D&D (Diabetes and Discrimination)

Oh man, Skyler, I hear ya!!!

I can't stand being treated as if I'm somehow handicapped because of my diabetes. I had a basketball coach once who wouldn't play me in the game if she saw me checking my blood sugar beforehand. And of course, this was really because she was uneducated about diabetes, but it drove me nuts that she saw it as such a weakness.

It kind of reminds me of a man who comes to my gym regularly. He is about 60 and two years ago he had a stroke that left his right arm very immobile, and his speech has been really stunted. It's hard to understand him sometimes. BUT--his brain is all there. He is incredibly intelligent. When we were talking once about having these "handicaps," he said it's really frustrating that people talk to him as if he's a child just because he can't speak well, but his mind is totally with it.

I think what he tries to remember is that just because they're treating him as though he's mentally handicapped, that doesn't mean he actually is. Just like, if someone speaks to me as though I'm moron, it doesn't mean I'm a moron, it means this person has some kind of other issue that is effecting the way they speak to people. If I want to take it personally, I can, but if I can remind myself, "No, I'm not handicapped. I'm not a moron," than it won't define anything about me.

And while sometimes simply saying, "Dad, I'm not weak and feeble just because I have diabetes, I wish you'd let me take care of myself more," I don't think we'll ever be able to get everyone around us to stop treating us differently because of our diabetes---because their behavior and thinking is out of our control---but I do think we can change the way we let it make us feel. As long as you can remind yourself that you are just as able and as smart as they are, then it doesn't matter what they say.

But...still...it's frustrating.

-Ginger

WOW!!!! its the same here!! i dont get why the world is so discrimative....they think that they are always so right....newsflash they arent that is why we have jdrf and childens congress!!!!! God Bless you for disscusing this point!!

Peace!

 M