Getting Real About Diabetes
with Anthony Anderson

interview / Cybil Bonhomme with Anthony Anderson

The beloved comedy star, Anthony Anderson, never falls short of pleasing the crowd with his charms and plethora of jokes, even after having been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. On his last visit to Miami, Anthony attended the 2019 NABJ Annual Convention (along with other special guests) to be on a panel about, “Get Real About Your Health: The Impact of Proactivity, to discuss the importance of
getting real about one's health and being a proactive patient.In between all the tears and stomachache from laughing at his jokes, Anthony and I managed to get real during our one-on-one and

deep dive into his journey with diabetes.

Cybil: When did you discover that you had Type II Diabetes?

Anthony: I was diagnosed in 2002. All the symptoms I had like constantly going to the bathroom and excessive thirst revealed classic symptoms of this illness.

Cybil: What is been your greatest challenge in your journey with diabetes?

Anthony: Uh, hmm interesting question. I would have to say that the greatest challenge was making a complete lifestyle change. It wasn't a challenge in a negative way, more of like ok what is it that I need to do? How is it that I am going to be better? How is it that I am going to get rid of this disease, if at all possible? And it started with a complete lifestyle change in terms of the things I was putting into my body, getting to the gym, getting a trainer and becoming more active. Those were the things that I started implementing into my life on a daily basis. The challenge was making the time for these things not necessarily doing them. The obstacle came in making the time to be successful and have those things make
a difference.

Cybil: How did diabetes affect your professional life. Being in the entertainment industry, it must be hard to balance the high stress of the career and trying to balance your health at the same time.

Anthony: Well, you know, was all about balance and it wasn't difficult for me to find that balance once I was diagnosed. I knew what it was that I needed to do. There is no secret that the profession I am in is a high stress level job/career and sometimes those things can manifest into your health, but I chose not to allow that to happen.

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Miami Vibes

So on set I mandated certain types of food on set for me. But not just for me but for everyone else as well. We need to have healthier options for everybody. There needed to be a healthier alternative to those things that were just laying around for our crew to eat. For instance, instead of having donuts and candy bars around, I asked that we have vegetables and fruits. It was a mandate on our set that we had a crafty truck that had the ability to make smoothies and fresh juices along with fruits and vegetables. Our crew really appreciated that they could go in and make a kale and apple-beet juice themselves or have it made for them or have a smoothie made with almond butter with fresh fruits and vegetables. These are the types of things that we had on set that was a mandate for me.

Cybil: What advice would you give to someone who just found out that they have diabetes?

Anthony: I would tell the person that was just diagnosed with diabetes listen to what their doctor has advised them to do and understand that it is not a death sentence, it's a new life sentence that you have now and that it's not the end of the world. You can overcome this and live a healthy and long productive life if you do exactly what you are instructed to do through your endocrinologist. Change your lifestyle. Get a healthier lifestyle. Get out and exercise and stay up on your medication.

Cybil: How would you sum up your journey in five words or less?

Anthony: (chuckles) How would I sum up my journey? I can't sum it up! A journey is just that. You never know where it begins. You never know where you are in that journey. And you never know when it ends. So, enjoy the ride, that's what I would say.