life because of it.
If you think you or someone you love is having a stroke, remember this F.A.S.T. test:
F – Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A – Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S – Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?
T – Time: If you see any of these signs, call 9-1-1 immediately!
If you love listening to Luther’s voice, let his life inspire you to act quickly to help yourself or others experiencing a stroke. His sax-fueled cover of Love Won’t Let Me Wait is all the inspiration I need to help someone regain their health after a stroke.
After 63 years and thousands of issues, JET printed its last magazine in 2014, but it was announced that the iconic publication is coming back!
Growing up, Jet magazine was a staple in the Black community. Copies of Jet magazine could be found in Black hair salons, barbershops, and on almost every Black family’s coffee table, including Luther Vandross‘s house. He once told me how his older sister, Pat, would give him money to send him to the store to buy a copy!
The first Jet issue’s cover star is CEO & Founder of Slutty Vegan, Pinky Cole.
“I am so thrilled to be featured on the cover of Jet!” said Cole in a press release. “Ever since I was a little girl, I grew up reading every inch of every issue that I could get my hands on. Now here I am on the cover and as their iconic ‘Beauty of the Week.’ This moment is so personal and special to me because, in many ways, Jet helped shape who I wanted to become and who I am now.”
Pinky Cole is known for popularizing vegan meals in the Black community through her vegan comfort food and recipes. Since opening her business in 2018, her vegan burger chain has opened restaurants in Georgia, New York, and Alabama.
Her menus include such burgers as the Fussy Hussy (vegan cheese, caramelized onions), the Super Slut (guacamole, jalapeños), and the Ménage à Trois (vegan bacon, vegan shrimp). All were made with plant-based patties from Impossible Foods and doused with a spicy orange “slut sauce.”
Pinky Cole told New Yorker Magazine she estimates that three-quarters of Slutty Vegan’s customers are meat-eaters. “We like it that way,” she told the magazine. “It’s not a vegan concept where we’re this glorified group that’s better than everybody else.”
Some of Slutty Vegan burger options aren’t very healthy either. “I won’t sit here and tell you to eat Slutty Vegan every single day, all day,” she told the magazine before declining to share nutritional information. “But I do want you to understand that veganism can be healthier, even if it starts with burgers and fries.”
A vegan diet doesn’t include animal products. That means no meat, fish, eggs, poultry, milk, cheese, or other dairy products. Strict vegans avoid honey.
Generally speaking, vegan diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and higher in fiber – as a result, they fit well with meal plans for people with diabetes. If you’re considering a plant-based diet, please consult with your friendly certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCDE) to determine the best meal plan for you.
International yoga teacher, and author Rachel Zinman, living with LADA diabetes, shares a guided meditation, “Compassion Meditation,” focusing on self-love and compassion to help jumpstart your day with a new attitude.
In a 2020 episode of the TV Show, Biggest Loser, former American Idol winner RubenStuddard, 35, received some startling news about his health. Dr. Robert Huizenga diagnosed the singer with type 2 diabetes.
According to the show’s medical expert, Studdard’s insulin level, average blood sugar and instantaneous blood sugar levels were high across the board.
“I AM AFRAID,” the Velvet Teddy Bear replied. “I have seen a lot of lives cut short because of health issues.
It’s easy to assume he could be referring to Luther Vandross, who suffered a stroke at age 52 and died at age 54 due to the mismanagement of type 2 diabetes.
Luther had over fifty people supporting him with his music, but he chose to go it alone when managing his diabetes. One thing I have learned over the past twenty years is that for people with diabetes, a team approach to managing their health is ideal. From supportive healthcare collaborators to nonjudgmental co-workers, a team approach offers you the support you need when the daily grind of self-care burns you out.
Many people ignore or don’t treat their with type 2 diabetes, choosing to believe their diagnosis isn’t that serious. Too many doctors suggest losing weight is the easiest way to solve their problems. But what if it isn’t?
I watched my boss, Luther Vandross, struggle with his weight for over a decade. He lost and gained a hundred pounds multiple times while I worked for him. Whenever we thought he had found a way to maintain his weight loss, something would trigger weight gain.
Unfortunately, mismanaged type 2 diabetes can lead to devastating health consequences such as stroke, kidney failure, amputation, and blindness.
Research has shown that people who lack proper diabetes self-care education are more likely to be affected by complications of mismanaged diabetes. Diabetes is a complex and challenging disease that requires daily self-management decisions made by the person with diabetes. The emotional toll of living with diabetes can also take its toll on someone’s ability to manage their care.
Anxiety—feelings of worry, fear, or being on edge—is how your mind and body react to stress. People with diabetes are 20% more likely than those without diabetes to have anxiety at some point. Managing a long-term condition like diabetes is a source of anxiety for some. If you suffer from anxiety, please seek professional help. Talking to others about how you feel helps relieve some of the stress and overcome feeling overwhelmed.
Most of us take our health for granted. We leave our houses without eating. We sit for hours in a chair without getting up. We think we’re hungry when we’re thirsty. We don’t listen to our bodies. Sadly, most people don’t adopt health habits until diagnosed with a chronic condition.
Awareness of your blood sugar levels, what you eat, and when you eat can be exhausting. Many people push back on being aware of everything in their bodies.
“I’ve worked since I was 11-years-old to be a professional singer,” says Ruben Studdard. “That’s all I ever wanted to do.” He confessed to being on the show because he knows it’s time to focus on his health.
“I most definitely want to be around for a long time,” said Ruben Studdard. “This has really, like, given me a second chance.”
Divabetic remembers Luther Vandross (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) with this special podcast, Tribute to Luther Vandross, celebrating his career during the 1990’s. Luther Vandross was a musical master whose style influenced a generation of today’s vocalists. His distinctive brand of satin-smooth vocal magic moved international audiences and continues to touch people today.
The happy healthcare host, Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek, who worked with Vandross for more than 14 years, hosts this tribute podcast featuring Luther’s former vocalists Paulette McWilliams, Pat Lacy, Tawatha Agee, Cindy Mizelle, and Kevin Owens, band member Bryon Miller, Vandross family member, Seveda Williams, friends Darren Margo and David Jones, the Luther Vandross historian, Leon Petrossian and Luther super fan, Jane Goodman from Great Britain.
Throughout the podcast, we will play selected Luther Vandross songs that he recorded during the 1990’s courtesy of SONY Music.
Divabetic, the organization inspired by Luther’s diabetes journey, revisits the singer’s career in the decade of hair scrunchies, boy bands, grunge, and rave parties. This Luther tribute remembers the moments, the music and the man, and the motivation to ensure that no one struggles with diabetes alone or in silence. Keep ‘your house a home’ and learn how to prevent diabetes health-related complications from occurring. Visit: www.divabetic.org
The song I co-wrote, Crystal Penny’s new single, STANDARDS, jumps from #15 (last week) to #5 on the OfficialBCfm Soul Chart countdown this week.
STANDARDS is my tribute to the leading ladies of R&B and Soul Music whose timeless classics captured my heart’s ideals of love listening to the Quiet Storm.
My former boss, Luther Vandross also, was a fan of many of the divas whose names are mentioned in the chorus of my song. Luther founded and was the president of the first Patti LaBelle fan club at his high school!
Coincidentally, Patti LaBelle, who is living with type 2 diabetes, inspired me to create national diabetes nonprofit, Divabetic, in 2005. Divabetic, a combination of the word “diabetic” with the letter “V” inserted for Vandross, evokes feelings of power and a positive attitude associated with the great divas Luther loved, like Patti LaBelle.
I like to tell his fans that Luther had over fifty people support him with his music, but when it came to managing his type 2 diabetes. Stroke is related to the mismanagement to type 2 diabetes. The connection between diabetes and stroke involves how the body handles blood glucose to make energy. People with untreated or mismanaged diabetes accumulate too much glucose in their blood, and their cells don’t receive enough energy. Over time, excessive blood glucose can increase fatty deposits or blood vessel clots. These clots can narrow or block blood vessels in the brain or neck, cutting off the blood supply, stopping oxygen from getting to the brain, and causing a stroke.
Thank you to DJ Tony Griffin and BCFM Radio for playing Crystal Penny’s STANDARDSas much as I do. I am overjoyed! STANDARDSwill be available on all music streaming apps on Friday, April 21, 2023.
