TSHEPO Mosese, the kwaito star known as Howza, is reaching out to people living with diabetes.

TSHEPO Mosese, the kwaito star known as Howza, is reaching out to people living with diabetes.

The artist is on the road with the Changing Diabetes Campaign, which is aimed at creating awareness of the disease.

"I am the youth ambassador and it makes me feel good to share my story with other young people. I have been living with diabetes for five years, yet I am healthy and enjoy life to the full. "I wanted to kill this myth that diabetes is a disease for the elderly only. Young people are also susceptible. Me and thousands of other kids are proof of that," Mosese said.

"There is no doubt that I was eventually going to be a candidate for diabetes since my father is a Type 2 diabetic. I am a Type 1."

He injects himself with insulin every day.

Mosese said when he was diagnosed with diabetes he was shocked. But he knew that if he wanted to live, he had to change his lifestyle.

"I stopped drinking and invested in a healthy lifestyle, the integral part of which is exercise. Diet is also key to staying healthy," he said.

His involvement with the campaign began after his doctor convinced him to join forces with a company called Novo Nordisk.

"It's been a learning curve. There are many people who don't know about the disease."

He is very excited about the campaign.

"Equally exciting are the planned visits to schools next year. Teachers often sideline diabetic children out of ignorance. They bar them from participating in sports because they fear they will collapse on the pitch, when in fact those youngsters can lead normal lives.

"People are incredulous when I give my testimony as someone living with diabetes. By the time we reach the end there is suddenly an understanding that nobody is immune to the killer disease.

"It also helps to dispel the many myths about the disease and gives people a new lease on life when they finally develop hope," Mosese said.