Charles Ray III
"I want to change all that. I want people to realize how serious Diabetes is,
and learn how to deal with it in a healthy way."
"I used to be a sorry excuse for a diabetic. I ate junk food and never took
care of myself. But now I know better - I eat better and exercise every day. My
friends say I look great... Sometimes they even compare me to another basketball player named
Charles."
"Help me make a difference in the fight against Diabetes, a silent killer."
Charles Ray III is no millionaire. His athletic achievements are
confined to the Raleigh, N.C., gym where he plays pickup basketball. His life
bears almost no resemblance of an NBA star such as, say, Charles Barkley.
His face? Well, that's a different story. The 35-year-old restaurant
cook looks enough like the Houston Rockets' All-star forward that he has
decided to put the resemblance to good use: He wants to meet Barkley in a
three-point shooting contest to raise funds for diabetes.
Ray was diagnosed as a diabetic at 17, when he was a high school junior
living in Roanoke, Va. From he start, he says, he was "a poor excuse for a
diabetic," favoring cheeseburgers, french fries, and sweets, spending most of
his time at home in front of the TV, and doing nothing beyond taking his
prescribed insulin shots to improve his condition.
"I was always tired," Ray says. "I was moody, cranky, lazy-having big
problems. At some point I finally said, 'I'm sick and tired of being sick and
tired.' " So he began to eat right, got his weight down, and eventually reached
the point where he was able to work out just about every day.
In the past year Ray has promoted awareness of diabetes whenever
possible, including filing public-service announcements-clad in full Barkley
get-up-for television stations in both Roanoke and Raleigh. Fundraising,
though, has been more difficult-mostly because Ray lacks personal finances to get something significant off the ground.
That's where the shooting contest comes in. Ray says he met Barkley last
summer at a charity golf tournament in North Carolina and approached him about
the idea, and that he's since followed up in writing to both Barkley and the
Rockets organization.(Barkley, reached through the Rockets, lauds Ray's efforts
as "a great thing" but defers talk of a shooting contest to the offseason.)
"If Barkley accepts the challenge, I at least want it to get some
publicity to raise awareness. More than 50% of the people who have diabetes
don't even know they have it," Ray says, referring to a study done by the
International Diabetic Athletic Association. " November was National Diabetes
Awareness Month, and I didn't see any public-service announcements at all.
"I don't think it's a lot that I'm asking for."-Steve Greenberg
Charles stars in his very own television commercial, in which he
speaks for the International Diabetic Athletes Association. He has even
received letters from popular entertainers like Arsenio Hall and Connie Chung!
Charles grew up in Roanoke, Virginia. When he was 17 he was diagnosed
with diabetes. "After that, I began to not take care of myself," he says.
"People will tell you that I was a poor excuse for a diabetic." But after ten
years, Charles started to jog, work out, and take care of his body. Now, at
34, he plays basketball and works out more than an hour most days.
His new mission in life is to tell other people with diabetes how
getting fit can change your life. Charles wanted to film a National Public
Service Announcement (a commercial that stations will run for free), but he
needs something special. He knew of only one thing.
People always told him he looked like NBA star Charles Barkley, who
plays basketball for the Phoenix Suns-and who also happens to be rich and famous.
So in his commercial, Charles is dressed in a uniform like Charles
Barkley. He admits right away that he's not "Sir Charles," then tells about
why it's important to take care of yourself. The commercial has been on TV in
Virginia. Charles wrote letters to all kinds of famous people, asking them to
help get it on TV more. "I kept getting no's," he says, "but I had to use the
negatives to keep propelling me-because they didn't have to write back at all!
My attitude is, 'What's the worst they can say?
"I think the shock will be when somebody says yes."
What about Charles Barkley himself? He would not let the commercial be
aired nationally. He thought it might encourage other people to pretend to be
him. "I understood that," says Ray "I wrote immediately to thank him, because
at least he took five of ten minutes to see it! Since then, Charles has filmed
a commercial to tell about the International Diabetic Athletes Association, in
which he says, "I run on insulin, too."
His advice to kids who feel like giving up? "With help-and it will take
help-you have to watch what you eat and do the best you can to take care of
yourself. It's a hard job. But if I can do it, anyone can."
Charles signs all of his letters with the simple words "Making a
difference." Surely he will.
(The above was printed in "JDF International countdown FOR KIDS)
"Inside Sports", national
What They Say About Charles Ray
email Charles
"Hi,
My name is Charles and I am one of 16 million Americans with Diabetes. Of
Course, only half of those with Diabetes even know they have
it."
You Don't Have to Win the Gold to be a Hero
Sometimes, you just have to believe you can make a difference. Charles Ray III
of Raleigh, North Carolina, isn't rich or famous. He is a restaurant cook. Like
most people, he doesn't have any reason for the world to pay special attention
to him. But that doesn't matter.
Charles Ray's story was printed, among others, in:
"North County Times", San Diego County, CA.
"Countdown for kids", national
"News & Observer", Raleigh, NC
"Mobil Register", Alabama
"Voice of the Diabetic", Missouri
"Technician", NCSU, Raleigh NC
"Roanoke Times & World News", Roanoke, VA
"Diabetes Interview", San Fransisco, CA
"Charles Ray Delivers a good message and has put forth
a valiant effort"
"You are such an inspiring figure, you must not be discouraged...
I feel uplifted knowing your story"
Check out Hannah's Web Page for
Diabetes links.