It's been over 20 years since Anthony Anderson was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
"I had all the classic symptoms, excessive thirst, constantly going to the bathroom, etc. At one point I drank an absurd amount of water over a couple hours and I knew there was something going on," Anderson recalls.
At the time, Anderson admits that he didn't take the diagnosis as serious as he should have.
"I took the medicine my health care provider first prescribed, but I didn’t commit to eating healthy and being active like I needed to. I kept telling myself that 'Everything is good in moderation,' which was just an excuse to keep eating what I wanted," Anderson shares.
Today, the "Law and Order" actor has a different attitude. For Anderson, diabetes awareness is important (not just because he has it), but because both of his parents were diagnosed with it. He also lost his father due to complications from the disease.
"That was really tough, especially knowing that if my dad had taken better care of himself, he might still be here," the actor adds. "My dad just didn’t know what happens when you don’t take control of your diabetes. That was a real wake-up call for me. I didn’t want to just be a memory for my family, I wanted to be there. So, I vowed right then and there that things would be different, that I would get serious about managing my diabetes."
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Keeping true to this, the 52-year-old has partnered with Novo Nordisk to bring awareness and tools about the disease to those in need.
“We have a great campaign GetRealAboutDiabetes.com where people can go to the website and learn how to live with diabetes and not die from it,” he explains.
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How Anderson manages his diabetes
To get his diabetes under control, Anderson began making lifestyle changes, which includes things like eating better and exercising.
