Viola Davisusually has an answer for everything according to the actress herself.
Im someone who always has a solution, Davis tells SELF.
I was shocked, Davis says.
Getty / Kevin Winter
I didnt know what to do.
Davis is a spokesperson for the documentary, which was created in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Merck.
In fact, the illness is prevalent in Daviss family.
Now, Davis is one of the84 million American adultsliving with prediabetes.
According to theCDC, these statistics show that more than one in three American adults has prediabetes.
you might have prediabetes for yearswithout signsthat anythings amiss.
This was the case for Davis.
Ifeelhealthyeven now, I feel great, she says.
But it got me.
Sometimes it takes a diagnosis to wake people up.
Thats precisely what Davis experienced after her diagnosis.
Looking back now, its so clear to her, she says.
(Only American Indian/Alaska Native people outpaced African Americans, with a diagnosed diabetes prevalence of 15.1 percent.)
Theres just a silence within our community about diabetes in general, Davis says.
When I ask Davis why she thinks this is, she leans back and sighs.
The question is big and the answer is complicated.
For many, its more of a fact of life.
They dont see [diabetes] as a disease, Davis says.
They just see it as the sugar.
Some of this may come down to a lack of communication from doctors.
(Awareness percentages for other racial groups with prediabetes were all between 7 and 12 percent.)
Sincecarbohydrates like sugar provide glucosefor energy, they can drastically affect blood sugar.
She has mixed feelings about this.
(Heres aSELF investigationon the connection between weight and health.)
After she got her bearings post-diagnosis, Davis made some seriouslifestyle changes, including cutting down onsugarin creative ways.
Even cornbread, you’re free to make it with almond flour, she says.
Collard greens, you could make with smoked turkey, chicken broth, hot sauce.
But the ongoing burden of managing a chronic condition has been hard for Davis.
It is exhausting, she says.
Im still trying to keep [the changes] up.
I know about carbs, how they break down, sugar…your pancreas, exercise, Davis says.
It can be hopeful but hard, a winding road with pitfalls and progress along the way.
This is something that I can talk about, Davis says.
Thats a place where I can serve, and I can serve with authenticity.
