Darrell Greene, 45, is one of Fox 13’s anchormen. Greene laughs loudly and talks to every co-worker who passes his office door, and you’d never know that this friendly local newsman is a Type 1 diabetic. November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and The Daily Helmsman sat down with Greene over coffee (black, two Splenda) to discuss his career, involvement with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, his struggle with the disease and his continued ability to do the splits.
DH: You’ve lived everywhere from Arkansas to New Orleans, so what brought you to Memphis?
DG: I was thousands of miles away from my daughters and parents and I wanted to be closer to them. Young girls who need their dad, dad who needs his young girls, and parents who need help made this the perfect opportunity (to work for Fox) in Memphis. I applied for the job, and four years later, here I sit.
DH: How did you get involved with the West Tennessee chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation?
DG: I'd done a lot of charity work for diabetes before, previously with the American Diabetes Association. When I got here, I tried to plug into the community as quickly as possible. I was referred to an endocrinologist, Dr. Latif, who asked me if I'd ever heard of the JDRF. He told me more about it and I just gravitated toward it. We make it clear that out of ever dollar you give us, $0.83 goes to research.
DH: What has been the most rewarding part of your involvement with JDRF?
DG: With the ADA, you deal with a lot of type 2 diabetics, mostly people over 30, who already have their lives together. They're usually able to manage their disease in a very different way than Type 1 diabetics. When I got involved with the JDRF, I met a 6-year-old who was wearing an insulin pump and dealing with the same things I do! I know how I struggle with diabetes daily and I thought how does a 6-year-old deal with this? Once you meet the little kids it tugs at you. I live it, but I'm 45. I couldn’t imagine struggling with this as a teenager. In high school and college I was spastic. I played football, I kept 3 jobs, and a 21-hour course load. To manipulate an insulin pump, watch what I'm eating, think about all the insularly things that go with managing diabetes and carry out a lifestyle that you want is impossible. It's a little self-serving, but I'm proud of it. It doesn't bother me that I go out and speak on behalf of JDRF and I’m a Type 1 diabetic. If you don't want to do it for me, do it for the kids.
DH: It's funny to me that, when you're young, it's not considered self-serving, but when you get older it's different. It's amazing how the perspective shifts, because you don't get that with other diseases.
DG: No you don't, because most diseases that carry some of the same side effects eventually kill you. It's a chronic condition that you can live with, but have to manage. It's a pain. I learned how to deal with the pain, but when I see kids deal with it...wow. I've watched kids grow into mature adults with it, I’ve watched them go through the 12 steps: diagnosis, to denial, to acceptance, and you're constantly repeating that process over and over. I get mad at diabetes. I literally get angry that I have to do this. Do you know how hard it is? Sometimes I'm on the air, extended coverage, 6 to 8 hours at a time and my blood sugar drops. I can't even read when I'm low. It affects every part of your life, personally, professionally, athletically given the fact that I am a superior athlete. That's a joke.
DH: I'm sure you were a great kicker.
DG: I can do the splits, but I can't kick a football.
DH: Tell me about your diagnosis.
DG: It was 1994. I was a sportscaster and it was opening day for the Atlanta Braves, so it was a 20-hour day. I hadn't felt well for a few weeks, but I just thought I was lethargic and fat. While we're at the game, I drank 11 solo cups of lemonade. I was dying of thirst and peeing every 10 minutes. I go to the doctor the next morning, he looks at me and says 'Wow. You're diabetic.' I didn't even know what that meant, and I was 24 at the time. So I go to an endocrinologist, they check my blood sugar and it was 840. I was hospitalized for a couple of days. You're hit in the face with, ‘you're going to deal with this the rest of your life.’ I fell into denial immediately, didn't want to hear about it, didn't want to deal with it.
DH: You've become a spokesperson for the West Tennessee chapter of JDRF. How has your media influence has helped the organization?
DG: I don't think it’s me, I think it's the fact I occupy this position. It gives me the ability to speak on behalf of this organization in front of a larger audience. I think people respect the anchor position, and that gives me a little louder voice. I hope that doesn't sound arrogant, because if I didn't do this job, I have no other redeeming skills. I fish, I'm a good shot, I'm horrible at golf...I view myself as a news guy. I'm very lucky to be able to use something that I love to actually help people. I talk about any aspect of my diabetes very freely. It's cathartic, in a way. If I can help one person that’s struggling, dude, I'm down with that. I don't take diabetes too seriously. I'm in a 45-year-old body but I'm still a kid!
DH: What have you gained from your involvement with JDRF?
DG: Honestly, perspective. When you're part of this larger family you gain perspective with every diabetic you meet. You realize that kids as young as 2 are dealing with the same things you are dealing with. It makes you feel like you're not alone. It's somewhat comforting.
