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Alec Baldwin announced he has prediabetes, becoming the latest celebrity to reveal a diagnosis. How did this latest reveal make you feel?

February 9th, 2012
Category:
Type 1Type 2Oral MedsInsulin & Pumps
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I heard about the new Hannah Montana episode from Kerri's Six Until Me blog last week. I knew that Disney had a personal interest in diabetes because of the Jonas brother who has type 1. Honestly, I really wasn't surprised to learn that an episode dealing with a diabetes diagnosis was scheduled.

 

However, I was surprised after I watched the unaired episode to see how poorly diabetes was portrayed by Disney. I gave them some credit for even approaching the subject and trying to make it as simple as possible for the half hour show. But I couldn't excuse them for their blatant disregard of everything diabetics have worked for since the introduction of carb counting.

 

I would assume that Nick Jonas would have been one of their sources of information considering he's in the target demographic and lives daily with the disease. So I wondered if the shows' interpretation of diabetes was the way that Nick Jonas lives his life. Does he find sugar too hard to ignore or maintain a sugar free world? And if so, who's going to give Mr. Jonas the wake up call?

 

I hoped the episode would be further edited to include more information on carb counting and the reality of the disease, instead of the sugar focus that it currently had. Overall, I desperately wanted the episode to air because it involved a major, consistent character being diagnosed.  So it was a way for diabetes to make it into mainstream media.

 

But over the weekend, I read the news that the show was pulled because too many doctors and parents of diabetics protested against the inaccurate portrayal. Apparently, it will be reconsidered. There was no expected air date on the reconsideration of the show.

 

My question is: Will it even air now? Or will Disney be too scared of getting something wrong to even approach the topic? Have we sacrificed any media exposure by wanting accurate details about diabetes? What's the cost of our sacrifice?




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Michelle Kowalski
Michelle KowalskiMichelle Kowalski, a writer, editor and photography hobbiest living in Phoenix, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in February 2005. In January 2008, as part of her quest to start on an insulin pump, Michelle learned that she actually has type 1 diabetes. (Read More)
Carey Potash
Carey PotashCarey is a full-time hater of diabetes. The benefits stink. His 7-year-old son, Charlie, has been giving he and his wife the finger since November of 2003. Carey's parenting humor has appeared in various websites and print magazines. He resides in the suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife and three children. (Read More)
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