Sharing Resources to Educate Your Friends

I’ve been sharing this article with my friends and family to help explain what we live with. It’s such a great tool to spread understanding and support! http://adamtau.net/7-things-i-wish-everyone-knew-about-diabetes/

3 Likes

I’m going to email this link to the five of my half-sisters with whom we will be meeting for a “sister’s get-together” in April in San Francisco prior to our trip. Hopefully it will head off the parade of well-meaning but uneducated comments/questions that would surely pi$$ off my 14-year-old daughter with Type 1.

1 Like

Nice article – thanks for bringing it to our attention. I would make one minor change if I were the editor.

No matter the reason, it’s clear that T1D is nobody’s fault.

I would change this to: “No matter the reason, neither type I nor any type of diabetes is anyone’s fault.”

As T1Ds, it’s tempting sometimes to avoid the social misinformation surrounding type II diabetes. Type II diabetics did not volunteer for this disease. “Being lazy. overeating, getting fat and diabetic” is a blame and shame trap that too many people in our culture buy in to. It’s just not true and we as T1Ds should not add to that social confusion and be party to the stigma infliction. T1Ds using T2Ds to deflect social ignorance about diabetes is not the way to defend yourself.

4 Likes

Terry, I so believe what you’re saying and the shame and blame that many type 2’s get is horrible.
I must share this story. Yesterday at work I was helping a woman find some jeans for her husband. She shared that he had lost some weight and she wasn’t sure which size to try. So I of course said congratulations on his success and she than shared that both of them had been losing because they both had type 2 diabetes. And I was so thrilled for both of the, and told her so and I knew how hard it is. And I of course shared that I also had diabetes. And she said but you’re so thin. And I sometimes have to bite my tongue because so many don’t realize weight isn’t everything. So we talked and I shared all my technology and her husband walked up and got into the conversation. And he was so happy with the weight loss and than his wife said something that so many believe… Well you know we caused this to happen. And I got on ,y high horse and said no you didn’t. That it is genetic and you could be a skinny twig and still have diabetes type 1 or 2. Weight is not the reason you have diabetes, your genetic makeup is why you have diabetes. Yes, the weight might have bumped up the possiblilties but no matter what, you have the genetic codes for diabetes.
So while many in our society think people cause their diabetes, many people who have diabetes believe it also. And that is oh so wrong.
Back 46 years as a very young child, I thought that. And I wondered why me. I didn’t do anything to deserve this. And I in my young ignorance I thought people with “adult onset” caused it. I am so glad over the years I have become much more educated but wow, do we have a long way to go.
So I tried to set the story straight for these two very brave individuals and told them to keep plugging along and don’t take any change I. Treatment as a failure, it is a progressive condition and things are always changing.
So I guess the end of my story here is if we want to change the way society thinks about people with diabetes, we have to start with ourselves.

3 Likes

I’d make a similar edit to the 4th item: “There’s No Such Thing as “Controlling” or Curing Diabetes T1” - Same applies to Type 2 - Sure, you can make lifestyle changes that in many cases remove the need for medication and result in normal blood sugars – but “lifestyle changes” are still management - not “cure” – and, despite all those changes the progressive nature of T2D could still continue. It dives me crazy (I know, short trip) when I see people promising to “eliminate” (cure, reverse, and any number of others…) diabetes with a special diet, or exercise program, or herbal combination, or all of the above.

I had a family friend with T2D who needed to take insulin right from diagnosis. She changed her diet, exercised vigorously daily - and by the end of the first year was off all meds for diabetes. She continued this way for many years – until when she got older, she fell and broke a hip and could no longer exercise the same. Within a VERY short time, she was back on insulin after her BGs sky-rocketed. And with all that, she is dealing with some complications from her diabetes. Cured? I don’t think so.

2 Likes