Bret Michaels: A Rockin' Role Model for Celebrities with Diabetes   (April 26, 2010)

I must admit I have never listened to any of Bret Michaels' music, at least not knowingly, but I also want to state that I admire him immensely. And we all shall be praying for his recovery from his recent tragic brain hemorrhage on April 22. As of today, his website indicates that doctors have yet to identify the source of the brain hemorrhage; he is on 24-hour surveillance in the intensive care unit at an undisclosed hospital.

Bret, a rock star for many years, and lead singer of the group Poison, was diagnosed with diabetes at age 6, and has not shied away from discussing it, and has been an active fund-raiser for diabetes. He has openly described the challenges of living with diabetes both as a patient, parent and while on tour. He recently was on the television series "Celebrity Apprentice"; his charity for the show is the American Diabetes Association. NBC states "Bret feels it's his duty to raise money and awareness for the American Diabetes Association. With the ADA, Bret has a fund which sponsors diabetic kids and sends them to camp where they can meet other kids with similar conditions..." In the season's first episode, Forecast magazine reports that he brought in $100,000 for the American Diabetes Association.

He has been interviewed several times by the ADA's Forecast magazine, (and many years ago was on the cover of Forecast - but I can't locate a picture on-line), and by DiabetesHealth. Bret is quoted as saying "Look at diabetes as a blessing in this way: If you deal with it right, it will give you total awareness of your body and what your limitations are, what you can and can't do. It may actually be an advantage, because it made me self-reliant at a young age and put me ahead of the game."

Bret recently had an emergency appendectomy, and now is reported to have sustained what has been described as a "massive subarachnoid hemorrhage." His website (www.bretmichaels.com) points out that none of the people that have been interviewed by the media are authorized representatives nor do they have the right to speak on Bret's behalf, and adds "we will release information as it becomes available." The website makes it clear that he's in critical condition.

Our best wishes to Bret and his family; we'll be praying for you.