I didn't talk about my diabetes at all during the years I danced with the New York City Ballet. A ballerina is an athlete and psychologically I needed my directors and co-workers to perceive me as healthy. Most importantly, I needed my body to be in optimal working order. As...

As a dancer with the New York City Ballet, it was extremely important for me to learn how to unplug and recharge in order to endure the rigorous demands of that lifestyle. Not only was I pushing my body to the limit -- rehearsing all day and performing every night...

If you knew you had the genetic marker for a certain disease, would it make the difference to motivate you to change your lifestyle and get healthy? I'm asking the question because I recently did an interview with AccessDNA, a web site devoted to helping people understand the...

As a former soloist with the New York City Ballet, and a person living with type 1 diabetes, I'd be surprised if I didn't have some issues with food and weight. The demands on professional ballet dancers to be thin are constant and unrelenting. Yes, I was told to lose...

A few weeks ago I spoke about my new book, "The Sugarless Plum", at an author's luncheon in Ventura County, California. I talked about my 16-year career with the New York City Ballet, and some of the struggles I encountered maintaining an extremely high level of athleticism while at the...

I always tell my students, if you really want to dance, you need to love the process. If you're just in it for the thrill of the performance, get out. For that matter, if the motivation to engage in most endeavors is simply to achieve an end result, one can...

My first response when the doctor told me I had diabetes was complete and utter denial. She had to be wrong. It had to be a lab error. I was convinced that when I got some rest my blood sugar levels would go back to normal. This was actually the...

If you asked me what the hardest physical challenge has been in my life, my answer would surprisingly not be the challenges of living with type one, insulin dependent diabetes. Instead I have to say it has been chronic insomnia. It became so bad at one point even a sleeping...