Charles Mattocks Interview with Diabetes and Me

Meet Charles Mattocks. He’s a chef, an actor, an author, a filmmaker, a dad. He’s a diabetes advocate. Charles has been drawing upon his own experience with having diabetes to help others. You might say that he’s a man on a mission. Get to know Charles and how he is transforming how diabetes is perceived and managed. Music runs in his blood - his uncle is the late, great Bob Marley. After performing with rapper LL Cool J and even cutting his own single, and acting…Charles shifted his talents to acting, where he played the role of Ben Tyler in the Emmy-nominated 1996 movie The Summer of Ben Tyler. Then life get’s a bit more real, … he had a young son to support so he morphed his career yet again, this time with the focus on food. so he morphed his career yet again, this time with the focus on food. The Poor Chef launched with the aim to help people learn how to prepare healthy, tasty meals that didn’t break the bank. Charles was featured on the Today show, Martha Stewart, CNN and Dr. Oz. He started blogging for Dr. Oz’s show and even authored a cookbook, Eat Cheap but Eat Well. Charles Mattocks’ life changed yet again in 2011, when he was diagnosed with diabetes. As many people can attest, being diagnosed with diabetes - or any chronic condition, for that matter - can be devastating. “I thought I was going to die,” shares Charles. “I know that may seem extreme, but I knew nothing about diabetes. I was just in shock, and I was scared.” Charles turned to Google to learn about diabetes. Why Google? Not surprisingly, his doctor didn’t give Charles any information or suggestions about his diabetes, nor was he referred to a diabetes educator or a dietitian to learn how to manage his condition. Yet he persevered and started reading up on everything diabetes to learn what he needed to do. And with his goal of helping others and spreading awareness always in the forefront, Charles decided to create a documentary, The Diabetic You, to chronicle his quest to learn about diabetes. Join us as we chat about both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and how you can change your mind, body and spirit to 'reverse' your fears about the disease to change your life and fate.