http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/GreaterNewYorkCityArea?px=6670253&pg=personal&fr_id=7555

Meet Soara-Joye Ross: Award-Winning Broadway Actress… and Red Rider!

“Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…”—as Julie Andrews sings in The Sound of Music.

My name is Soara-Joye Ross and I am a Type 1 diabetic (or “divabetic,” as I like to call myself). I am a daughter to five, a sister to three, a friend to many (especially Rokia, who wears a DIVABETIC t-shirt just to support me), and a mother to one (my gorgeous Pomeranian, Lyric). Soara-Joye means “singing bird soars joyfully,” which is rather fitting, since I’ve been singing since I was in kindergarten. I have an amazingly funny and supportive family. My mother called me this morning to tell me that she had bought some cotton swabs for me (to aid in checking my glucose levels) and that, if I really needed them, she’d come all the way from Queens to Brooklyn to give them to me … on public transportation! She’s a doll!

Soara-Joye Ross

I have also reunited with my birth family. I am adopted and always knew that one day I’d want to find my biological parents. In 2005 I hired a private investigator to find my birth mother—and he found her! Since then, I’ve also reconnected with my paternal grandmother, maternal grandfather, and—just recently—my birth dad. Yes, holidays can be a bit overwhelming!

I’m also an award-winning actress and have been with my agent, Renee Glicker, for 10 years. Performing on Broadway, at Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall in shows like Les Misérables, Dessa Rose, and Jerry Springer: The Opera have been highlights of my career. I was nominated for “outstanding performance by an actress in a leading role” when I played the title role in the Elton John musical Aida; what a dream come true! At 16 I traveled all over Europe, performing as a soloist in Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic. I’ve toured throughout Germany and the Netherlands in Smokey Joe’s Café and Ain’t Misbehavin’ and even played an American diva in the popular show Palazzo Colombino in Basel, Switzerland. I’ve been blessed to work with talents like Gladys Knight, Ashford and Simpson, Anika Noni Rose, Lea Solanga, Harvey Keitel, LL Cool J, Donna McKechnie, and even Natalie Portman in the feature film Garden State. I absolutely love performing!

I was introduced to my co-star (a.k.a. Type 1 diabetes) in my late 20s, and remember it as if it were yesterday. Before rehearsal on the morning of September 18, 2007 (which was my brother’s birthday and the day before my opening night), I wasn’t feeling very well. During the two weeks prior I had been dealing with an array of health issues, but was told by my doctor that I had a throat infection. As I walked up the subway stairs, my heart began to race at an unbelievable pace and I could barely walk! “This can’t be just a throat infection,” I thought. I hailed a cab and headed to Saint Vincent’s Hospital. Within an hour, I found out that my sugar was 650, I was in diabetic ketoacidosis—and I hadn’t gone into a coma solely because I’d kept myself extremely hydrated. I stayed in ICU for two days and wasn’t able to do the show, but was relieved that finally I knew what was wrong. I got cards and visits from family, of course, but even from members of Les Miz and the new musical I was not able to do. Thank goodness for all of their support; I couldn’t have done it alone!

Having to share the stage with my co-star has been challenging, to say the least, but I am stronger, wiser and better for it! I feel like I understand pain more, disabilities more—life more. I’m a better actress for it and a better human being. I know that every day is truly a gift from God and I’m grateful to still be alive!

In Central Park, ready to ride!

I am now part of an amazing nonprofit organization called ACT1 Diabetes (Adults Coping with Type 1 Diabetes), founded by another Type 1 diabetic, Katie Savin. I co-facilitate a wonderful support group for young women with Katie, and even serve as donations coordinator for the Supply Exchange Program!

Recently I rode on a training ride for the Tour de Cure. It was only my fifth time on a bike in Manhattan, and I decided to do my own thing since the other riders were a lot more advanced than I. I followed the exact route they were taking, but at my own pace: up to the George Washington Bridge via the Hudson River Greenway, which is the most amazing, car-free, bicycle and pedestrian pathway in New York City! It is such a wonderful resource and I’m proud to say that, even though it took me about four hours, I rode from 19th Street and 6th Avenue all the way up to the bridge and then back downtown to 14th Street and 8th Avenue! Yes, I stopped about eight times to check my sugar, eat, drink, rest, check, drink, check, rest, eat, drink, check, etc., but that’s how it is when you’re a diabetic training for an event like this… better to be safe. It was one of the most physically challenging experiences I’ve ever had, and I look forward to doing it many more times!

I must admit that if I weren’t a Type 1 diabetic, I don’t believe I ever would have ridden those 25 miles this past weekend. Sure, I’ve been on many walks (like the Aids Walk) before my diagnosis, but training to ride a bike 30 miles in the Tour de Cure? That’s a whole new level! And on April 30, I’ll be going to the Blessing of the Bikes at St. John the Divine, too. How exciting! Me, Soara-Joye Ross, actress, singer, Pomeranian owner, divabetic—and cyclist!

I guess my co-star and I are in another scene now; shucks, I think we’re in another play! It’s called “The Ride of a Lifetime!” Cheers, everyone!