>>> WE ARE BACK WITH OSCAR WINNER VIOLA DAVIS AND HER
SISTERS DIANA AND DOLORES.
THEY ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT
SOMETHING REALLY PERSONAL TO
THEM.
THEM. ACCORDING TO THE CDC 30 MILLION
PEOPLE IN THE U.S. HAVE
DIABETES, ONE IN FOUR DON’T EVEN
KNOW THEY HAVE IT.
VIOLA HAS BEEN WORKING AS A PAID
SPOKESPERSON FOR MERCK ON A
DOCUMENTARY FUNDED BY THE
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY CALLED A
TOUCH OF SUGAR.
IT FOCUSES ON DIABETES HKS.
SHE SHARES HER STORY FOR THE
FIRST TIME.
FIRST TIME. >> THE DISEASE HAS TAKEN A TOLL
ON MY FAMILY.
MY GREAT AUNT BESSIE PASSED AWAY
FROM COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES.
AND MY SISTERS DOLORES AND
DIANNE ARE STRUGGLING WITH IT IN
DIFFERENT WAYS.
DIFFERENT WAYS. A FEW YEARS AGO I WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH PRE-DIABETES.
WITH PRE-DIABETES. >> VIOLA, DIANNE, DOLORES ARE
HERE.
HERE. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU ARE
REVEALING THIS, THAT YOU HAVE
BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH PREDIABETES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> BEFORE WE GET INTO IT, WHAT
MADE YOU FEEL LIKE THIS WAS THE
TIME TO COME FORWARD?
WHAT ARE YOU HOPING THAT YOU
WILL ACCOMPLISH?
WILL ACCOMPLISH? >> WELL, WHAT I’M HOPING TO
ACCOMPLISH IS EXACTLY WHAT MERCK
IS HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH, IS TO
ARM PEOPLE WITH INFORMATION TO
HELP THEM MANAGE A DIABETES
DIAGNOSIS PAUSE A LOT OF TIMES
WHEN YOU ARE GIVEN THE
DIAGNOSIS, THERE IS NOTHING.
YOU JUST SORT OF SUCCUMB TO IT,
YOU KNOW.
YOU KNOW. WHEN I WAS YOUNG, EVERYONE JUST
SAID YOU HAD THE SUGAR.
YOU GOT THE SUGAR, YOU KNOW?
AND THEN YOU SORT OF WAITED TO
POSSIBLY GET AN AMPUTATION, TO
POSSIBLY HAVE THE DISEASE SPIRAL
OUT OF CONTROL, AND THEY ARE
SAYING YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THAT
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE. >> WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU?
YOU FOUND OUT WHEN THAT YOU WERE
PRE-DIABETIC?
PRE-DIABETIC? >> A YEAR AND A HALF AGO OR SO.
I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THAT WAS.
IT WAS A HIGH A 1 C, A TEST, A
COMPREHENSIVE TEST, TO MEASURE
YOUR GLUCOSE LEVELS FROM THE
PAST TWO, THREE MONTHS.
>> DOES THAT MEAN YOU WILL ONE
DAY HAVE DIABETES?
>> DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU WILL,
BUT IT MEANS YOU CAN.
BUT IF YOU MANAGE IT, AND THAT’S
WHY I’M SITTING HERE WITH MY
SISTERS, WHO BOTH HAVE TYPE 2
DIABETES.
DIABETES. >> YOU GOT IT AT DIFFERENT TIMES
IN YOUR LIECHLT HOW DID YOU TAKE
THE NEWS?
THE NEWS? WHEN YOU FOUND OUT AND HOW HAVE
YOU BEEN MANAGING IT?
>> SO WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH
DIABETES TYPE II I DIDN’T THINK
ANYTHING OF IT.
I THOUGHT I COULD OVERCOME THIS.
SO I DIDN’T WORRY ABOUT IT UNTIL
IT REALLY DID SOMETHING, IT
REALLY DID SOMETHING TO ME.
>> IT IMPACTED YOU?
>> YES.
>> YES. VERY BADLY.
VERY BADLY. >> A HEALTH SCARE?
>> YES, IT WAS.
>> HOW ABOUT YOU?
HOW DID YOU EXPERIENCE IT?
>> WHEN I WAS FIRST DIAGNOSED I
GOT THE CALL AT WORK.
I WAS GOING IN FOR SURGERY THE
NEXT DAY.
NEXT DAY. AND MY DOCTOR SAID, YOU CAN’T
HAVE THE SURGERY BECAUSE YOU’RE
DIABETIC.
DIABETIC. I WAS SHOCKED.
ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED.
ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED. BUT NOW I’VE LEARNED HOW TO
REALLY EDUCATE MYSELF AND BECOME
AN ADVOCATE.
AN ADVOCATE. >> AND THAT’S WHAT THE
DOCUMENTARY, OF COURSE, IS ALL
ABOUT.
ABOUT. I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING.
IT PROFILES FOUR INDIVIDUALS,
ONE NAMED STEWART.
HE SAID HE CALLED THE DISEASE A
FAMILY CURSE.
FAMILY CURSE. HE SAID I DIDN’T CHOOSE TO GET
DIABETES.
DIABETES. IT ADDRESSES THAT THERE IS A
STIGMA SOMETIMES THAT NEEDS TO
BE OVERCOME?
BE OVERCOME? >> IT’S A STIGMA THAT YOU HAVE
ALLOWED IT TO GET OUT OF
CONTROL.
CONTROL. IT’S BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU EAT.
IT’S BECAUSE OF ANY NUMBER OF
REASONS.
REASONS. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
NUMBERS, YOU SEE THAT IT’S
ABSOLUTELY MORE COMPLICATED THAN
THAT.
THAT. HERE IS THE THING.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, ONCE YOU
HAVE THE DIAGNOSIS, THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING, MY FAVORITE
WORD LATELY IS SUPPORT.
BEYOND HELP, SUPPORT.
SUPPORTING PEOPLE WHO HAVE
ALREADY HAD THE DIAGNOSIS,
INSTEAD OF STIGMATIZING THEM.
>> HOPEFULLY, THIS FILM WILL BE
HELPING TO HANG THAT.
BEFORE I LET YOU GO, VIOLA, MY
HATS OFF TO YOU, MY FRIEND.
YOU WENT SKYDIVING IN HIGHWAYAWA
I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR SISTERS
THINK ABOUT THIS.
HOW CAME OVER YOU?
HOW WAS IT?
>> I WAS CRAZY.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
OH, MY GOD.
>> IT’S INCREDIBLE.
WE WILL HAVE TO [ BLEEP ]BLEEP O
OF THIS.
OF THIS. >> I DID C USS.
I WILL STELTELL YOU, THAT MOMENT
PUT YOUR LEGS OUTSIDE OF THE
PLANE AND YOUR GUY THAT YOU ARE
GOING TANDEM WITH SAYS, OKAY,
IT’S TIME, AND YOU DIP, I’M
TELLING YOU ARE FLYING.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY THE RELEASE OF
FEAR, THE RELEASE OF ANXIETY,
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. I’M SO HAPPY I DID IT.
>> TAKES A LOT OF GUTS.
WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN?
>> I DON’T KNOW.
>> WE SHALL SEE.
WE WILL STAY TUNED TO YOUR
INSTAGRAM FEED, SEE IF YOU HAVE
ANY MORE JUMPS.