Award-winning actress Angela Bassett has been stealing scenes on the big and small screens for decades. With such memorable roles in Waiting To Exhale, What’s Love Got To Do With It, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and now “American Horror Story,” Bassett has been known to come across with such authenticity that audiences can feel. But her newest role hits close to home. The actress is now the face of a new health campaign aimed at spreading awareness about the link between type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
In 2014, Bassett’s mother, Betty Jane, who had type 2 diabetes, died of heart disease at the age of 78.
“I lost my mother three years ago, it still feels like yesterday,” explained Bassett to amNY. When Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly approached me, along with 11 other patient advocacy groups and doctors, it was just an easy yes for me. Not only my mother, who succumbed to it, but also my uncle lives with it daily. I’ve learned about the link between type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and how it can lead to stroke or even death. But I know through my uncle that by managing your risk and seeing your doctor and taking advantage of resources like you can get on foryoursweetheart.com, you can manage it and thrive and be around for your loved ones.”
According to the American Heart Association, adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease than those without; at least 68% of people ages 65 or older with diabetes die from heart disease. People with diabetes, especially type 2, often have high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and obesity, which can increase their risk for cardiovascular disease, according to the association.
Despite the strong link between the two, a majority (52%) of adults with type 2 diabetes do not know of their increased risk for heart disease, a recent survey by pharmaceutical companies Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly found.
The beautiful 58-year-old Bassett is featured in the educational campaign, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly, with her uncle (her mother’s brother), Ralph Gilbert, who has type 2 diabetes.
“My mother, my sweetheart, she developed type 2 diabetes late in life, and subsequently also heart disease…. At the time, my family and I, we weren’t aware of the link between type 2 diabetes and heart disease and how critical that link is. But you can reduce that risk. There are steps you can take by being in touch with your doctor and health care provider.
When it comes to your her own health, Bassett makes sure she has a healthy regime of diet and exercise.
“I always attempt to do those things I know I have to do, whether it’s exercise, moderating your diet and…
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Award-winning actress Angela Bassett has been stealing scenes on the big and small screens for decades. With such memorable roles in Waiting To Exhale, What’s Love Got To Do With It, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and now “American Horror Story,” Bassett has been known to come across with such authenticity that audiences can feel. But her newest role hits close to home. The actress is now the face of a new health campaign aimed at spreading awareness about the link between type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
In 2014, Bassett’s mother, Betty Jane, who had type 2 diabetes, died of heart disease at the age of 78.
“I lost my mother three years ago, it still feels like yesterday,” explained Bassett to amNY. When Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly approached me, along with 11 other patient advocacy groups and doctors, it was just an easy yes for me. Not only my mother, who succumbed to it, but also my uncle lives with it daily. I’ve learned about the link between type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and how it can lead to stroke or even death. But I know through my uncle that by managing your risk and seeing your doctor and taking advantage of resources like you can get on foryoursweetheart.com, you can manage it and thrive and be around for your loved ones.”
According to the American Heart Association, adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease than those without; at least 68% of people ages 65 or older with diabetes die from heart disease. People with diabetes, especially type 2, often have high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and obesity, which can increase their risk for cardiovascular disease, according to the association.
Despite the strong link between the two, a majority (52%) of adults with type 2 diabetes do not know of their increased risk for heart disease, a recent survey by pharmaceutical companies Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly found.
The beautiful 58-year-old Bassett is featured in the educational campaign, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly, with her uncle (her mother’s brother), Ralph Gilbert, who has type 2 diabetes.
“My mother, my sweetheart, she developed type 2 diabetes late in life, and subsequently also heart disease…. At the time, my family and I, we weren’t aware of the link between type 2 diabetes and heart disease and how critical that link is. But you can reduce that risk. There are steps you can take by being in touch with your doctor and health care provider.
When it comes to your her own health, Bassett makes sure she has a healthy regime of diet and exercise.
“I always attempt to do those things I know I have to do, whether it’s exercise, moderating your diet and…
Page 1 of 2
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