I was actually far more upset by the scene in TLC’s Little Chocolatiers that implied that a woman didn’t get a job at the chocolate shop because she had diabetes and couldn’t eat their chocolate! To add insult to injury, it was cut in such a way that it would make it seem FUNNY that she couldn’t eat chocolate because she was diabetic.

Those of us who are type 1 are on our own. That is the biggest lesson to me of the past 2 years — no one is going to “get it,” so stop expecting any sort of understanding. Just take care of yourself, because you’re the only one who ultimately cares about your disease.

I don’t even expect doctors, including endocrinologists, to understand what type 1 diabetes is, so to expect understanding from writers on a cable TV show is hopeless endeavor.

Later, they do actually get to hiking after Owen has been dressed down by his father for being “embarassing.” This is now a totally different day, and we don’t ever see 1) whether Owen took insulin and 2) we learn later that he didn’t eat. Obviously this was because he was feeling ashamed from his father’s embarassment of him. So he didn’t take care of himself, and he also pushes himself on the hike too much and collapses.

I don’t know where they’re going with this angle of his character but so far I think it makes sense and they’ve done a good job realistically portraying a diabetic who is in denial about it. It’s a show about midlife and obviously this is a part of his life that Owen isn’t dealing with well.

Does anyone remember when the show ‘Brothers & Sisters’ gave actress Rachel Griffith’s daughter type 1? (Rachel plays brunette Sarah, the head of Oji foods.) We saw one shot of glucose testing and a syringe and then never ever heard or saw anything about it again. For all purposes you would have assumed she was cured!