Randy Jackson opens up about gastric bypass surgery and his struggle with type 2 diabetes
1:30 PM PT, Sep 25 2008 - Los Angeles Times

When Randy Jackson called on Tuesday, he was downright ebullient. “Stephanieee!” He exclaimed, although I am fairly certain that four seconds earlier was the first time he had ever heard my name.

Jackson wasn’t pumped about the chance to speak with this reporter, or about wrapping the second season of “America’s Best Dance Crew,” or about the upcoming eighth season of “American Idol.” He was giddy about a lesser known undertaking: his partnership with the Heart of Diabetes campaign.

Jackson’s involvement in this campaign, he explained quickly, is no accident; “I’ve been living with [type 2 diabetes] for many years myself." After being diagnosed with the disease, Jackson made the difficult decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery. “Listen, it was pretty tough,” he said, “because it’s a pretty risky surgery still at its best.” Following surgery, Jackson gave his diet a complete overhaul. “I also had to visit my doctor more than every two years,” he added with a chuckle. (Please click here to download for information on Randy's Heart of Diabetes Campaign. PDF File 1(192 KB) - PDF file 2(280 KB) )

Thanks to gastric bypass, a healthy diet, and more frequent doctor visits, Jackson is finally in control of his type 2 diabetes. “I’ve been working at this for four or five years,” he explained. “I’m pretty good at it now.”

While many celebrities resist discussing health problems in general -- and the still semi-taboo gastric bypass surgery in particular -- Jackson is eager to share his story with fellow diabetics. “It’s better talking to someone who has it,” he said. “It’s like talking to the real skinny person about exercise.”

Jackson’s best advice for the newly diagnosed? “Please, find a computer, go on Iknowdiabetes.org. There’s such a great community.” Jackson is prominently featured on the website, which offers tips and tools for managing type 2 diabetes, along with a slew of inspiring success stories. “I wish I had it before,” Jackson said of the site.

On the Heart of Diabetes website, in an article entitled “Randy’s Story,” Jackson is remarkably frank about his struggle. “It was difficult to change my eating habits because food is emotional for me,” he writes. “I often found comfort in eating food that was unhealthy.”

After some more serious diabetes talk, when the conversation inevitably turned to “American Idol,” the dawg came out to play. “Man, its gonna be hot!” Jackson said of the new season.

When asked what changes we could expect in season eight, Jackson took a long, pensive pause. Then he announced that Simon Cowell, Ryan Seacrest and he would all be wearing powdered wigs during taping. “I’m gonna be Sir Randy,” he announced, “and we’re gonna wear them all the time.”

-- Stephanie Lysaght

Photo credit: Lucian Capellaro

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