Ben Vereen has become a master of turning adversity into advantage.

Told not to bother auditioning for the epic, made-for-TV mini series "Roots" because he was a "song and dance man," he landed the role of Chicken George.

Told two years ago he has Type II diabetes, which was only diagnosed after he collapsed, Vereen started exercising and eating right and is now a spokesman for the American Diabetes Association.

He's also been in a car crash that caused a stroke, been run over by a truck, temporarily lost his ability to talk and was once told by doctors it would be at least three years before he could walk.

He calls all of these moments "gifts," and Vereen plans on sharing his experiences with audience members tonight and Saturday when he takes the Blaisdell Concert Hall stage to lead off the Honolulu Symphony Pops season as Matt Catingub conducts. Vereen wiill perform "the best of Broadway and beyond."

Vereen, 63, spent some time with TGIF recently to offer his thoughts on his life, career, coping with diabetes and his passion for scuba diving:

Vereen, on living with Type 2 Diabetes:
“All the horror stories are true if you don’t do the proper things. About two years ago I was lethargic. I was craving sugar and tired all the time, overweight too. I did a show in San Francisco, flew back to L.A. to give a speech at my Angels of Love Spiritual Center and collapsed. The doctor gave me the news, Type 2 diabetes. I had fears about taking insulin. I thought it was a last option. With medical help I got my life in control. Now I exercise, eat right, control my blood sugar and do the things I love.
“I have become a spokesman for the American Diabetes Association. I have a Web site, www.bensdiabetesstory.com. I am taking the stage for diabetes awareness to tell all the things we don’t know, all the warning signs we often ignore, and how to take care.”
On being an avid scuba diver:
“I was performing in Hawai‘i about 20 years ago and a woman introduced herself as Jackie. She had a place called the Aloha Dive Shop and said she wanted to give me a gift at 6 a.m.. I said O.K., what kind of a gift?
“I found myself at a scuba dive lesson. They didn’t even ask me if I could swim. I couldn’t. I did it and wow, it was like flying, only underwater. I’ve gone diving in China and the Cayman Islands. I still want to dive the Red Sea and the Greek isles, but Hawai‘i is the best.
“To be cleared to dive with Type 2 diabetes, you have to check with your doctor, exercise to stay in shape, eat right, and always be checking the blood sugar.”
About the car crash:
“That tree just jumped in front of my car in 1992. I hit my head in the crash and there was damage to an artery in my brain that later caused a stroke when I was walking down the road. I fell and got run over by a truck.
“I am a big believer in prayer. All the prayers lifted me up. The doctors told me it would be three years before I would walk again. At first I couldn’t talk. They sent in an occupational therapist and I thought he was there to talk about how I would have to find another job. I really worked at therapy. I was walking in three months, not well but walking.”
About “Jelly’s Last Jam” and its impact on his life:
“The last show I saw before the crash was the great Gregory Hines in ‘Jelly’s Last Jam.’ It was the first show I wanted to see when I could walk. It was October, around my birthday. Gregory stops the show, comes out and tells me if I could be well by April I could be in the show. Prayer lifted me up and 10 months later, April 3, 1993, I was back on stage.”
About his role as Chicken George in the epic TV mini series “Roots:”
“I can never thank Alex Haley enough for traveling to Africa, coming back in the hold of a freighter and writing the history of our ancestors in his book, ‘Roots.’
“It is amazing it has been 32 years since the premiere of the television version of that epic and people still talk about it as if it was new. I was told that even if I beat down the doors I would never get the role of Chicken George, that they would never use a song and dance man. I tried out anyhow. The rest is history, my history.”
About performing with the Honolulu Symphony and his love for Hawai‘i:
“My newest surprise gift is the opportunity to perform with the Honolulu Symphony and to be back in Hawai‘i. I’ll be visiting schools, community groups and the troops at Tripler Army Hospital (all of which he did earlier this week). I am so happy to scuba in the beautiful Hawaiian ocean with dive master Vic Berardino.”