It is so weird to me too to hear people mention shots and finger sticks as the horrible parts of diabetes. From where I am now, those things are just minor inconveniences compared to overall scope of what diabetes is to me. I must admit, however, that the fear of shots was the most difficult part about diabetes when I was new to it.
from Wikipedia:
“As noted in the Special Features on the Steel Magnolias DVD, the story of Steel Magnolias is based on the tragic death of Robert Harling’s elder diabetic sister. As his best friend and closest sibling, Robert found it incredibly difficult to cope with his loss. He was advised by many of his friends to write about his feelings as a coping method. It began as a short story and evolved into a full length play due to the complexity of the relationships and emotions that existed within the characters. Harling felt it important to include the way the characters utilized humor and light hearted conversations to assist them in coping with the seriousness of the underlying situations. Harling wanted the moviegoers to have a true experience of what his family endured during his sister’s hospitalization. One of the ways he did this was by employing the nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff that worked with his sister as characters in the movie portraying their real life roles. Because of the true to life situation, this movie is consumed by people in many different ways.”