Sheryl Lee Ralph is promoting pharmaceutical company GSK’s THRIVE@50+ campaign, which encourages people who are 50 and older to get their shingles vaccine. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox. If you’ve had chickenpox as a child, then the virus is laying dormant in your body and can reactivate later in life, presenting as shingles. Sheryl, who is 68, sat down with People to talk about why it’s crucial to get vaccinated, the importance of listening to your doctor, and her attitude about health in general.
“People think, oh shingles, it’s no big deal. Trust me, shingles is a painful blistering rash and you don’t have to get it,” Ralph tells PEOPLE.
She points out that 99% of adults 50 years and older already have the virus that causes shingles inside their body, but not all of them will develop it. The actress says using her platform to raise awareness was a no-brainer because she witnessed her grandmother deal with the infection.
“I remember what it was like when my grandmother suffered from shingles. For some people, it might come for a week or so. For her, it was a few weeks. And just seeing her with that pain, it’s something that never, ever left my mind,” she recalls. “And that was one of the reasons I thought, hmm, this is important to get involved with, to have this conversation, to encourage people to talk with their doctor or their pharmacist about their risk for developing shingles and to also talk about prevention.”
For Ralph, a campaign about thriving while aging fits perfectly with her current phase of life.
“I always tell people, no, no, no. Surviving won’t do, especially not for me. It’s about thriving,” she explains. “It’s about realizing, wow, I have lived this long and I am still living. In fact, the best is yet to come. While I am alive, I’m going to take advantage of every moment, every breath, every step. I am able to take everything that I can enjoy in this world. And why not?”
Over the years, Ralph has maintained that “health is our greatest wealth,” and the multi-hyphenate star admits that too many people don’t pay attention to it until it’s gone. That’s why her biggest piece of advice is listening to everything the doctor says — no objections.
“I pay attention to my doctor,” she stresses. “When the doctor says, ‘Drink water,’ drink water. The doctor says, ‘Lose 20 pounds, it might bring your blood pressure down,’ lose the weight. When the doctor says, ‘Keep it moving,’ keep it moving. Take a walk.”
The Dreamgirls alum tells PEOPLE that she gladly accepts those who commend the results of her hard work.
“I just take it. People say, ‘Oh my goodness, you look good.’ I say, yes, I do,” she says with a laugh. “And you know what? Sometimes people say life is like a masquerade. What’s the mask that you want to wear? Mine is really my joy.”
”People say, ‘Oh my goodness, you look good.’ I say, yes, I do.” I love that Sheryl is so openly positive about her appearance. This totally fits with her “no negative body talk” rule on the Abbott Elementary set. Sheryl has always urged people to live their best life. I’m glad that she is thriving and trying to reach others. I can’t believe that I am saying this, but since we are in such crazy, anti-science times, I appreciate Sheryl telling fans that it’s okay to trust and listen to what your doctor says.
That’s also why it’s so important that she’s raising awareness for the shingles vaccine. We are living in a scary time in which safe and effective vaccines are being restricted by an anti-science government. As of now, the shingles vaccine is still recommended by the CDC for age 50 and older. I had a former coworker get shingles at age 57, and she was miserable. She was very frank with the rest of us about how painful it was. She regretted not getting the vaccine (she planned on getting it but never got around to it), but her husband got it as a result. As of 2022, only 30% of eligible adults got vaccinated against shingles. I hope Sheryl’s campaign reaches a lot of people who are on the fence and convinces them to get it.
Photos credit: Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com/Avalon, William T. Wade Jr./Photography/Avalon, MediaPunch/Backgrid
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