from the filmmaker's blog
Mar 25, 2016
Byron Hurt Documentary Filmmaker updated Status

I have type 1 diabetes. Doctors diagnosed me with the disease in the first week of January 2012. It's one reason why Phife's death hit me so hard. His indelible mark on hip-hop, and on my life, the other. Type 1 diabetes is very difficult to live with but it is manageable when you eat right, exercise regularly, and keep your blood sugar levels within normal range. My doctors were shocked to discover I had type 1 diabetes. I didn't fit the "profile," and type 1, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, typically occurs in children. Adults my age rarely get type 1. More than one doctor said that my getting Type 1 diabetes was like walking down the street and being struck by lightning. Regardless, I have it, and I live with it daily. Ironically, it was an interview that I conducted with a subject for Soul Food Junkies that helped me to recognize my symptoms. They were: blurred vision, dry mouth, an unquenchable thirst, constant fatigue, loss of weight, and frequent urination. If you have any of those symptoms, please go to the doctor and get checked out. Who knows when or why I will die. But in 2012, I promised myself, the moment reality sunk in, that I'd do everything in my power to live as long and as a healthy a lifestyle as humanly possible. As of right now, my blood sugar levels are well-managed, and I lead a very healthy, active lifestyle. I intend to continue living that way. #RIPPhifeDawg