on the road with…
BRET MICHAELS Rocker, reality TV star, dad, and PWD type 1, Bret finds time to do it all by crafting a life that’s custom-built. by
Bret plays a private concert to fans at a radio station in Farmington, Connecticut; then he rocks for a full crowd later that day.
Jessie Shafer photos by George Tazzini
Bret Michaels is floating a few feet above earth these days—in more ways than one. His rock-star career is still a chart-topping success after 25 years, he’s newly engaged, and he’s just been given a second shot at life. Bret says guardian angels have surely had his back through what he calls a run of “domino-effect” health scares. It started with an emergency appendectomy after a concert in April 2010. Just two weeks later Bret returned to the ER after experiencing an explosion in his brain experts call a “thunderclap,” a massive brain hemorrhage. Then, just as he was starting to feel better, Bret found himself back in the ER after half of his body went numb. Doctors discovered Bret had a hole in his heart causing abnormal leaking of blood between two chambers. Bret hopes the last domino in this chain fell with the successful completion of his heart surgery in January. Though Bret visited the hospital more in the past year than he would have liked, he’s no stranger to those hallways. Forty years ago Bret went to the hospital as a child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. And, until last year, Bret mostly visited the hospital as the lead singer of the band Poison, dropping by to sing songs and lift the spirits of children diagnosed with diabetes. Though he prefers wearing the hat (and bandanna) of the rocker rather than the patient, Bret says living with diabetes since age 6 has taught him some great survival skills: to be aware of his body and know when something isn’t right.
The show must go on Bret’s TV career and personal life have also taken flight in a way that only a rock star’s can. From his win on last year’s Celebrity Apprentice (a gig that Continued on page 31
28
Diabetic Living
summer 2011
»
Clockwise from bottom: Bret’s tour bus decorated with the Stop Diabetes logo; Bret fills a syringe with insulin after a show; Bret exiting stage after a concert in Hartford, Connecticut.
» Continued from page 28 won $640,000 for his chosen charity, the American Diabetes Association) to his recent engagement to Kristi Gibson, the mother of his two girls, Bret’s year has been one big encore. He rocked out on the American Idol stage, hosted the Miss Universe pageant, started filming a second reality TV series on VH1 (this one based more on his home life than his love life), and released a new solo album, Custom Built. If he slows down long enough, you may just catch him on his summer tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of Poison and sharing the stage with Mötley Crüe.
A custom-built life
Bret’s favorite snack
“I love those lime-flavored chips. I count out 10 for a snack, then close up the bag and put it away.” — Bret Michaels, PWD type 1
When Bret, now a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association, talks about diabetes, he notes it’s tough but manageable. “You have to custombuild a life that works for you. Having diabetes is not about keeping up with the Joneses or doing things one way,” Bret says. “Get to know yourself, don’t fear failure, and find things you enjoy.” For Bret, a custom-built life includes making sure his friends and family can help him manage his diabetes. “[My bandmates] know where my test strips are, and they know not to leave an open pizza box on the tour bus to tempt me.” Instead, Bret makes sure he has access to healthful foods (he loves wheat toast with peanut butter, berries, steamed vegetables, and a few portion-controlled snacks). As for exercise, Bret had a stationary bike custom-built in the back of his tour bus. That’s where he likes to take phone interviews with the media, pedaling hard as the bus drives to the next stop, his feet still floating a few feet above the earth.
31