Stand and Deliver

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But for actor Edward James Olmos—who just completed a five-year run as Admiral Adama on “Battlestar Gallactica” and is currently in post-production on a film he directed based on that television show, Battlestar Gallactica: The Plan—the story is all too real.

“Almost all my family has been touched by diabetes,” he says, explaining that his father, four of his father’s brothers and two of his father’s sisters had type 2 diabetes—and died from complications of the disease. Beyond that, his sister Hope and brother Peter also have type 2 diabetes. Ed’s father died at 74 of diabetes-related heart disease. And Ed’s father and most of Ed’s uncles suffered various degrees of lower-leg amputation because of diabetes. One of his uncles decided not to have his legs amputated. “My last uncle committed suicide at 72,” Ed says somberly, “rather than go through what his brothers did.”

Edward James Olmos, at 62, has long been doing everything he can to make sure others don’t have to go through what his relatives have experienced. He’s been an advocate and activist for many a cause, from Latino and Native American rights to raising awareness of multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and more. But it’s his 25 years of delivering the message of hope for those with diabetes that really stand out.

“It was 1984 when I got involved with the [Miami-based] Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. I was there working on ‘Miami Vice,’ ” says the rugged-looking actor who shot to fame as Lt. Castillo, a character who used few words to send strong messages. Ever since, he has been a vocal spokesperson for the DRI Foundation, as well as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Ed also is committed to supporting the Diabetes Foot Conference, an annual gathering of doctors whose goal is to find ways to reduce the occurrence of diabetes-related lower-limb amputation. As it is, diabetes is the main cause of foot and lower-leg amputation in America (see sidebar). And Ed’s family connection makes him horribly aware of how necessary it is to find ways to prevent this problem from growing worse as the number of people with diabetes increases. So involved is he that the conference’s highest honor is the Edward James Olmos Award.

“Since its beginning, I’ve been a part of the conference,” says the actor, who was Oscar-nominated for his role as a math teacher fighting for the educational rights of his barrio-based students in the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver. “I have become a spokesperson for the Diabetes Foot Conference. And I have been honored by their placing my name on their highest award. It is given to the doctor who has done the most to bring out an awareness of and cures for foot amputation resulting from diabetes. The recipients have been some of the finest doctors in the world today.”

Diabetes is in Ed’s genes—and he knows it. While his family history with the disease is deep and long, he’s determined not to be the next to have it. “I watch my weight and exercise every day,” he says. “But I know that if I were overweight or if I suffered a severe trauma, I would probably trigger it and I would have diabetes.” Trauma and severe tension, such as when Ed’s sister Hope witnessed a suicide as a pre-teen, have been linked to pancreatic problems that can alter insulin production and result in diabetes.

Exercise is key to Ed’s efforts. “I’m on a daily routine,” he says. “I do a half-hour cardiovascular workout on a treadmill or elliptical machine, then I work out with weights.” He also swims often at his southern California home.

Ed understands the value of a wise diet, too, and the problems of sticking to favorite foods of his Mexican heritage. “The food we eat brings about diabetes quicker than other diets,” he claims. “That’s why I think the Latino culture has a greater tendency for getting diabetes. Cooking with certain oils and in certain ways—refrying your beans, for example—is not healthy. Yet, it’s a main part of our diet.”

As for his own diet, he’s been a vegetarian for almost 13 years. “A lot of my kids have gone this route, too,” adds the actor, referring to his two biological sons (with first wife Kaija Keel) and four adoptive children. “They might eat a little fish here and there, but they eat more vegetables, greens, and nuts. They get protein by way of beans—but not refried beans,” he says with a laugh. “Between a refried bean and a bean cooked in a soup, there’s no comparison at all.”

“You can’t just tell people what to do,” says Ed, who currently is married to actress Lymari Nadal and was formerly married to actress Lorraine Bracco. “Instead, you have to show them in the hopes that they follow your lead. Set an example,” he insists. “Don’t try to tell somebody fighting diabetes, ‘Hey, man, you have got to do this, you got to do that, you got to watch this, you got to watch that.’ Instead, just do it yourself.”

His exercise regimen has motivated his biological sons, Mico, 37, and Bodie, 34. “They’re very strong athletes,” Ed boasts of the two young men who have acted with him and help run his production company. “They surf almost every day. At 4:30 in the morning, they’re in the Pacific Ocean.”

Beyond diet and exercise, Ed also practices his own form of meditation. “I don’t follow a strict Buddhist belief,” he says, though his son Mico does. Ed explains that it helps him deal with his high blood pressure.

But his overall message is simple: “I’ve been around diabetes my whole adult life,” he says, “and it’s still hard to understand it.” But he knows how hard researchers are working on the problem, and he’s dedicated to supporting their efforts. Finding a cure for diabetes is “a battle,” he insists. “But I think we’re winning, I really do.”

 

Facts on Feet

About 86,000 Americans undergo diabetes-related lower-leg amputations each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And, adds David G. Armstrong, DPM, PhD, director of the Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance, “85%-90% of these amputations are completely preventable.”

Dr. Armstrong, who also is co-chair of the Diabetic Foot Conference, explains that “up to 22% of the total diabetes-care budget goes toward caring for diabetes-related lower-extremity complications. What’s more astounding,” he adds, “is that, every 30 seconds, someone loses a leg due to diabetes. And once someone loses a leg, that’s worse than most kinds of cancer in terms of five-year survival rates.”

Reduced blood flow is one contributing factor. Another major factor is nerve damage—neuropathy—that changes or reduces the ability to feel pain. “Over time,” Dr. Armstrong notes, “almost everyone with diabetes will lose, to some extent, what I call the ‘gift of pain.’ The patient often does not realize the growing loss of sensation because it happens so slowly. At least half will lose that sensation enough to be at high risk for getting a sore or wound on the foot. About 50%-60% of the time, that wound—or ulcer—will get infected. Those infections result in 88% of amputations done annually on folks with diabetes.”