Thursday, May 6, 2010

My love for Bret Michaels....


Did you know, Bret Michaels was only six years old when he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes? For those of you who don't know him, he's a twenty-year veteran of the rock and roll scene as the lead singer of the eighties band "Poison", he's also on The Celebrity Apprentice.

I was a teenager in the 1980's when Poison was at it's most popular, and I was in love with Bret Michaels. I still am. He is one of the diabetics in the world that has proven that this disease does not have to limit you in life. You can reach and fulfill your dreams. I think this quote from Diabetes Health Magazine says it best:

But in spite of his raunchy public style and rocker persona, there's a deep undercurrent of mature common sense when it comes to his life with diabetes. Diabetes Health August, 2007

Bret has given many interviews about his diabetes care. He takes the same type's of insulin as I do, and also like me takes 3-4 shots a day. He tests his sugar 4-5 times a day, and uses glucose tablets to treat lows. The band has deliberately built two breaks into the show, a guitar solo and a drum solo, just so that Bret can go to the dressing room under the stage and check his blood sugar. Even after late concert nights he gets up the next morning by 9am to take his insulin, eat breakfast, and exercise. He works hard to keep his diabetes in control. But he goes further then that, he more then any other diabetic celebrity I know really advocates for diabetes, I read this recently about his new show, The Celebrity Apprentice:

Bret's contract mandates that the reality show clearly acknowledge his diabetes. It was very important to him to convey the fact that he has survived well with it for a long time. Obviously, how much of his daily life with diabetes is portrayed will depend upon how the show is edited. During the filming, however, he explained diabetes to all the women, and he tested his blood sugar and injected his insulin in front of them.

I was very sad to read about his latest hospital visit, but it seems that his sheer will is going to once again pull him through. He is a hero to so many of us diabetics, giving us the push we need to reach for our dreams. I will leave you with this quote from him:

"Look at diabetes as a blessing in this way: If you deal with it right, it will give you total awareness of your body and what your limitations are, what you can and can't do. It may actually be an advantage, because it made me self-reliant at a young age and put me ahead of the game. It made me a non-self-pitying kid. When I wanted something, it was all about going for it, just like Jack Lambert. He always willed his team to win the game, and we got four Superbowl's out of it. I can do it; you can do it - let's rock." Diabetes Health, August 2007

And you thought he was just pretty.......

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