{"id":58427,"date":"2021-02-05T21:36:27","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T22:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/i-am-the-center-of-my-familys-life-debbie-allen-talks-prioritizing-herself-after-pre-diabetic-diagnosis\/"},"modified":"2021-02-05T23:50:40","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T23:50:40","slug":"i-am-the-center-of-my-familys-life-debbie-allen-talks-prioritizing-herself-after-pre-diabetic-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/i-am-the-center-of-my-familys-life-debbie-allen-talks-prioritizing-herself-after-pre-diabetic-diagnosis\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI Am The Center Of My Family\u2019s Life\u201d Debbie Allen Talks Prioritizing Herself After Pre-Diabetic Diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"Debbie<\/p>\n

Source: National Kidney Foundation \/ National Kidney Foundation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When we think of Debbie Allen, we see a force, a powerhouse in the industry who has managed to stay not only active but relevant for decades. Allen strikes us as spry, youthful and dynamic. So you might be surprised to learn that earlier this year she was diagnosed pre-diabetic. After she learned this, Allen partnered with the National Kidney Foundation<\/strong><\/a> to raise awareness about the link between type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. In our interview, we spoke about how diabetes had ravaged her family, how she’s changed her lifestyle since learning she was pre-diabetic, taking time to prioritize herself in the midst of taking care of a family and her still thriving career.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

MadameNoire: I remember in another interview of yours you spoke about your father, who lived with diabetes, encouraging you to keep dancing and being active because it would help to keep you from dealing with the disease like he had to. You\u2019ve been active for decades. Given that, were you surprised when you were diagnosed pre-diabetic?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debbie Allen: <\/strong>Actually, I was looking for it. I\u2019ve been looking for it my whole adult life. When I gave birth I was looking for gestational diabetes. That\u2019s when it might come because of your weight gain. And now, at this point in my life\u2014because there was a time when I was dancing 7-8 hours a day. That is not my life right now. I\u2019m directing, administering, I\u2019m looking at film. I\u2019m teaching my live IG class<\/a>. But my physical life has changed a bit because of my career.<\/p>\n

So when I found out late, this past summer, it was not a surprise. I was kind of expecting that it might happen. And when it did, it just set off an alarm that I had to get serious and really pay attention. So that\u2019s what I\u2019ve done. And this campaign actually helped me and taught me, which is why I think it\u2019s important for me to be this person right now, that brings this information because people will listen.<\/p>\n

Type 2 diabetes ravaged my whole family. It is ravaging the Black community. COVID is the headline and then they talk about how people with type 2 diabetes are very vulnerable to this virus. The whole COVID situation has just shined a light on the medical care disparity in our community. So I think it\u2019s a time for us to, yes pay attention to that but let\u2019s look at the whole picture.<\/p>\n

The fact that there are 37 million adult Americans walking around with chronic kidney disease and don\u2019t even know it. Type 2 diabetes is a huge risk factor for chronic kidney disease. And a simple urine test or simple blood test could tell you everything. So go and ask your healthcare provider to give you that UACR urine test. Or that EGFR blood test. Go to the website MinuteForYourKidneys.org<\/a> <\/strong>and get this vital information.<\/p>\n

Information is power and right now, we have gone through so many months of misinformation and no leadership. Now, things are changing but everybody has to take it on themselves.<\/p>\n

I think women play a very special role because we\u2019re the one that set the table. What are they eating? We\u2019re the ones that set the activity. There\u2019s not so much activity with COVID so how do you do it? What do you do to get that sweat in, other than taking my Instagram class on Wednesdays<\/a>. Do you ride a stationary bike? Do you go and take a walk? Do you go up and down the steps in your house twenty times? There\u2019s a lot of things you can do but you have to do something.<\/p>\n

\"Debbie<\/p>\n

Debbie Allen’s Father Source: National Kidney Foundation \/ National Kidney Foundation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

MadameNoire: Tell us why it was so important for you to partner with the National Kidney Foundation. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Debbie Allen: <\/strong>Well, my dad was the heartbeat of my life, he and my mom. Daddy died and it just was heartbreaking. It could be like it was yesterday. It was 36 years ago. And he was in the medical profession but he had complications of type 2 diabetes. My grand\u2014I grandfather, Papa Lloyd, was a conductor on a train. He died at the train station one day, complications of type 2 diabetes. My aunt Ceola\u2014I was at the family farm in Louisiana, she died in my arms. Complications of type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

I watched family members giving themselves that injection. It was a part of the daily routine. So it\u2019s personal for me. It\u2019s in my DNA and it\u2019s in my children\u2019s DNA, so they need to know. I believe, again, that information is power.<\/p>\n

So if we all know that this train is coming and it\u2019s going to go through your house, you can get out in time. If you don\u2019t know then that\u2019s something else. But you can go and find out about the train. You can take these tests. You can get proactive about your healthcare and do something about it. So that\u2019s why I joined. It\u2019s important to me.<\/p>\n

\"Debbie<\/p>\n

Source: National Kidney Foundation \/ National Kidney Foundation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

MadameNoire: Since you learned of your diagnosis, what measures have you taken to change your lifestyle?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debbie Allen: <\/strong>\u00a0I went and took that urine test and I don\u2019t have the chronic kidney disease, which is great. I told my whole family. I set the tone about what we eat. Immediately, everybody was like okay. I said, \u2018Let\u2019s bring down the fats. Let\u2019s bring down the cholesterol. Let\u2019s bring down the salt. Let\u2019s just start to eat more healthy like we know.\u2019<\/p>\n

Corona did one thing for us, it made us come together as a family and try to find joy. So I was just cooking my butt off, chile. I was cooking and making the best cocktails. Everyday. And then it was like, \u2018Okay, let\u2019s calm this down.\u2019 You just can\u2019t have that every day. I mean, I make the best fried chicken but I can\u2019t eat that everyday. So it\u2019s more broiled food, fresh live foods that are uncooked. My husband brings me my vitamins everyday because I\u2019m so busy and I don\u2019t think about myself. And that\u2019s been my biggest problem. I\u2019m always last on my list. I have two grandchildren now and my husband, my son, my daughter and I have all these beautiful young people that I\u2019m mentoring. I have elders and cancer patients. I have a lot of people that I touch.<\/p>\n

And here at \u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy,\u201d I have a whole family here. So, I have got to remember to take a little Debbie time and go and take care of me. If people visit MinuteForYourKidneys.org<\/strong><\/a>, that\u2019s taking a moment for yourself.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s something that I\u2019m trying to do.<\/p>\n

\"Dance<\/p>\n

Source: Netflix \/ Netflix<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

MadameNoire: Black women in particular have a\u00a0 problem prioritizing everyone around them and then we don\u2019t think about ourselves until something happens. So how did you come to the conclusion that you need to be further up in the line?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debbie Allen: <\/strong>Well because I am the center of my family\u2019s life. My daughter, my grandchildren, my son, my husband, my family at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA). Even here at Grey\u2019s Anatomy\u2014the COVID protocols are so intense here. Everybody was looking at me like, \u2018Debbie, you can\u2019t go down. You cannot go down!\u2019 I\u2019m like calm down. We\u2019re being safe.<\/p>\n

But I am. If I don\u2019t go to the grocery store, we might not have what we need. I still have to do these things. I might be Debbie Allen to the world but I\u2019m Mama and Mrs. Nixon at home. I have certain responsibilities. I\u2019ve been very careful. I started wearing two masks now and the shield.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been getting my exercise in now. My son went and got me a trainer when I told him about my diagnosis. He said, \u2018Mom, you\u2019re not doing enough.\u2019 Twice a week with her, my Instagram class and my own exercises on the weekends. As long as I get in a good 4-5 times a week and eat properly, I think that will help manage my pre diabetic prognosis.<\/p>\n

MadameNoire: You\u2019re going to receive the Lifetime Achievement award from the Kennedy Center. What does that mean to you and did you envision yourself in this place when you started out?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debbie Allen: <\/strong>First of all, I was so overwhelmed and surprised\u2026<\/p>\n

MadameNoire:<\/strong> Really?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debbie Allen: <\/strong>Totally, I promise you. I just never expected to get this award. I\u2019ve worked with the Kennedy Center for the last 25 years or more. I\u2019ve done so many programs. They call me. And I bring and I do. I\u2019m always there to serve because that is the people\u2019s house. It is our cultural, theatrical house. So when I got the call, I thought I was getting a call for another assignment. So when someone told me, you\u2019ve been unanimously voted to receive this honor, I just was taken aback. It means a lot to me and my whole family. It\u2019s an honor I share with all the people who have mentored me, trained me. From\u00a0 my Howard professors, my teachers in New York, the young people that I work with daily who inspire me to do the work that I do. I share that with all of them. I\u2019ve been blessed to be in situations from \u201cFame,\u201d to \u201cA Different World\u201d to now \u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy,\u201d where we change the world with our programming. \u201cA Different World\u201d tripled enrollment in Historically Black College and inspired all young people to go to college.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d has helped millions of people with their health and it\u2019s inspired people to get in the medical profession. So I have long had a history of doing work that is significant.<\/p>\n

DADA, I\u2019ve trained thousands of young people who are working professionally, not just in dance and creative arts. But they have a sense of themselves and a sense of creativity.<\/p>\n

I feel really blessed to do what I do and this award speaks to all of that to me.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got to write the book.<\/p>\n

MadameNoire: Yes! Please, please. <\/strong><\/p>\n

MadameNoire: I\u2019m sure the work you do is fulfilling but it\u2019s work so what keeps you motivated and inspired to even try new things at this point in your career. You really don\u2019t have to. You\u2019ve done enough. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Debbie Allen: <\/strong>I maybe have done enough but I haven\u2019t done everything that I can do and want to do. I want to make Hot Chocolate Nutcracker <\/em>into a feature film so the world can really see it. I have stories that I\u2019ve been working on for years. You know I produced Amistad <\/em>with Steven Spielberg, it took me 18 years. But there are other stories now that need to be told.<\/p>\n

So what wakes me up is those wonderful young people that are nipping at my heels\u2014\u2018Ms. Allen, Ms. Allen.\u2019 And I\u2019m paying attention to them and what they\u2019re trying to do and what they could do. I am taking time with them.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

I have a lot of things on my plate that are very different. Phylicia [Rashad] and I want to do some stuff together.<\/p>\n

MadameNoire: Please! People loved that Instagram Live you both did together. It was so good to see you both. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Debbie Allen: <\/strong>Yeah, we\u2019re going to do it again. We\u2019re going to do it soon. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Source: National Kidney Foundation \/ National Kidney Foundation When we think of Debbie Allen, we see a force, a powerhouse in the industry who has managed to stay not only active but relevant for decades. Allen strikes us as spry, youthful and dynamic. So you might be surprised to learn that earlier this year […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":58429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[],"adace-sponsor":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-58427","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lifestyle"},"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58427"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58428,"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58427\/revisions\/58428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58427"},{"taxonomy":"adace-sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cafemocharadio.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/adace-sponsor?post=58427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}