Like many in the diabetes community, my wife and I were pretty disturbed when we heard the premise of Hannah Montana's "No Sugar, Sugar" episode that was scheduled to air last night.

The episode tackles the issue of juvenile diabetes, but not as we know it to be. A major, recurring character on the show gets diabetes. Oliver, one of Miley's best friends, is ashamed at first and tries to hide his disease from his friends.

In a very "Three's Company" moment, Miley and her friend Lilly believe Oliver and the school nurse are having a secret romantic relationship because of all the time they are spending with each other. He gives the nurse a box of chocolates (because he can no longer eat it); he slips what appears to be love notes under her door (we are to assume it's his blood sugar numbers); and he even falls down a flight of stairs because he's dizzy in love. Or so the girls assume. What's really happening is severe hypoglycemia, I suppose. Very classy, Disney.

They soon learn that their friend has diabetes.

Perpetuating the myth that people with diabetes cannot consume sugar, the big joke of the episode is that poor Oliver is going through withdrawal. His sugar withdrawal reaches heightened levels when he finds himself at a torturous "Sweet" 16 party, filled with sugary delights reminiscent of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. His friends Miley and Lilly are there for him like the diabetes Gestapo, swatting away any treat before it reaches his lips. They even refer to him as "Sugar Boy" after he dives into a garbage can for a half-eaten chocolate bar.

Now, I like to think I have a decent sense of humor, but "Sugar Boy?" My wife actually called Charlie's teacher (who is also a friend) and gave her a heads up about this Hannah Montana episode and to be on the lookout for possible name-calling. Isn't it hard enough having a child with diabetes? We need to now worry about impressionable kids calling our son "Sugar Boy" because Disney thinks it might get a laugh or two?

At 8 pm last night we tuned in to watch Hannah Montana only to discover that Disney had pulled the episode from its schedule. Posted on the CWD website was a letter from Disney Channels Senior Vice President Patti McTeague, stating that the episode would be removed and re-evaluated.

To all the parents who wrote to Disney to express your concern – thank you.

So, here's my question to you. Is diabetes fair game for a show like this if done the right way or should they just stay away from it altogether?

And now a challenge. What if we were the writers for this episode? How could we have broken down the misconceptions of type 1 diabetes yet still make it funny?

I think the joke could have been that Oliver wants to eat the treats and CAN eat the treats, but Miley and Lilly won't let him because of their misunderstanding of the disease.

Or maybe Miley and Lilly have an over-exaggerated notion of the limitations of diabetes and Oliver must repeatedly correct them when they try to force him into a wheelchair or they reprimand him for lifting heavy objects.

They could have poked fun of the misconceptions of the disease rather than the disease itself.

Who knows? If we have enough good material, maybe we can pitch our ideas to Disney for the new and improved version.