What’s the point of telling me that more people are getting diabetes? Do you want me to feel guilty for this? Do you want me to take the blame for this? Do you want me to go out and tell people to stop getting diabetes? Do you want me to jump in my time machine and stop diabetes from happening?
What’s the point of telling me that I’m going to live a life of suffering? Do you want me to lose motivation to get out of bed in the morning? Do you want me to stop looking after myself? Do you want me to give up on all of my hopes and dreams? Do you want me to stop living as normal a life as I can? Do you want me to stop trying to be healthy and happy?
What’s the point of telling me that I’m going to develop diabetes complications? Do you want me to be scared awake from a terrible nightmare? Do you want me to chant these negative affirmations over and over in the morning? Do you want me to be too scared to walk out of the house? Do you want me to be too scared to cross the street?
What’s the point of telling me that my diabetes is costing the government money? Do you want me to feel ashamed of the disease that I live with? Do you want me to feel sorry for the politician that can’t go on holiday next year? Do you want me to stop testing my blood sugar levels? Do you want me to stop taking the insulin that keeps me alive and breathing?
I already have diabetes. I already live with diabetes day in, day out. And that’s not going to change anytime soon. I certainly didn’t ask for diabetes. And I certainly didn’t do anything to deserve my diabetes.
But I’m stuck with diabetes for the rest of my life. And so are the millions of other people out there in the world, with ALL types of diabetes. And while these messages may benefit the rest of the non diabetic population of the world, they do absolutely nothing for the people who have to live and breathe with this miserable disease every single day of their lives.
There are human bodies, human thoughts, human faces and human feelings behind this disease. Why not empower them?
One of those “top of the world” moments on the rooftop of Parliament House in July.
So true Frank! When I see the face of diabetes in the media, I’m generally pretty happy that my son doesn’t engage yet with that! IT’s not pretty and it’s not generally got much positivity! That’s where the online crew come in!
I agree, it’s a wonder any of us manage to maintain our emotional equilibrium with all the negativity we’re bombarded with about diabetes all the time.
As far as the epidemics go, it’s the D organisations who seem to be trumpeting their own failure here. I mean they’ve spend $$s on these avoid D campaigns over the last couple of decades and yet there’s been nothing but increased cases.
I’ve had Type 1 for 20 years and I agree with this completely, but I also work for a diabetes charity. As tough as some stats and messages for us to hear as people living with Type 1, it’s still so important that these messages get out there.
It’s the difference between a donor giving money to a research project that will improve our lives, making politicians sit up and take notice of a problem that they can try and help with, putting pressure on healthcare systems to better care for people with diabetes – not everything we read or hear about diabetes is aimed at us!