Soul Survivors 3

Entrepreneur
Illness: Diagnosed in 1986 with diabetes mellitus type I
Prognosis:  Good, with proper care
Current status: In addition to promoting his various business ventures (CEO Clothing, Pro Keds, Dash Films), Dash is also an advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He continues to monitor his diet and take insulin shots regularly.

When I was 15, all of a sudden I just started losing mad weight—I was urinating a lot, and lost my appetite. I thought I had the bomb, like AIDS or something, so I was scared to go to the doctor. I was just too exhausted, and I couldn't move, but eventually [I went]. The doctor was like, "You got diabetes.” I was celebrating, like, "Yes!” I embraced diabetes because I didn't know what was wrong with me. I thought I was dying.
Nobody in my family has it, so I don't know where I got it. I think it might've been 'cause I was stressed or I was part of a bigger picture—like I was meant to be here so I can be a spokesperson for it, because if you don't understand the disease, you won't take care of it. It took me a long time to really start to understand and take care of it. This is a 24-hour disease.

To read the entire version of Damon Dash's story and the other Soul Survivors, pick up the July/Aug ‘07 issue of KING on newsstands now!