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Sotomayor’s Diabetes — Our “Teachable Moment”
I’m sure you’ve all heard that Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court was confirmed by Obama today. How could you miss it, with all that media buzz about her being:
Photo: Washington Post
1) the first Latina, 2) only the third woman, and 3) the first Type 1 diabetic (first known chronic illness survivor) ever to be considered for the high court?
A huge day for Type 1 diabetes in the news! Which immediately spurred renewed buzz among the diabetes community about how the mainstream media “just can’t get diabetes right.”
You can’t blame some of us for being uncomfortable with the TIME Magazine headline: “Sotomayor’s Diabetes: Will it Be a Handicap?“ Hell, no. Being a judge is a desk job, for God’s sake — all she needs is can of regular Coke handy, just in case. And btw, Sotomayor’s been performing the judge job for over 15 years already.
Some Twitterers thought the TIME article “makes us look like we’re heroin addicts!” or “like we’re going to drop dead tomorrow.” I’m not sure I agree that it was all THAT negative, but if we’re going to get media attention, I think it’s really important to at least explain this illness factually.
TIME talked about an insulin pump as a “permanent” fixture, that is “inserted under the skin.” Close, but still a little misleading…
The journalist who interviewed me for this article (“Diabetes Groups Hail Obama Court Pick“) didn’t even know Type 1 (autoimmune) diabetes existed, he told me. He’d only ever heard of Type 2, and gestational, the kind his wife had during pregnancy. Hmmm…
The best thing about this AFP story, if you ask me, is the input from William Ahearn of JDRF, noting that Sotomayor’s nomination gives us “a teachable moment” — an opportunity to explain the disease to the broader US public, and also “an exemplary moment” for showing us diligent patients just how far we can go.
As if on queue, a nice post appeared at Newsweek.com pointing out that there’s no need to worry about Sotomayor’s diabetes: ‘Hey Public, it’s really treatable, and actually forces people to take meticulous care of themselves!’ (my synopsis).
Newsweek’s Kate Daily writes: “Just last week, a Texas detective won a discrimination suit against the FBI, who didn’t hire him because he managed his diabetes with insulin injections, not a pump. President Obama deserves credit for looking at Sotomayor’s real qualifications — not her medical file — when making his choice.”
Darn right.
Wait, the FBI had a thing against injection therapy? I’m letting that one go for now… And btw, hat’s off to new Special Agent Jeff Kapche (anonymity not required?)
Meanwhile, the WSJ Health Blog wrote in its Sotomayor coverage: “Some people question if the diabetes debate is really just code language to say that the judge looks overweight and therefore presumed unhealthy.”
Huh? She has TYPE ONE, People. Clearly, our teachable moment is in jeopardy here. Besides, if Sotomayor is considered too fat, how do people like Dick Cheney and Helmut Kohl ever gain support as politicians? Or is it only the women who aren’t allowed to look “big”?
The Wall St Journal followup piece at least asked some MDs about diabetes. To which they replied, “it’s a non-issue.” How true, in the sense that “there’s absolutely no reason why the fact that she has diabetes should be a factor in her longevity or should affect her ability to serve.”
Yet if were really a non-issue, why would they all be talking about it?
A Call-to-Action: Let’s use this “teachable moment” to help the Media help the People to Understand. By which I mean, please keep your eyes peeled for ongoing coverage of Sotomayor’s diabetes, and please post comments letting journalists know how they’ve done representing this illness. These stories will linger for a while, so let’s make sure Type 1 diabetes at least gets a fair shake.
I dont understand why this is such huge news if diabetes is a non issue for SCOTUS. I really wish every news event of the Obama administration wasn’t always tied to type 1 diabetes in some way. I want to read more about diabetes as a disease, not a political party. What possible effect could Sotomayor have on us?
Posted by: Jules | May 26th, 2009 at 4:13 pmYay. Once again Obama has come through for us diabetics and named SOTOMAYOR as a Supreme Court nominee. I’ve been telling all of you now for a while that Obama is going to cure us and this is confirmation. The only downside is that she went to Catholic school. Maybe she is over that Catholic nonsense. Obama is da man!!
Posted by: Lauren H | May 26th, 2009 at 4:15 pmIn the second paragraph, even before explaining what Type 1 diabetes is, the WSJ blog
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/05/26/sotomayors-type-1-diabetes-a-non-issue-say-docs/
talks about “bouts of disorientation.”
As if it weren’t bad enough that TIME has that scary needle picture and talks about an insulin pump that can be permanently inserted under the skin.
It is going to take a huge effort from all of us in the diabetes community if we are going to seize this teachable moment.
BTW — tomorrow NPR’s Joe Shapiro will be covering this non-issue on All Things Considered.
Posted by: Janet | May 26th, 2009 at 4:33 pmI actually didn’t think the article was all that bad… aside from some factual errors like the permanent pump under my skin (from what I hear, they’re working on it…), but that picture really irked me. But the actual article seemed fairly balanced between how we take care of ourselves and the actual risk. So I’m with you in the not *that* negative boat. I just think it was a lousy stock photo since *no* one takes their injection like that.
Posted by: Allison Blass | May 26th, 2009 at 4:35 pmWait, are you saying that because it’s a desk job all she needs is a coke handy? or are you mocking that type of coverage? because if I read that in a mainstream news article, I’d be all over the author for saying that all a person needs to manage diabetes on the job is a coke at their desk!
Posted by: james | May 26th, 2009 at 7:10 pmWell, I’m all for her.. But I’m afraid alot of Not so nice Comments, Questions on her Longivtivty and about T1 in general are going to come out that many t1’s are not going to like..
Already- T1’s live from 7-10 yrs less and This is Per NIH … then alot of Mixing us up with T2’s is going to be another problem..
Me thinks it will do more harm than Good if she is Not Approve, not for our Country, but for T1’s..
Some Congressman and Women are using Mary Tyler Moore an her Book already.. and you can bet alot more negatives wll be forthcomming..
the Facts are not very good in her favor.. an they want someone who will stay on the Court for At least a Decade or longer an have turne ddown previous nominees for Having Cancer.. and she does have some questionable jusdgement cases going against her as well..
and anything to do with Stem Cell Reserach, etc. she will have to excuse herself anyway..
Of course, they have been saying for yrs we should have a 7% A1c too..
Of course the majority voted against Just. Scalia too and he turned out pretty good..
Keep your fingers crossed
Posted by: Dennis | May 26th, 2009 at 7:56 pmThe WSJ Health Blog comment is just infuriating. That is irresponsible and uninformed reporting, and there’s no excuse for it.
I for one am incredibly inspired by what Judge Sotomayor has accomplished in the years since her type 1 diagnosis. I agree with the comment that all she needs to make sure diabetes doesn’t get in the way of her ability to execute her job is quick access to sugar in the event of a low. Type 1 diabetics are doctors and surgeons, and physicians find themselves in life-and-death situations far more often than those who sit on the court.
Posted by: Lauren K | May 26th, 2009 at 10:50 pmi arrived at this page from a friend’s blog. this is thoughtful and though-provoking reading, thank you for your post.
Posted by: otter | May 27th, 2009 at 6:23 amYes! I just posted on my own blog about that Time Magazine article. I’m so sick and tired of all the misinformation out there. And when the weight (type 2 in the minds of the public) issue is brought up… agh! I myself am an overweight TYPE ONE (yes, even we can pack on some pounds) and I’ve found myself having to outright argue with people (even nurses) that I’m not a type 2 and that I need insulin even if I don’t eat, that I’ll always need it pending an actual cure, etc. It’s frustrating. I will certainly keep my eye out for articles and I’ll comment when I can, including praise for properly representing type 1. This really is a wonderful opportunity for us all.
Posted by: DBunny | May 27th, 2009 at 10:55 amI’m gonna try this again, my first one is lost out there in cyberspace!!
Posted by: LindaB | May 27th, 2009 at 12:21 pmIf they are going to make an issue out of this then they should be questioning everyone on the hill. All those with Hypertension, High cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, T1 and T2, obesity, cancers of any kind, thyroid conditions, hypoglycemia,wears glasses, hearindg aids, prostate issues, Incontinence,and any of the myriad other health conditions that are out there should all be subject to the scrutiny that I am sure this will be given. They all should automatically be disqualified from performing their work because they are not in perfect health. The rest should all be disqualified due to the proponderance of accidents that could befall them in their lifetime such as, car accidents, natural disasters and plain old bad judgement concerning their persons.
The misinformation in this article may be small but, It will turn into a huge issue. Who the heck takes their Insulin like that freakin’ photo shows?? That was awful. Permanent Pump, oh if only that were true! Animal based Insulins, that stopped a while ago.
I am sure Ms. Sotomayor is hooked up with a pump and CGMS, and will automatically know when she is to high or to low and will respond accordingly whether it be a “can of soda” at the desk, or doing a manual bolus. The ignorance that prevails among the general public about this disease is rampant out there. One more “just stop eating sugar and it will get better comment, or what did you do to yourself comment, or my ALL time favorite from a manager at a big discount retailer we all know, “just Fix IT”, we can’t afford this.
She has been a judge for over 15 yrs, has done well, and her diabetes made no difference then. Aren’t there other issues that should be focused on instead of this?? I wonder how many Reps, and senators up there are floating around with T2, or even T1, It would be interesting to find out.
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my comment won’t take, hmmm…
Posted by: T1 in Boston | May 27th, 2009 at 1:08 pmWhat a “teachable moment” from WSJ… I was reading the article with disbelief and shaking my head… so much of misinformation to the public… when can they learn to convey the right information…
Posted by: diabetes | May 27th, 2009 at 4:59 pm