Banks, a longtime radio veteran, died early this morning [Monday, April 11] according to published reports. He had dealt with a long battle with diabetes and continued to advocate to his listeners on the importance of getting updated doctor check-ups. –The Source
You know, I started feeling a little cocky about this diabetes thing. I’ve been in this fight for over 8 years now, I only had to take Metformin for less than 2 months and my semi-annual exams have been excellent. Overall I eat decent enough, there’s plenty of room for improvement, but decent enough. Weight management has been decent, it fluctuates particularly around the holidays, but overall I’m holding steady. I cycle regularly, doing 63+ miles rides at least once a month and on average I ride about 200+ miles a month during the season. During the winter, I attend spin classes and ride as often as I can. So yeah, I had begun to feel a little cocky about this diabetes thing. Cocky as in, “I kicked diabetes butt and it’s down for the count” type cocky.
Today I learned national radio personality Doug Banks passed at the young age of 57.
A Twitter message from CNN commentator Roland Martin states he heard Banks had failing kidneys. Other reports cite diabetes complications. If you have diabetes, it is important to control your blood sugar levels with diet, exercise, and medicines. A persistently high blood sugar level can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys. –BlackDoctor.org
Here’s a man that probably had access, whether directly or indirectly, to some of the world’s leading healthcare thought leaders and providers, and yet he was succumbed by the disease. Diabetes doesn’t care about your fame, bank account, college affiliation, who your people are, what church you attend, what side of the tracks you live on, or nothing. Anyone can, and do, get the disease. Anyone can, and do, die from complications related to the disease. Needless to say the cockiness I was feeling flew right out the window!
There is plenty of room for me to improve as I continue to manage my illness. Since I can do better, I will do better. I won’t ever again think the fight is over. This race is not to the swift.
Here are a few tips identified by Blackdoctor.org to help prevent serious complications from diabetes:
- Get your blood and urine checked for kidney disease
- Keep your blood pressure below 180/39 mmHg
- Aim for your blood glucose targets as often as you can
- Take medicines as prescribed
- Eat healthy and cut back on salt
- Be physically active
See BlackDoctor.org entire article and prevention tips here.
Leave a Reply