By Ismael AbduSalaam
Phife Dawg’s long fight with diabetes recently took a new turn for the better, as the Queens native finally received a kidney transplant.
The new kidney comes after a waiting period of over two years, which saw Phife endure problems performing live and a dramatic weight loss through his dialysis treatment.
Originally diagnosed with diabetes in May of 1990, Phife admitted to not taking care of himself by eating the worst types of food for someone with his condition: fats, sweets, and alcohol.
By 1992 the Tribe member started to be debilitated by the illness, with his blood sugar level reaching fatal levels of near 1000 mg/dl, well over the normal 80-120 mg/dl.
The fight finally came to a head with Phife being put on dialysis in 2000.
In 2002, he was hospitalized after the condition continued to worsen.
Now with a new kidney, Phife’s illness with hopefully improve dramatically, giving the legendary Tribe member renewed physical energy.
Bandmate Q-Tip, fast approaching the release of his second solo LP The Renaissance, was ecstatic to report to AllHipHop.com that Phife is already showing improvement right after the surgery.
“He’s doing great!” Q-Tip exclaims. “He just had a successful kidney transplant so shouts out to Phife diggity dog! That’s my n***a right there.”
The door is now open again for a possible Tribe Called Quest reunion, which Q-Tip has previously stated would be on hold until Phife’s health improved.
At press time, Phife could not be reached for comment.
