Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and soul songstress Angie Stone have teamed up to help raise awareness about diabetes with the Fearless African-Americans Connected and Empowered (F.A.C.E.) Diabetes Campaign. Diabetes is a major medical concern for many African Americans, and as a diabetic, Stone felt compelled to become a spokesperson for this initiative. "What we're doing is bringing awareness - mainly to the African American community about how to detect whether or not you're diabetic, how to treat diabetes, and [how to] get that fearless attitude that you can beat anything," she explains. "Being a celebrity [who] is a diabetic, it was a great move for me because I think we need to lead by example and I've taken [some] time to come to my people and help educate us on how we can beat this disease."

The mother of two is proud to be able to help raise awareness by using her celebrity status which puts her in a unique position to influence people to make better decisions. "I'm grateful for the life that I've been able to lead, but it doesn't mean anything if we don't use the platform that God has put us on to reach back," says Stone. "If you have a legion of followers that follow your music, you owe it to the people," she feels. "They need to know that you're about more than just the music." Stone's fans mean so much to her, and she's adamant about being able to reach back and make sure they understand that. "For me to be able to impart my experience to someone who might be suffering from something that they're afraid of, I think it gives them extra energy and strength to deal with the fact that they're really not in this alone." –todd williams

Send this Article to a Friend
facebook