I’ve seen this picture too many times to count. Let me share with you why I don’t think it’s funny:
#1 It suggests that my son and daughter did something, or worse, ate something to cause their diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. While we may never know exactly what triggered their little bodies to attack the cells in their pancreas that make insulin, I’m CERTAIN it wasn’t because they ate too many candy bars.
#2 Diabetes is no laughing matter. My kids are in a constant battle for their lives. The list of complications from diabetes is too long to list. Blood sugars that are too high can result in comas and blood sugars that are too low or that drop too rapidly can cause seizures and brain damage. And as much as I don’t like to even type the word, both can lead to death. It’s a never-ending balancing act and diabetes seems to always have the upper hand.
#3 Sugar, yes the same sugar found in candy bars, is a lifesaver. My children never leave our house without taking some type of fast acting sugar with them. Candy has saved their lives too many times to count. Eating sweets did not cause their diabetes but it certainly does play an important role in keeping them healthy and alive.
#4 People with type 2 diabetes have feelings, too. What possesses others to poke fun at someone with a serious, life threatening disease? I’m happy for you if your body works the way it’s supposed to. Why make fun of those who aren’t as lucky?
#5 And last but certainly not least, this picture isn’t funny because thousands of people with diabetes are forced to look at it and it is, yet, another reminder of the ugly stereotype they have to fight every day.
loveisalwayshopeful 
Well said Beth!
Hi Bethany. My daughter was diagnosed with type 1 9/11/2001. I homeschooled her since kindergarten. I also worked fulltime graveyard shifts in assisted living homes for the elderly.
I took homeschooling quite seriously but we always had fun with it. Now, she is 18 and graduates 5/13/2013!! She has a 3.8 GPA and I’m am so proud of her. She has friends and a nice boyfriend. She is very sociable.
Just a note of encouragement and praise because so many people do not understand diabetes and want to pass judgement on homeschooling. A few time I tried her in public school and they would not take care of her highs and lows to my standards so I pulled her out. Be proud of yourself….you deserve it!!
I had her attend on-line classes through Ashworth College for high school. So she really did earn her grades!! I am so proud of her!!
My family is loaded with members who suffer from Type 2 Diabetes. My grandfather lost his leg because of it. I have to watch my blood sugar level, because of my family history. However, I do find this funny. Granted, I have a dark sense of humor, but if I ate 28 candy bars, It would push my blood sugar over the edge into Type 2 Diabetes territory, and I can laugh at myself, and hence, this. Also, unlike Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 is preventable. So if you have Type 2 Diabetes, use this picture to do something about it. Stop eating so poorly and exercise. Stop feeding your kids crappy food. Get some willpower. If my reaction sounds angry, it’s because I’m tired of family gatherings loaded with the unhealthiest foods possible, and I’m tired of loved ones getting sick and dying from something that could have been prevented by simply eating better. However, my comments are strictly about Type 2 Diabetes. People with Type 1 have done absolutely nothing to deserve this disease, while those with Type 2 have created it for themselves.
I understand your frustration about Type 2 and have seen the same in my family. My husband and daughter are both Type 1, but I have others in my family that are Type 2 a d it is hard to watch. However, I’ve recently met a couple of Type 2s who are in good health, avid exercises and healthy eaters who deposits doing all the “right” things still got this horrible disease. One in her 30s a d one in her 50s…. Just terrible. It opened my eyes to the fact that not all Type 2s are what you would call “self induced” There is a definite genetic component that leaves you vulnerable even if you’re living “clean”. It has changed my perception and made me feel ashamed for the attitude I had towards Type 2 as a whole. I understand why you feel that way about the people you watch throw their health away, but I promise not all Type 2 is related to or caused by that. Genetics are there and for some people no matter what they do, it’s going to develop. That really sucks. I hope by studying this subset of people researchers may get closer to identifying genetic factors and possible triggers.
Sorry for the typos – can’t type on this phone!
WRONG! People with type 2 do not “deserve” this disease, nor did they necessarily “create it for themselves.”
I have type 2 diabetes. Diabetes runs on both sides of my family. So I have always been very careful about my diet, eating whole foods, plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, and minimal amounts of sugar. I exercised regularly until I was rear-ended by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel on the highway and hit me at approximately 120 miles per hour. The resulting back and neck injuries left me unable to do my usual workout routine for 2 years. When I was cleared to exercise again, I started working out again. One year later, I was diagnosed with type 2. And for 10 years, various life events left me with stress factors well above the danger level on the Holmes-Rahe scale. I did NOTHING to “deserve” diabetes. It was a combination of genetics, severe stress, and inability to exercise that led to my diagnosis.
I control it SOLELY with diet and exercise, and have maintained so well that my doctor says I can look forward to a long and healthy life — barring any accidents, probably living into my 90s.
I don’t find this picture funny either, though I can understand why some people might. I think the points made in this post are well worth considering.
This is not actually true. I have type 2 diabetes and am not obese nor have I ever been. My BMI is under 25. However, my mother and her cousins have type 2 also and I developed gestational diabetes during my last pregnancy and was told that this shows that diabetes is in my family and I was high risk to develop it properly later on (which I did). Whilst some type 2’s develop diabetes after weight gain, it is not always the case. there are also plenty of obese people without diabetes, and I would argue the case that no one deserves this disease.
Thanks KC! I appreciate you! Wendy, Thank you so much for you comment. I’ve been homeschooling my two boys for 4 years now and I will start homeschooling my daughter in the Fall. She’ll be starting K-4. I know you are so proud of your daughter! I’m so happy for her! Thank you for sharing with me. It is truly an encouragement. And it sounds like you and I have a lot in common. Do you ever sleep? LOL 🙂
Thank you. Seriously.
Well said!
I agree whole heartedly… I’m a Type II but still having struggles. Well written and well said!
So, you’ve never said “you almost gave me a heart attack”? Scaring someone doesn’t induce heart attacks. I’ve had one. They aren’t funny. I don’t take offense at stupid jokes that aren’t meant to harm anyone.
I can laugh at diabetic jokes. This one just hits a nerve with diabetics because it is feeding all the misconceptions of ignorant people who think that it is true. It would only be funny in any case if it eating sweets actually did cause diabetes.
I appreciate that you have a hard time look at this picture. It is obviously referring to type 2, which is not autoimmune. It is because there is a fatty layer surrounding cells making it difficult and sometimes impossible for glucose to enter the cells resulting in high blood glucose levels. This type of diabetes is usually developed over time. During that time, the person is most likely eating a lot of fatty, high carb foods, and sweets. So indeed, if Billy ate that many candy bars and continued to eat that many candy bars then most likely he would develop type 2 diabetes. Many people use humor as a defense mechanism and that’s okay, it is a good, effective, healthy way to cope and for many that is what this picture represents. No one is forced to look at this or laugh at this. It may not be funny to you (or others) and that’s okay too, but what is not okay is for you to make humor sound like a bad thing. What about those humorous copers? Sometimes we have to laugh about it or we wont be able to make it through another day. I have a family member with type 1 diabetes and a good friend who has a son that also has type 1. I do not, in any way, think this disease is a laughing matter and I appreciated your hard work and dedication to take the best possible care of your children!
You know, that is actually not an accurate portrayal of type 2 diabetes, which is genetic though not necessarily autoimmune. There are plenty of people who do not eat a healthy diet, follow an active lifestyle, and never develop pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. More recent research suggests that insulin resistance may in fact develop before and lead to abdominal weight gain. While both exercise and diet play a role in management of type 2 diabetes, it is no more acceptable to regard the type 2 diabetic as responsible for their illness than it is to do so to the type 1 diabetic, breast cancer patient, etc. As for your assertion that this is an acceptable form of humor, perhaps it is to you, but as a teacher and a registered nurse, I can assure you this type of mean spirited humor is part of what’s led to the out of control acts of violence we see today.
Thank you for speaking the truth, Bethany! I shared your post via Facebook because you’ve found the words to speak what so many of us feel.
I had sever pancreatitis and now have type 2.
Hi, thanks for your post. I would like to say something though. I was diagnosed with Type 1 at six years old (I am now a happy, healthy 45 year old). My mother was always protective and I love her for that, but not because she was protecting me from jokes like this, not because she was protecting me from the world not understanding my disease, and not because it made me feel normal. If anything, it made me quick to laugh at her for getting so upset! As an adult, and hopefully this will provide you encouragement, I am in no way offended by others and do not see myself as being any different from your next average joe. I actually pride myself in being able to laugh about it! I make jokes about my diabetes all the time. When I was in high school, I had a friend’s mother say, “Brad! You’re eating a candy bar!” And I would say, “I AM?!” And fall over. I understand that, as a parent, you want to be offended for your children. My daughter is on the autism spectrum and has had her share of jokes thrown at her, and I thank God that she has that same sense of humor. It’s hardest on my wife, to which my daughter says, “why are you upset? You’re the NORMAL ONE!” I love it!! There will be hard times, but it’s so small compared to what she can be.
Just my advice: do not get upset in front of your children. My memories of my childhood with my mom getting upset are some of the more unpleasant ones. I felt normal. I was normal. I am normal. And I am thankful that it is a disease which can be managed and not one that has interfered with my dreams and goals. I have all of my limbs, I have my sight, I look like everyone else, etc. –for that I am so greatful. It could be so much worse.
So when I saw this picture on my own FB, I didn’t laugh, but it didn’t phase me. I’ve written comic strips about type 1 specifically and received my share of offended parents, but sometimes all you can do is laugh. There are so many funny aspects of Type 1 when it’s actually happening to YOU. To lift those up makes the scary parts not bad.
You seem to have outstanding kids, seem to be a great parent, and I can promise wholeheartedly that they will live happy and normal lives. And probably wont care as much as you do about others. Give them a high five and something loaded with carbs for me.
After reading comments on here I was actually more offended.
It’s things like this “joking” no big deal stuff that has made our life more difficult than it should be.
When my daughter was in the third grade her teacher reported us to CPS because I allowed my daughter (a type 1 diabetic) to eat sugar at all (like a cupcake with the class celebrating a birthday -and we would of course dose for it). Then the same school in fifth grade (the nurses aid) reported us to CPS for what they referred to a gross
Medical neglect based on some bruising one daughters tummy (she had just begun using her pump and there is a learning curve for the inserts and they can cause bruising). Now both reports were dismissed. However at the time I was a single mom with three small children working full time and going to school. My children were interviewed by CPS at their schools before I was even made aware of the situations.
Nobody single or married enjoys CPS involved in their lives. It is a stress that until you experience it cant be explained.
After the second report CPS agreed to flag my daughters name to not open a case until after contacting me for a medical release to speak to her doctors. Simply because these claims were complete garbage and a waste of our tax payers money and resources all because supposedly educated people had no idea what type 1 diabetes was or entailed. And I would like to add that I offered from day 1 with all school personal to answer any questions and or provide written literature to help them understand.
Her 5th grade teacher treated my daughter awfully because he couldn’t MAKE her earn drink passes. She was allowed drinks whenever she felt she needed them. That wasn’t her fault. She has horrible memories of that teacher. (Her sister on the other hand lived that teacher and he made her a teachers pet).
My point is jokes and statements that poke fun at diseases that are completely misunderstood do nothing but hinder the care of our children.
I try to teach ally children that words are just words and 99% of the time are never personal. I teach them that the only way someone can hurt you with their words is if you allow them to.
However, there are clearly times words can hurt you, like when they bring CPS into your life with completely unfounded and untrue statements.
Of course. I’m sure that was a very hard thing for you to go through and understand completely. Respectfully though, I am coming at this AS a type 1 diabetic, not the parent of one. Teaching a child that words are just words is great, but a child does not always understand the gravity of certain words. To teach them the impact these words have, then allow them to use it to educate others (be it through humor or offense) is really all you can do.
I honestly believe it is harder on the parent than the child. And many parents make it harder than it has to be.
Reblogged this on shivam blogspot.
I 100% agree with you and you did a fantabulous job explaining. Hopefully this will change at the very least one persons attitude towards joking about it. (Although I pray more).
People would never think of making jokes about cancer or other life threatening diseases, so why is ok to do so with diabetes (type 1 or 2)?
Thank you!
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Hi Bethany..I have been asked many times when I tell them my son has Type 1…is that ” the fat kind”. It infuriates me my son who is a model of health would be assumed to be unhealthy and the stigma of diabetes of being a “lazy” disease if you just get up and exercise you will get better. Very well spoken…a fellow Bethany
Never stop educating others about diabetes, no matter which type you have. It will be an up hill battle, but fight for awareness until there is a cure. Be prepared that some people refuse to be educated and others could care less. Don’t ever let it stop you. I know I don’t.
I love it when people get together and share thoughts.
Great blog, stick with it!
Hey! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.