Change The World - DBlog Week Day 1

Thanks to the lovely Karen at Bitter~Sweet, we are now in the 5th year of DBlog Week. You can still participate (after all I'm a day late already...) by visiting Karen's site and filling out the form.

Yesterday's topic was:

Let’s kick off Diabetes Blog Week by talking about the diabetes causes and issues that really get us fired up. Are you passionate about 504 plans and school safety? Do diabetes misconceptions irk you? Do you fight for CGM coverage for Medicare patients, SDP funding, or test strip accuracy? Do you work hard at creating diabetes connections and bringing support? Whether or not you “formally” advocate for any cause, share the issues that are important to you.

I must admit when I saw this topic I thought I would end up writing a hefty list of moans and groans that you have to get to grips with when you join the D club... However a couple of weeks ago a segment on a certain Channel 5 program caused a wave of uproar over the handling of information regarding Diabetes and Easter.

I don't pay a great deal of attention to the media in Britain, a lot of it is made up or blown out of proportion, however when dealing with medial information I believe that the correct research should be undertaken well before the show is broadcast.

This show in particular (who I won't name as I don't want to give them any more publicity than they've already had) made ridiculous comments about giving children "a tooth-rotting, diabetes triggering chocolate egg this Easter?". As if this wasn't bad enough, the presenter of the show then argued with many an angry follower on Twitter, rather than apologising for the ignorant and misinformed segment. When a parent asked this presenter (please note I use the term loosely) to consider how he would feel if his own child had to live with this condition and had to deal with comments like that, the response was "I can think of worse".

There are indeed many conditions in the world 'worse' than Diabetes, some of which destroy families every day. Does that mean that this presenter has the right to insult people living with the condition day in and day out? Hell no! He hasn't the faintest clue what it takes to live with it, the anguish of taking care of your levels or watching a loved one exhausted by a day of highs/lows.

People whose lives are touched by Diabetes go through enough on a daily basis without having idiotic comments made on National Television.

Next time DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!!