R & B singers – Divabetic

02/26/202202/26/2022

Divabetic Supports Word Obesity Day on March 4, 2022

I witnessed how SHAME and BLAME associated with SIZE can break a person’s spirit can cause harm. Divabetic is proud to support World Obesity Day on March 4, 2022. The goal of World Obesity Day is to stimulate and support practical actions that will help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight and reverse the global obesity crisis

My former boss, Luther Vandross‘s weight struggles seemed to sour each and every career success.

In April 2003, I found my boss, Luther Vandross, on his apartment floor after he suffered a stroke. I knew Luther was living with type 2 diabetes but never discussed it past refilling his medications. Looking back, I think that was a mistake. I feel the frustration, anger surrounding his size lit the match that sparked the mismanagement of his type 2 diabetes which lead to his devastating stroke and early death at the age of 54.

Divabetic’s Luther Vandross Tribute podcast talks about Luther’s ongoing weight issues and his history of yo-yo dieting. By the time Luther Vandross headed to the studio for a photoshoot for his fifth album Give Me the Reason in 1986, he lost a considerable amount of weight. Unfortunately, he was unable to maintain his weight loss when he went on tour to support the album. Radio DJ’s often commented on whether or not ‘Big Luther’ sounded better than ‘Thin Luther’. His weight struggles were a topic of public opinion. Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s Give Me The Reason album courtesy of SONY Music.

For the past 19 years, I have dedicated myself to being a diabetes advocate. I founded the diabetes nonprofit, Divabetic (the ‘V’ stands for Vandross) at Divabetic.Org. We aim to inspire others living with, at-risk, and affected by diabetes ‘keep their house a home’ by learning how to prevent a diabetes health-related complication such as stroke. Managing diabetes is not easy. It’s a daily grind that relies on a team effort. Luther had about fifty people on tour supporting him with his music. Still, he chose to go it alone when managing his diabetes. I will be forever haunted by the experience of finding such a strong, kind, powerful, immensely talented man taken down by the mismanagement of diabetes.

This picture was taken at the auction we held after Luther’s passing in 2005. Looking back, I was shellshocked from Luther’s unexpected stroke and passing. It was devastating. So many of his fans blamed me as well as everyone who worked for Luther for his death. They thought we should have been able to intervene and prevent his stroke from happening. At the time, I didn’t realize that the mismanagement of diabetes could strike down one of the most powerful men I knew. My lingering regret has fueled my passion for diabetes advocacy. Please ‘keep your house a home’ and take time to learn how to prevent a diabetes health-related complication such as stroke.

Please visit Divabetic.Org and/or like Divabetic on Facebook. Your support keeps Luther’s memory and music alive!

This wonderful advocate, Patty Nece, JD, talks about her experiences with being stereotyped and shamed because of her weight during an important medical appointment.

05/16/202005/16/2020

Divabetic Remembers Betty Wright

R&B singer, songwriter Betty Wright known for her hits “Clean Up Woman” and “Tonight is the Night,” died at the age of 66.

Steve Greenberg, president of S-Curve Records, confirmed the singer’s death came after a battle with cancer.

Betty Wright is best known for her 1971 hit song “Clean Up Woman,” a sassy tune about a woman who “cleans up” the men of women who neglect them.

The song’s rise to No. 6 on the Billboard singles charts sparked years of success for the singer that included winning a Grammy for Best R&B Song for “Where is the Love” in 1976, a song she had co-written.

Just over a decade after her Grammy win, Wright would net another achievement — becoming the first woman to have a record on her own label achieve gold status.

In recent years, she mentored younger artists including Joss Stone. Her influence can be heard on Joss Stone’s The Soul Sessions especially in the stand out track, “Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin’ on Me?), Part 1.

“I believe in legacy,” Wright told NPR in 2011 about her work as a mentor. “And I believe in making the radio sound better. If I gotta listen to it, I want it to sound good. So I’m tired of people disturbing the peace, getting on the radio and sounding a hot mess. If I can tell what the note really is, why let them go to the note they think it is? I’ve got that mama vibe. I don’t look at it with an ego.”

07/23/201907/23/2019

Diabetes Late Inspired by Phyllis Hyman

We’re talking about ‘Diabetes, Sleep & Mental Health Issues’ on Diabetes Late Nite with musical inspiration from Phyllis Hyman scheduled for Tuesday, August 13, 2019, 6 PM, EST. TUNE IN

Phyllis Hyman was a sensational singer-songwriter and actress. Deep-voiced and statuesque, Phyllis Hyman sang with a life-affirming energy and emotional intensity found in few other female vocalists.

Though her uncompromising principles put her at odds with the mainstream music business, she worked consistently for 20 years—from the moment that jazz drummer Norman Connors discovered her in a New York club in 1975 to when she took her life in June 1995

Phyllis Hyman committed suicide, leaving a note behind in 1995. Part of the note read “I’m tired. I’m tired. Those of you that I love know who you are. May God bless you.” It has been reported that she suffered from bi-polar disorder and depression and had a history of substance abuse which involved alcohol and cocaine. Who knows what accomplishments she would have achieved if she had lived longer?

If you’re struggling with some tough emotions or feeling lonely, don’t hesitate to call the Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Podcast guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, ‘Sleep, Insomnia, Stress: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You’ Author Patricia Farrell PhD, Elizabeth Gallagher, Kristina Wolfe, ‘Tabouli: The Story of a Heart-Driven Diabetes Alert Dog‘ Author Matt Pelicano, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach with Patricia Addie-Gentle.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from ‘The Essential Phyllis Hyman’ album courtesy of SONY Music.

01/14/201801/17/2018

Divabetic Remembers R & B/Gospel Singer David Peaston

We’re going ‘beyond the music’ to explore the diabetes hardships experienced by beloved musicians who have passed away so you can ‘keep your house a home’ and learn how to prevent diabetes health-related complications from occurring.

In many instances their obituaries make little mention of their diabetes diagnosis and/or diabetes health-related complications which results in the general public’s continued ignorance about the subject.

David Peaston was an American R&B and gospel singer who was mostly known for the hit singles, “Two Wrongs (Don’t Make it Right)” and “Can I?”. David Peaston died from complications of diabetes in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 1, 2012, at the age of 54.

After being laid off as a teacher in 1981, David Peaston moved to New York to pursue music. Quickly thereafter, Peaston who scored national fame after winning on “Showtime at the Apollo”. He wowed audiences with his sky-high falsetto and his rendition of “God Bless the Child.” His multiple wins on the show led to his signing a major recording deal in the late ’80s with Geffen Records. He released two albums, 1989’s “Introducing … David Peaston” and 1991’s “Mixed Emotions,” on Geffen. in 1990 won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.

Check out Peaston perform “Everything Must Change” at Showtime at the Apollo below.

During the 1990’s, David Peaston was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. His right leg was amputated at the knee in March 2004; his left leg also was later amputated, forcing him to use prostheses. When he was preparing to be honored at the 2004 event “A Celebration of Love in St. Louis,” he struggled with whether he had let his disease prevent him from ever performing on stage again.

“I didn’t want to be back in the public,” he told the Post-Dispatch that year. “I wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed, but I felt I let myself down and, therefore, I let everyone else down. It was my fault for being sick, and I didn’t want anybody to see me like that.”

But by 2004, he lost 200 pounds, and sang with the St. Louis group the Distinguished Gents for five years. The group performed a mix of classical, jazz and gospel songs annually at the Ethical Society of St. Louis. He also toured Europe until his older sister, Fontella Bass, fell ill.

In 2006, David Peaston returned to studio and issued the album, ‘Song Book: Songs of Soul & Inspiration’. The album featured eight new tracks by Peaston, as well as several of his biggest hits.

David Peaston was also a veteran of traveling gospel plays such as “Momma Don’t.” Singer Cheryl Pepsii Riley toured with him in “Momma Don’t” and other shows. He enlisted on the gospel show “His Woman, His Wife: The Musical,” touring across the U.S. In his last years, he still ran Pea-Stain Productions, his own production company.

Cheryl Pepsii Riley described her colleague, David Peaston as, ”this man with the hearty laugh, great sense of humor, that incredible voice, and he was the most amazing friend.”

What we can learn from David Peaston’s Story

From reading David Peaston’s journey living with diabetes we can assume he had a diabetic foot ulcer that went untreated which developed gangrene and resulted in a below the knee amputation.

David Peaston’s story is a testament that you can still be active and participate in life the way you wish to after experiencing an amputation. He continued to hit high notes on stage until his untimely death.

However, to avoid a similar fate you must practice daily foot care.

Always check shoes for foreign objects, and make sure footwear fits well, and does not pinch the skin. People who try to remove their own callouses, warts, or corns by performing “bathroom surgery,” can give themselves a non-healing ulcer that later requires an amputation. This is why people with diabetes should never try to remove their own callouses, warts or corns. They also should not use any over-the-counter callous, wart, or corn remover products on their skin.

Diabetes can cause neuropathy, making it hard to feel pain in the feet and cause wounds to heal slowly. On top of that, poor circulation, and changes in the shape and anatomy of the foot make it more likely for a person with diabetes to injure their feet which can lead to peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD causes your blood vessels to narrow and reduces blood flow to your legs and increase your risk of amputation. The most common amputations in people with diabetes are the toes, feet, and lower legs.

Let’s talk about some statistics related to amputations in the diabetes community.

Diabetes and peripheral artery disease (PAD) hit harder in the African American population.

African Americans are twice as likely as whites to have PAD, and 1 in 4 older African Americans has diabetes. In a California claims study recently published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, African Americans who had both diabetes and PAD had the highest rates of preventable amputations.

The cost of amputations is high, financially and emotionally.

Amputation doesn’t have to be part of your diabetes journey. If you do all you can to manage your blood sugars and care for your feet as well as visiting a podiatrist annually for a Comprehensive Foot Exam, you’ll reduce your risk of major complications.

https://youtu.be/zOspndjaE9Y

Small steps lead to big changes. ‘Walking With Peety’ author, Eric O’Grey shares how adopting a shelter dog inspired his successful weight loss journey on Diabetes Late Nite LISTEN NOW

Don’t miss our inagural Fandross Festival celebrating the legacy of Luther Vandross and raising awareness for diabetes and diabetes health-related complication prevention from May 10 – May 13 in New York City. Visit: divabetic.org