According to the American Diabetes Association, as of 2012, 29.1 Americans which is 9.3% of the American population had a type of diabetes. 208,000 of those people being under the age of 20. If you didn't know (which I am assuming you don't know which is sad), as of 2010 diabetes was named as the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes is a pervasive disease that affects nearly 10% of the population, and yet it's a disease that SO few people understand.
Now, let me just give you a little bit of insight on diabetes (In particular Type-1). I do not have diabetes myself, but my best friend does, and I see what she goes through on a daily basis and let me tell you, it is certainly NOT something to make a joke about. NOTHING about it is funny. Imagine having to overthink everything that you want to eat. Having to ask yourself questions like, "How many carbs does this have?", "Did I take enough insulin for this?", "What if I am full but took too much insulin, do I still have to finish it?" One can only begin to imagine what that feels like and how stressful it must be. Imagine having a job that you are never able to quit. From what I have witnessed, managing diabetes is a full-time job. Imagine having to manage that on top of another full-time job. Diabetes is NOT a candy bar. It is NOT a pack of Skittles. It is NOT a damn donut. It is a devastating and one of the oldest, deadliest, and pervasive diseases. It can happen to anyone. It doesn't matter if you eat insanely healthy, exercise ten times a day, etc. IT CAN AFFECT ANYONE.
It physically pains me to watch my best friend poke needles into her skin daily and watching her fight this horrible disease. I see what she goes through. She tells me about the multiple times where she woke up at 4 AM shaking with a low blood sugar, crawled to the kitchen and tried to grab something to treat it before she passed out. She is constantly working to make sure her blood sugar doesn't go too low, or too high and not letting herself make that one little slip that could end up costing her life. The hardest part of watching my best friend fight type 1 diabetes is watching her having to think about it ALL the time. I can tell just how mentally and emotionally draining it is for her. I wish I could make it go away. I would do anything.
Click here if you would like to read more about what it is like to love someone with diabetes.
When you make jokes about this disease, you are adding to the stigma, which is already so widespread that it is almost impossible to correct the world's view on it. When you make jokes about it, you are dismissing the battle of children who cry at night because they don't want to get another injection. These people are going to have to continue to fight this disease for the rest of their lives until there's a cure. Don't make it worse. Don't add any more stress on to them. It is already difficult enough. Don't say it. IT'S NOT FUNNY.
If you would like to learn more about diabetes check out these:
