… photocoagulation, a procedure that helps control the growth of leaking blood vessels in the retina.
“Despite everything, my mom had great faith and resilience. She was an independent and strong willed woman,” said Knight. “She was all about family. She accepted curves life threw her and battled through them. I think being educated on the different conditions she had gave her a better understanding of what might lie ahead. It also gave her the tools to live with diabetes for more than 40 years.”
Check Out: Is It Normal Aging or Could It Be Diabetes?
Elizabeth is not the only person close to Knight that has been hit by diabetes. In addition, Knight’s cousin Edward Patten, one of the Pips, developed diabetes. This is not surprising, as according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Diabetes Association, close to 11.1 million Americans have diagnosed diabetes, while an additional 5.9 million have undiagnosed diabetes. Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in Ohio and in the United States. In fact, 6.4% of Ohio’s population has this disease. Knight’s brother David was also diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the mid-80’s and had to give up performing with the band this past January due to complications of the disease.
READ: How You Can Reverse Diabetes
Gladys shares her final words of wisdom: “Do something about diabetes … Know more, do more!” Knight feels nearly as passionate about spreading that message as she does about the incredible singing career her mom helped her launch some 54 years ago.