Do you remember the diabetes-themed Hannah Montana episode last year that was leaked onto the Internet and swiftly pulled before it was aired on the Disney Channel?

 Well, it’s back.

You might recall the disappointment many in the diabetes community expressed after seeing diabetes depicted inaccurately - aiding the very misconceptions we work so hard to dispel. Terms like "sugar boy," written as a weak attempt to deploy canned laughter and delivered by young actors unaware of the potential damage it could cause, did not go over well with most of us.

The premise of Oliver, the character with diabetes, being unable to eat a bite of sugar and spending the entire episode tortured by temptation, had us all scratching our heads. Fact: macaroni and cheese will kick Charlie’s ass far worse than a piece of cake or a chocolate chip cookie any day of the week.

I had long forgotten about the great Hannah Montana debacle. So, it was a surprise to get a response this morning from an email I wrote almost a year ago.

Hello Mr. Potash,

I am writing to update you and once again thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding an episode of "Hannah Montana" in which the character Oliver is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  We value Disney Channel's reputation as a trusted destination for kids and parents and we are diligent about fulfilling that responsibility.  We agree with you – the episode had some merit!

As promised, we reviewed the episode with experts including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and subsequently rewrote and/or re-edited several scenes.  The new episode will air Sunday, September 20 at 7:30 p.m., ET/PT.

We sincerely hope you and Charlie will find that this revised story more accurately incorporates the subject of living with type 1 diabetes with the theme of the character Oliver learning to rely on his friends for support, no matter what challenges may arise.

Thank you!

Patti McTeague

Senior Vice President, Kids Communications, Disney Channels Worldwide

Ms. McTeague,

Good afternoon. We in the diabetes community greatly appreciate Disney's quick action to remove the Hannah Montana episode "No Sugar, Sugar" prior to broadcast. I do hope, however, that the show's producers don't give up entirely on the episode. You might not know this from the massive amount of angry emails you may have received, but diabetes can be funny.

My 6-year-old son Charlie was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was just 1. As a humor writer and a blogger at dlife.com’s Blogabetes, I often cope with the insanity of this disease with laughter. If done accurately, Disney can appease the diabetic masses and break down several misconceptions of the disease in the process while still creating a funny show. And I know Hannah Montana is a funny show. I have a 9-year-old daughter. It's on ALL THE TIME.

As someone who has been entrenched in life as a parent of a child with diabetes for five years, I would be happy to serve as a consultant of sorts if you are interested as you re-evaluate the episode.

Thanks again for taking swift action on this matter.

Regards,

Carey Potash

It’s not often that I need to pry the remote out of my children’s hands only to put on Hannah Montana. On September 20, I'm so there.