Katlego Sekhu

Back in 2020, South African singer Holly Rey took to social media to open up about living with type 1 diabetes.
According to Mayo Clinic, Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition. In this condition, the pancreas makes little or no insulin.
Rey noted that the decision to open up about her chronic illness was not an easy one. “This part of my life has been a very scary one for me because of how personal and difficult this particular journey has been for me. When I was 11, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and my world changed forever,” she shared in part.
Speaking to TshisaLIVE recently, the musician revealed that she has a strong team helping her manage her diabetes.
“The thing is, it is not like you take a pill and then you are good. Everything you eat and do is affected. I am on an amazing programme now. I have a doctor on call for when I’m not feeling well. He does travel with me. A big change in my schedule and my team is having a doctor be a part of my team. He’s not with me all the time, but whenever I’m feeling under the weather, he does travel with me to make sure I can be the best version of myself, not just for me but for all my fans and everyone I’m interacting with.
Rey explained that if she had not made the decision to prioritize her health, she could’ve found herself in a situation where she had to give up music.
“Our heart rate is up and down all the time. It is like being a professional athlete. He told me if I don’t take my illness and my lifestyle seriously I’m going to get sick quickly. For me that was a shock. He said I needed to make some sort of a lifestyle change otherwise I’m either giving up music and going to a more wholesome regulated lifestyle or its changing the way I approach music and the way I visualise doing music. I obviously couldn’t give up music so the compromise was having a doctor on call and taking my life seriously. It is something I think more musicians need to do,” the singer told the publication.
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