When “Yo! MTV Raps” made its ballyhooed debut in 1988, it shattered the music channel’s all-time ratings, and its two main hosts, Doctor Dré and Ed Lover, were living the life as overnight national sensations.
Thirty-two years later, however, the man born Andre Brown is simply grateful to live. He has remarkably remained in good spirits, calling himself a “triple threat” after enduring diabetes, blindness and having part of his leg amputated.
“I feel fine. Pretty good. I’m very blessed, and sometimes a loss is a plus,” Doctor Dré told Rolling Stone magazine. “I’m up and walking right now, so most people are astonished by the news. We knew I was sick because I was getting sicker by the week.
“But I’ll make it very simple: I’m a very spiritual man. I’m a very God-fearing man. And if this is the master plan, then He’s done what He wants to do. It’s out of my control. I was blessed in March; I reversed my diabetes. Let’s see what happens. Leave all the prayers and the blessings to Him because He’s the one in charge of it, not me. That Spirit is in charge.”
Doctor Dré told the music magazine how he learned that he had Type 2 diabetes in 2007.
“I stepped on a carpet tack on my stairs, and I did something I tell my kids not to do: Don’t walk without slippers. So, I was trying to be fast, and I stepped on the tack and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll just put some Neosporin or antibiotic cream [on it], and that’ll take care of it. Weeks, then months later, I was getting sick all the time, only to find that I had an infection. That’s when I found out I had diabetes.”
To not be able to see or walk and battling a devastating disease, Doctor Dré continues to exemplify positivity — and even offered a humorous outlook on his situation.
“I look at this as what it is: I’m an extremely fortunate person. I’m a triple threat: I’m blind. I’m an amputee. And I’m a diabetic. So, I guess I’m super bad. People keep asking me, ‘Are you depressed?’ I say, ‘Depressed about what?’ ‘Oh, look what’s going on with you.’ I say, ‘Really? Well, if it was my time to go, I’ll be gone.’ “
