Private Practice, Episode 210 on ABC.com

I'm always on the lookout for media representation of diabetes. I appreciate the media feedback that we get, although sometimes it infuriates me at how things are portrayed. Generally, I really don't see many movie or TV shows that feature diabetics in any great length.

However, as I was flipping through the channels last night, ABC's Private Practice caught my eye. One of the medical stories of the episode featured a diabetic little boy on an insulin pump. His infusion site had become infected and his blood sugars were elevated.

The story turned out that he and his father were actually living in a car. Apparently, they didn't have much money so pump supplies were in short supply. The pump was malfunctioning as well. Midway through, the boy suddenly fell into a seizure. The doctor's reaction was to give an injection, which was not glucagon but an allergy medication (he screamed the name out as he did it). The boy was immediately hospitalized and given a new pump.

It bothers me that in most diabetic appearances in the media seem to focus on these extreme cases and often show diabetics having seizures. Panic Room is a great example of this! One of the child characters on ABC's Brothers & Sisters is also diabetic, although it's only been mentioned once when the girl had to check her blood sugar before a meal.

I know media representation is big progress. I'm appreciative of the increased awareness. I hope that episodes like these make people look up the truth of diabetes. But sadly, I think most people will just "select" this false and misleading information to apply it to the general population of diabetics. Sometimes it seems like the media representation and increased awareness actually takes us steps backwards in our fight to educate the public.

Can't the media just show the daily fight that diabetes is? The finger pricks, the insulin injections, the beeping pumps, the sudden highs, and the painful lows. Why can't we see how it affects the characters every day, long term? How the calluses form on your fingertips, the doctor's visits, the fear of complications, and the way that diabetes affects relationships. Apparently, it's just too much to ask.