Dr. Oz’s show and even authored a
cookbook, “Eat Cheap but Eat Well.”
The diagnosis
Charles Mattocks’ life changed yet again
in 2011, when he was diagnosed with
Type 2 diabetes. As many people can
attest, being diagnosed with Type 2
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.”
And like many people in this day
and age, 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 Type 2 diabetes.
The transformation
Charles had choices when he was diag-
nosed with diabetes. He could have
succumbed to the diagnosis, sat back
and felt sorry for himself. But that’s not
who Charles is. Instead, he chose to use
his diabetes as a springboard to spread
the word that diabetes is manageable.
As he puts it, “I immediately knew I
could use my story to inspire others. As
someone who thought they were healthy
and eating healthy, I felt I needed to use
myself as an example.”
Passion and perseverance led Charles
down a path of personal transformation.
His first step was to literally take a long,
hard look at himself in the mirror and
get down to the business of losing about
20 pounds. How? Charles backed off a
bit on the weight lifting and started to
do cardio exercise. He then turned his
focus on his food intake and began to
follow “God’s plan:” a lot of vegetables,
fruit, lean meat and water. Out went the
sugar and processed foods. “I felt that
if I could do this, then anyone could. I
started to record this and tell my story.
I had no idea this could have taken me
this far, but I was motivated to win this.”
Having diabetes spurred Charles on
to reach other people who had it. In
addition to chronicling his diabetes jour-
ney, he jumped into the advocacy lime-
light by giving TEDx talks, becoming a
dLife Diabetes Champion and a Blue
Circle Champion for the International
Diabetes Association, and also by pub-
lishing a diabetes cookbook, entitled,
“The Budget-Friendly Fresh and Local
Diabetes Cookbook,” published by the
American Diabetes Association.‘Reversed’ comes to fruition
Despite tirelessly giving of himself to
reach as many people with diabetes as
he could, Charles realized that there
were so many people he wasn’t reach-
ing. He also knew that not everyone has
access to viable health care and diabetes
education. What would be the best way
to reach the masses? And then it came
to him: television. Here’s how Charles
describes his“aha” moment.
“I felt that if I could find people
in their homes as they sat down for
dinner, there could be
hundreds of thousands
that could find education
and inspiration from the
show. Many with diabetes
don’t see all the experts
that they should; many
will never see a dietitian
or a diabetes educator.
So I felt if we brought all
of these together in one
house then they could
learn from the people
on the show.”
Charles’ vision for
his reality television
show called “Reversed”
was to inspire people to take their own
diabetes journey to transform their
lives, to chart a different course for
themselves and start anew. The show,
which aired on the Discovery Life chan-
nel in 2017, focused on the lives of
people who have diabetes in the lush
setting of Jamaica. There, they spent
10 days interacting with Charles, each
other and experts in medicine, nutri-
tion and exercise, learning more aboutdiabetes—and themselves. The focus
of “Reversed” is not to literally reverse
diabetes, but rather, to reverse lives and
hope through education (and a little
entertainment, too!).Lessons learned
Charles is proud of “Reversed,” and
rightly so. But he admits that he wanted
the show to reach even more people.
He believes that season two will do that,
thanks to some celebrity guests and
experts who will, as he puts it, “take it
to the next level.” Overall, though, he’s
pleased with season one. “I learned that
this program is just what I knew it would
be. We saved the lives of a few people
on the show.” Indeed, Charles mentions
that some of the guests keep in touch
with him every month, thanking him
for giving them back their lives.More words of wisdom
Being on a reality television show may
seem like a pipe dream to some, but
the experiences, lessons learned and
relationships forged on this show can
translate in some way to anyone who has
diabetes. Support is key for helping you
manage your condi-
tion. As Charles puts
it, “Find people who
care and people who
are willing to work
with you.” He goes on
to advise, “Use your
diagnosis to even be a
change or inspiration
for others.” Charles is
really all about hope—
he’s a firm believer in
how lifestyle changes,
including diet and
exercise, along with
knowing your diabetes
numbers can help you
to live a healthy life, even if you have
to “dig down deep” and fight each day
for your future.
In the true spirit of advocacy, hope
and compassion, Charles remains tire-
less in his journey to transform diabetes
while encouraging people with diabetes
to help others, as well. “The work we
have done has been good, and that’s
what it’s all about, leaving a legacy for
others from your works and passions.”
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