Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The ignorance is out there

A few days ago, I was perusing my husband's Facebook (it's cool... he knows about it), when I came across the following post that one of his friends commented on:

While I agree that the JDRF and KFC make strange bedfellows, especially when you need to buy a mega jug of Pepsi for them to donate the $1, I do appreciate any donations towards finding a cure.  But then I made the mistake of reading other people's comments:

Hey guys, no need to do research, I think I found the problem

Buy a pack of smokes and we will donate money to a lung cancer research group .... haha ... is this pic real?

Nice they cause it then they want YOU to contribute to find a cure!!!

Head? Exploding. And those are just a few of the snide remarks that people left.

My wonderful husband did leave a comment saying that consuming too much sugar will NOT give you type 1 diabetes (formerly known as juvenile diabetes) but it went completely ignored.

Another person we know made the following comment:

JDRF found that Mega Jugs of Pepsi-like drinks are a leading cause of Type 1, Type 2, and Juvenile Diabetes

Fred had to almost physically restrain me from driving to his house to kick him in the nuts.  I'm sorta feisty like that.

Which leads me to my point.  Recently there has been a movement, started by two moms, to change the name of type 1 diabetes.  I think their enthusiasm is admirable, and I love their passion, but I also believe that it misses the point.  And here's why.  Go back and read the comment above.  I'll wait...

Did you catch that?  He thinks that type 1 and Juvenile Diabetes are different. To add yet another name into the mix will only cause more confusion, never mind that most people don't even know that there are different types. Nor do they really care.

No, changing the name will not fix anything.  People are ignorant, though it's not entirely their fault.  They have been spoon fed crap by the media; news reports, talk shows, and magazines all talk about the "facts" (I use that word very loosely) of diabetes, but never discuss the different types.  I wish we could somehow use media to educate the masses about all the types that fall under the diabetes umbrella, but I don't see it happening.  Media doesn't care unless it happens to a Kardashian.

So then, what do we do?  I think it starts with us; as a grassroots moment.  Start from the bottom up and educate your friends who will hopefully in turn educate others. I try not to vomit "diabetes stuff" onto my friends, but I try to find "teachable moments" here and there. 

I had one friend, who knows how much work goes into caring for Elise tell me that she heard a family member talking about diabetes and how all you need is a shot every once in awhile and stay away from bad foods. She gently corrected the family member, and although it probably went in one ear and out the other, it's a start... right?  At least someone is listening.

There will always be ignorant people out the who don't get it.  My advice?


  1. one person at a time, one day at a time, until we can hopefully not have to deal with so much ignorance....yeah, I'm feeling a little pie-in-the-sky tonight. ;)

    no mater what it's called, there will always be people who don't understand it...and I venture to say a lot of us were in the 'not understand it' boat before it rocked our world!

    oh, and I'd totally drive you over to his house and hold him still while you took careful aim! :)

  2. If you do end up going to that guys house...make sure Fred takes a video. Nevermind. Take me with you.

    PS I love you.
    PPS I miss you.
    PPPS Tell your little girl Aunt Meri says Hi!

    1. Miss and love you too!

      Elise asks,"when are you coming to Texas, Auntie Meri?"

  3. I agree...but...
    I did sign the petition though.
    Honestly for me reading it felt like that moment right after diagnosis, when you wanted to fix it all, and maybe it won't change things but it is a movement. It is getting people talking, sometimes just that helps - then maybe people will learn a little bit. I still don't understand why my SIL (whom has had a brother with T1D for over 20yrs and a nephew with t1d for almost 4 yrs) posted a picture of a family making Christmas cookies that said "Christmas time - a diabetic coma just waiting to happen"
    I had to hide all future posts from her as I at that point didn't think I could control my remarks!!! Deep breaths! WHEW!
    And now off to go check my child with type 1, insulin dependent, juvenile diabetes....blah, blah, blah - let's just name it the creature from the black lagoon that never sleeps (or is that me?)!!!

  4. totally with you girl.
    my blood boiled a little bit just reading this post about the comments.
    I know I didn't understand diabetes AT ALL before it hit me but I didn't claim to assume anything either.

    I educate my friends all the time a little bit here and there if they make a snide comment. I will often tell them how insulting that is to people with type 1. I say it nicely and they always thank me for correcting them.

    but seriously... grassroots no shit.

  5. I actually like the idea of a name change. So much so I've started using Beta Cell Apoptosis instead of Type 1 Diabetes. It goes a lot like this:
    Me: My daughter has Beta Cell Apoptosis
    Them: Oh. What's that?
    Me: It's an auto-immune disease where her own body attacked her pancreas.
    Them: Oh.

    No, "Oh, is that the really really bad kind?" No, "Will she grow out of it?" No "My Grandma had that and went blind" Just OH. It's so nice. So refreshing. I am all for the name change. BCA all the way!

    Give it a try. If you don't like it, you can go back to Type 1. But just give it a try.

  6. I think this is why I don't have a facebook account of my own but highjack my Hubby's all the time too! Some of the comments on there have made me want to kick some balls sometimes too! So yes, I will... Keep Calm and Education On. xoxo

  7. Having had type 1 diabetes for 31 years, this is something that really bugs me. I hate the fact that in an age of easy access to reliable information people still fail to realize the difference. One thing I have started doing is contacting any media outlet or journalist who fails to specify which "type" of diabetes he or she is referring to in media articles. I also recently wrote to a physician who presented at a conference I attended who failed to note what form of "diabetes" their study was looking at (it was clear to me they were talking about T2, but the distinction was never made and of course the presentation was all about obesity and poor diet). But what scares me the most is when I encounter medical professionals who don't seem to know the difference!! I seriously blame the media for using the easy term "diabetes" instead of making an effort to explain the difference.

  8. Wow! We've had MANY a discussion about ignorant comments people make...however, we must laugh at the irony in One Jug of Pepsi yields $1 donation to JDRF! That $1 wouldn't begin to cover the cost of the insulin it would take to cover the carbs in that one (if I even let my boys have caffeinated sugar!).
    Great line "The Media doesn't care unless it happens to a Kardashian"...LOL

  9. Just a comment to let you know, I love your medical advice disclaimer, hilarious!


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