Halle Berry Used to Sneak Into Online Chatrooms to Discuss Her Health Issues

Halle Berry was willing to gather information from a variety of sources to help keep herself in shape. In the early days of the internet, she was even willing to visit chatrooms to seek answers.

How online chatrooms helped Halle Berry with her diabetes

Berry had mixed feelings about using the internet. On the one hand, she didn’t like the hatred she frequently saw online or how internet users hid behind their words with anonymity — a luxury the Oscar winner couldn’t enjoy.

“The internet is also a very negative place because people can say whatever they want and not have to take responsibility for their comments,” Berry once told Black Film. “I have to always take responsibility. If you’re in a public position, you have to take responsibility for things you think, it seems like. You have to take responsibility for things you said ten years ago. You always take responsibility, and I think on the Internet, you can say whatever you want, so I think it’s become very negative because there’s no ramifications. There’s no penalties, there’s no price to pay for speaking your mind, telling lies, or being negative or being evil. It’s a free-for-all, and I don’t think good will come from that, ultimately. It doesn’t seem like it’s a recipe for good.”

On the other hand, Berry valued the internet as a source of information. She even frequented chatrooms to learn more about her diabetes, a medical condition she’s dealt with for quite some time now.

“But right now, it’s a good thing because I go to it a lot, and you can have information at your fingertips. I’m diabetic, and I go into diabetic chat rooms, and I learn about the disease and about science and things I need to know to help me, which is a good thing,” she said.

Perhaps it was a bonus that the chatrooms allowed Berry to enjoy the anonymity many other internet users did. Although, at the time, Berry confided she wasn’t intentionally trying to disguise herself in these chatrooms.

“Yes, I go as myself. People don’t believe me half the time. I’m like, ‘Whatever, I’m trying to get the information dude. If you don’t believe me, get off.’ I’m usually on there to see if something I read was true or read up on an article that some doctor wrote,” Berry said.

How Halle Berry’s life changed after receiving a diabetes diagnosis

Berry’s diabetes came without warning. She had no family history of diabetes, so she didn’t expect the disease to pose a threat to her health. She first felt symptoms while she was working.

“I fell ill — dramatically — when I was on the TV show Living Dolls in 1989. I felt I needed energy, but I didn’t even have a minute to pop out and get a chocolate bar.” Berry continued, according to Daily Mail, “I didn’t really know what was wrong.”

Although she tried shrugging the symptoms off at first, she knew it was time to seek help after she lost seven days due to the disease.

“I thought I could tough it out, but I couldn’t have been more wrong,” she said. “One day, I simply passed out, and I didn’t wake up for seven days, which is obviously very serious.”

When Berry finally saw a doctor, she realized she had to change her diet and lifestyle immediately. If she didn’t, the consequences could’ve meant losing a leg or going blind.

“I went into hospital on my last breath and came out feeling a hundred times better. I knew it was time to take better care of myself, and I can honestly say that I am a healthier person than I was before I was taken ill,” she said.

This resulted in Berry avoiding foods such as desserts and processed foods.

“I started to eat loads of wonderful fresh vegetables, chicken, fresh fish, and pasta. I cut out red meat and cut back on fruit because it can contain quite a lot of sugar,” she said. “Now, one of my favorite dishes is something simple but tasty, such as grilled tuna and garlic mashed potato.”

In the end, Berry felt she came out a stronger person than ever before after receiving her diabetes diagnosis.

“Diabetes turned out to be a gift,” she said. “It gave me strength and toughness because I had to face reality, no matter how uncomfortable or painful it was.”