It’s January 11th and a lot of the regular shows are returning to air, including Jay and Dave at Sea FM Mackay.
radioinfo caught up with Jayson (Jay) Shipston in early 2015 where he spoke about revealing his sexuality on-air.
“Working in radio you need to be real and open. It’s no secret that I am gay. It’s also no secret that I love dogs, cats and in fact any animal…”
But there is one thing Jay steered away from sharing.
“I was diagnosed with lupus a couple of years ago. It’s an auto immune disease. I’m no doctor, but I have been told what it is a million times… “Its when the immune system produces antibodies to cells within the body leading to widespread inflammation and tissue damage”.
Kim Napier caught up with Jay to chat about his diagnosis and decision to finally reveal it on air.
“Lupus affects people in different ways, for me, I get facial rashes on my arms and legs. I try to sleep as much as I can as I get tired often, which doesn’t help having a 3am start to the day. Diet helps a lot as well so we plan our meals in advance and be as prepared as we can. Yes, I don’t ALWAYS eat the way I should, but I have cleaned my diet up considerably in the last few years to help with living with Lupus. It also is about avoiding stress, and keeping calm and relaxed. My partner is a Yoga teacher in training so I get some tips from him”.
We’ve chatted before about you being gay and now your auto immune disease, do you feel like you were destined to be behind a microphone to educate and inform – you are certainly well placed to break down barriers?
“I don’t know about being destined. I always wanted to work in radio. Ever since I was a young boy. Now that I’m here, I’ve learnt radio is so much more than crazy calls, free stuff and the latest singles. It’s about being real, who you are and sharing bits of you with the audience. I’ve had lupus for about 4 years now and it wasn’t until last year where we spoke about it on the Breakfast show. A listener asked me “Why do you have rashes on your face?”. I explained the disease and the response was overwhelming. I heard from others also suffering from the same disease and maybe it has educated others to what it’s like. It helps that I have a supportive family, partner and co-host. Dave (my co-host) and I had to host a Ball in front of a crowd of 1000. That afternoon I broke out in the worst rash I’d had in months – so I decided to wear a pork pie hat with my suit to hide the rash. Dave didn’t want me to feel like it was an obvious thing I was hiding under my hat, so he decided to wear the same hat and suit as I did”.
What does the future hold for you in terms of your health?
“I am one of the lucky ones that doesn’t have an extreme case of lupus. Others are much worse off than I am. I have seen my health fluctuate to the point of feeling great and to the lows of having to drag myself out of bed. Like anyone, if you eat right, exercise (or as much as you can) and take medications, I can lead a happy life”.
What are your goals for 2016?
“This year my goals are to work as hard as we have done in the past years, reach our goals set, enjoy the ride, and make some more time for that work / life balance.
If my experiences and stories help others in their life, whether its coming out as being gay or having lupus, then I’m glad I’m in the job I’m in.
That’s success for me”.
Kim Napier