I'm putting on several layers of body armor for this post. I suspect some of you will be more than angry at me for saying this: Maybe we should give Halle Berry a break.

::Michelle ducks::

Here's my reason. She's clearly misinformed about either her disease or diabetes in general or both. Instead of attacking her, let's take this opportunity to bring to light the common misconceptions about diabetes, let's offer education to those who don't know or have been afraid to ask, and let's also encourage people who have diabetes to be as informed as possible about the disease and the best treatment options.

Looking back at my own type 2 diagnosis nearly three years ago, I realize that I was grossly uneducated about so many things. Yes, I visited with a nutritionist and a diabetes educator, but I was so angry about the diagnosis that I really didn't absorb everything. At the time, I had just a few resources--some pamphlets from the CDE and the American Diabetes Association web site. I feel fortunate that I pushed myself to find more information. Some folks either don't want to do that or don't know that they need to do more than take their doctor's word as gospel.

Even several months into my diagnosis when my sister was asking me questions about blood sugars, I didn't know the answers. It felt weird to not know, but I went looking. Some people don't, I guess.

So let's assume that Halle is one of those people who hasn't searched beyond the confines of her doctor's advice to empower herself. Since none of us know her personally, let's try to give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure she's eating her words now.