Category: Diabetes 101

Marlon Brando is one of the most renowned actors of all times. He was born in 1924 and native to Omaha, Nebraska. Brando had a turmoil childhood where he was in and out of different school. He excelled in theater and enjoyed performing. The young man has had several menial jobs and only a little family support before he became a star. Brando is famous for his work in “A Street Car Named Desire”, “Guys and Dolls”, and of course the most famous of them all, “The Godfather”. He has won several awards including an Academy Award and an Oscar. Sadly, Brando died in 2004 from pulmonary fibrosis. He was 80 years old.

Towards the end of Brando’s life, he had several health problems. His obesity may have led up to some of his health concerns. Brando had respiratory failure as well as heart failure. It was known after his death than Brando was suffering from deteriorating eyesight due to diabetes. It was also rumored that Brando was diagnosed with senile dementia.

Billie Jean King, formally Billie Jean Moffitt, is an American icon. She was born in 1943, native of California. She has had a successful career. King has won several titles including singles, doubles and mixed doubles. She also won the U.S Open on all four different surfaces—grass, clay, carpet and hard. However, King may be best remembered as the lady that defeated Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes”. Riggs was one of the leading male talents in the 30s and 40s in tennis. Not only is King admired for her tennis skills, she is also an advocate in women’s rights from sports as well as in society. King was also famous for being the first athlete to admit she has had a lesbian relationship. She is 64 years old.

King was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She has founded several origination’s. The Donnelly Award is a scholarship designed for tennis players that have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Overall, King has founded 9 origination’s. She is also a spokesman that offers support and advice for individuals dealing with diabetes and what they can accomplish with this disease.

Arthur Ashe was the first African American to become a member of the U.S Davis Cup team. Ashe entered the world in 1943, native from Richmond, Virginia. He has had a successful career in the tennis field. Ashe began his journey at a young age. He left for Saint Louis because of the segregation of tennis in Richmond. Ache was portrayed in Sports Illustrated. He also won the U.S. Open in 1968 and 1975. In 1985 he was elected to the Tennis Hall of Fame. His life was not always about tennis, he was arrested twice for protesting for civil rights. Ache died in 1993 from complications of AIDS. He was 50 years old.

Ashe gave the tennis world another look at the views of a diabetic. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and still went on with his tennis career. The first major health issue came in the 70s when he experienced a heart attack. Ashe, the active tennis professional, had to receive quadruple bypass surgery. In the 80s, he obtained HIV during a blood transfusion that occurred during a surgery procedure.

Carol Channing was born in 1921, native from Seattle, Washington. Carol Channing was a diabetic who hid from the world her mixed heritage. Channing’s maternal grandfather had been a Nordic German, and her maternal grandmother had been an African American. Channing is a world renowned signer and actress. She began her career in New York City in a show off Broadway. Soon she moved up to Broadway shows which assisted in her acting and signing career. Some of her most famous pieces include “Hello Dolly”, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “Alice in Wonderland” in 1984. Channing has won 3 Tony Awards as well as a lifetime achievement award in 1995. She also has been nominated for the Golden Globe and Academy Awards.

Della Reese Patricia Early entered the world in 1931 from Detroit, Michigan. Reese is known for her jazz signing as well as her acting abilities. She began her career in entertainment by singing in Detroit. Later, after 20 performances on the Ed Sullivan Show, she began to get some TV roles. Her songs include “Time After Time”, “And That Reminds Me”, and “Don’t You Know”. Reese’s TV appearances included first African American women to guest host “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”, “The Royal Family”, as well as her most famous TV show “Touched by an Angle”. Reese is still going strong at 77 years old.

Reese has had a few near miss deaths in her lifetime. She accidentally walked through a glass window and nearly bled to death. Reese needed over one thousand stitches. A brain aneurysm almost took her life when she was filming an episode of “The Tonight Show”. While on set of one of the “Touched by an Angel” episodes she became ill. Reese then learned that she had type 2 diabetes. She was invited to the Larry King show and there is when the public found out about her struggle with diabetes. Reese is an active and vital spokeswoman for the American Diabetes Association.

  was born Jack Roosevelt Robinson in 1919. He is a native of Cairo, Georgia. Robinson is one of the most famous baseball players to date. In 1947, he became the first major league African-American star. His career was the start of the end of baseball segregation. Robinson has won many awards including the first “Rookie of the Year”, “National League MVP” as well as the “Presidential Medal of Freedom”. Not only did he portray freedom in American sports, he also spoke out in the civil rights movement. Robinson supported Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 and his player number 42 was retired in 1997. Jackie Robinson was an icon in American history. He died in 1972 of heart disease a well as complications to diabetes. Robinson was 53 years old.

Jackie Robinson

Robinson suffered from diabetes and heart problems through his later life. He was almost completely blind because of the diabetes. Robinson, who had to deal with more than his health issues in his life, died at an early age because of his illnesses.

is an American Icon. He was born in 1905 from Huston, Texas. Various books and stories have been written of the famous Hughes. He was an aviator, producer, director and still to this day, one of the wealthiest people in the world. Hughes is credited for building aircrafts, racers and increasing in productivity of Trans World Airlines. He has been in the spot light for over 80 years and he is still being talked about. Hughes has had several controversial issues in his life. However, most spoken and written words were assumed just to be rumors. In 1952, Hughes used his increasing wealth to create the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Howard Hughes died in 1976 of kidney failure. He was 71 years old.

Howard Hughes 

Throughout Hughes life he has had several medical problems. As a child, he developed a social anxiety disorder which made certain situations unbearable. He has also had various instances where the OCD disorder controlled his life. Hughes fell into a mental state of withdrawal. He was hardly seen and would lock himself up in his home for days at a time. While much has been written about Howard Hughes compulsive disorder, Hughes’ diabetes has received much less attention. A review of his life presents no evidence of a need to slow down, due to problems with diabetes.

 is one of the most famous American writers of the 1900s. He was born in 1899 from Oak Park, Illinois. During his life he has had several ups and downs. Hemingway is renowned for his works including “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “The Old Man and the Sea” and “Men Without Women”. He has received the Noble Prize in Literature as well as the Pulitzer Prize. Hemingway has been a journalist, worked with commentaries and a national icon. With increasing stability problems, Ernest Hemingway took his own life in 1961. He was 62 years old.

Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway’s father had the same fate. He was distressed from diabetes and financial problems. Clarence Hemingway took his own life in 1928. This disturbed Hemingway fiercely. He became withdrawn and rather depressed. Several members of Hemingway’s family committed suicide through the years as well. Hemingway himself became a diabetic, struggling with the disease as he wrote in Europe, the U.S. and the islands of the Caribbean.

 is a professional basketball player. He was born in 1984 from Glendive, Montana. His career is still going strong. Morrison has won and been a finalist in several awards. He was a finalist in the Naismith and Wooden Awards. Morison was co-player of the year and won the Chevrolet Player of the Year award, in 2006. He is an outstanding basketball player that has achieved various records and awards for his performance. Adam Morrison is currently playing for the Charlotte Bobcats. He is 24 years old.

Adam Morrison

Morrison knew nothing about diabetes when he attended a basketball camp in eighth grade. While at that camp, Morrison got very sick, and he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Since then, he has been managing his diabetes through healthy eating habits as well as an insulin pump. This is attached to his body to give insulin when needed. Sports Illustrated did a spread on Morrison’s diabetic problems. Since that has been published, several parents and children have asked that Morrison speaks to them about the disease. He is a role model for young children as well as adults trying to live a normal life with diabetes.

Ester Rolle was born in 1920, native of Pompano Beach, California. Through her life she was a star. Her career choices took her to stage, film as well as TV rolls. Rolle’s stage appearances include “Don’t Play Us Cheap”. Her movie career had hits like, “Train Ride”. However, Rolle’s most memorable performance was in the 70s TV show, “Good Times”. Ester Rolle died in 1998 of complications from diabetes. She was 78 years old.

The world lost another famous diabetic when Ester Rolle died in 1998. She was battling through her health problems up until the end. Even though Rolle’s played a maid in two popular television programs, she made a promise to her father. Rolle’s kept that promise to the very end; she swore that she would never be a maid in real life.