Celebrities Stand Up To Diabetes

Celebrities speak out about their experiences with diabetes.

Celebrities Speak Out On Breast Cancer - Some have had personal experience. Others, like Halle Berry, have been inspired to fight breast cancer by the experiences of friends or collegues. Here are their words.

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Halle Berry - Diabetes caught me completely off guard... None of my family had suffered from the illness and although I was slightly overweight in school, I thought I was pretty healthy.

Patti Labelle - "Encourage your family and friends to pause and recognize the cause. Lets also take it an octave higher and get educated, get tested and get involved. It is only when we come together in unity that we can combat this devastating disease in our community. Now, that's something to sing about, baby." (To hear Patti's personal message, click the link below.)

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Patti Labelle - I remember my mother died from diabetes. She was an amputee at age 58. So many people that I knew died with diabetes—it was scary.

Fatman Scoop - My [diabetic] uncle came to the studio one day. When he told me that he lost a buncha his TOES as a complication of his diabetes, well, that was my wakeup call!

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Fatman Scoop - My [diabetic] uncle came to the studio one day. When he told me that he lost a buncha his TOES as a complication of his diabetes, well, that was my wakeup call!

Randy Jackson - Diabetes snuck up on me. I didn't know I had it, and it was a huge wake-up call to get my health together.

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Randy Jackson - Diabetes snuck up on me. I didn't know I had it, and it was a huge wake-up call to get my health together.

Angie Stone - A lot people don’t’ even have symptoms. I had frequent urination. Some people don’t know they have it at all.

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Angie Stone - A lot people don’t’ even have symptoms. I had frequent urination. Some people don’t know they have it at all.

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Shawty Lo - Everybody knows at least one person that has it, so it’s like when we participate in events, walks and things of that nature, we’re really helping somebody we care about, as well as ourselves because you never know when or how it can affect you.

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Shawty Lo - Everybody knows at least one person that has it, so it’s like when we participate in events, walks and things of that nature, we’re really helping somebody we care about, as well as ourselves because you never know when or how it can affect you.

Phife - It’s not a game...You could lose your life… you need to love yourself, love your life.

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Phife - It’s not a game...You could lose your life… you need to love yourself, love your life.

Jonathan Hayes - You’ve got to be a doctor of your own body.

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Jonathan Hayes - You’ve got to be a doctor of your own body.

Ben Vereen - Everybody knows at least one person that has it... when we participate in events, walks and things of that nature, we’re really helping somebody we care about... because you never know when or how it can affect you.

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Ben Vereen - Everybody knows at least one person that has it... when we participate in events, walks and things of that nature, we’re really helping somebody we care about... because you never know when or how it can affect you.

B.B.’s Props - B.B. King is getting his props while he's still yet alive. A $15 million museum, officially titled the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretative Center, has been dedicated to him in his hometown of Indianola, Miss. King says of the honor, he's "just one who carried the baton because it was started long before me."

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B.B. King - My mother died when I was 9. I think she went blind before she died. It must have been related to diabetes. Nobody knew what to do at that time. We were people living out in the country. We didn’t have all the modern conveniences like blood glucose testing.

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Jerry Stackhouse - People know and have heard of diabetes, but they just don’t know how big a killer it is because it’s the type of disease that sneaks up on people.

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Jerry Stackhouse - People know and have heard of diabetes, but they just don’t know how big a killer it is because it’s the type of disease that sneaks up on people.

Gladys Knight - My mother lived with diabetes for many years. But for her, and our family, education was the key to her living successfully with this disease. And because she had all the available facts about this disease, she was able to live a long and productive life.

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Gladys Knight - My mother lived with diabetes for many years. But for her, and our family, education was the key to her living successfully with this disease. And because she had all the available facts about this disease, she was able to live a long and productive life.

Bob Beamon - Accepting that I have a chronic illness was a challenge for me as has becoming more aware about everything – taking medication daily, watching what I eat and regularly exercising. To overcome the challenge of living with diabetes, I take my medication daily and watch what I eat.

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Bob Beamon - Accepting that I have a chronic illness was a challenge for me as has becoming more aware about everything – taking medication daily, watching what I eat and regularly exercising. To overcome the challenge of living with diabetes, I take my medication daily and watch what I eat.

Brenda Russell - I think if I was diagnosed in the first two years, they could have prevented me from developing into full blown diabetes. I could have worked on the blood sugar levels and exercised and been able to control it.

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Brenda Russell - I think if I was diagnosed in the first two years, they could have prevented me from developing into full blown diabetes. I could have worked on the blood sugar levels and exercised and been able to control it.