Is it just me?

Everywhere you turn there is a hype about the latest boy band....the Jonas Brothers. They are exceptionally popular in the diabetes community because one of the boys has Type 1 diabetes and has been very open about it. I understand he wrote a song about it. He has spoken in front of Congress about living with the disease and he is a spokesperson for Bayer glucometers.

This is not the only celebrity to provide a face to diabetes and I am all for as much awareness and publicity as we can get. I recently read an article where this young man in particular states that he has to test his blood 10-12 times per day. Its great to see people discussing the "real" aspects of this disease. Another performer has told audiences about going low when performing and not knowing how to play his instrument or the words to his songs. This is real. This is what diabetes is all about but......you know that there had to be a but.

For me the "but" is but they don't live in the real world. In some cases they may have grown up in the real world but for this young Jonas, he was pretty famous soon after his diagnosis (or perhaps he was diagnosed after becoming famous I am not sure). Being famous did not and does not mean that he is immune from the hassles of testing, injections, and carb counting but it does mean that one very large burden to care is lifted. There is no barrier to access of devises or supplies. They either have more than enough money to purchase the best care there is or they have companies lining up wanting them to use their products so that they can be used as part of advertising campaigns.

That bothers me. Its wonderful to make people aware of the disease. Its fabulous to get out there and lobby for increased funding for a cure. What happens to those who are living with diabetes now however? What happens to the families struggling to buy test strips? What about the families who cannot afford to pump? What about the families who cannot even dream of being able to afford a CGMS? What about the families struggling to have enough insulin for their loved ones?

I know celebrities cannot do everything but I tend to feel that they don't live in the real world. They can show what a person living with diabetes can achieve. They can do anything if they work at it and stay healthy. That is a fabulous message but I guess I have spent too much time with people who struggle each day to afford to care for their disease. My concern is with people who have to choose care for one child over the other. I worry about those who choose to let their own diabetes care fall by the wayside so that their children can have better care.

I wish more could be done to bring the real struggles of diabetes to the forefront. I wish people could understand the real cost to families. I wish people could understand the emotional as well as financial toll this disease takes. The stress, the frustrations, the fears...those are the real issues of diabetes as I see them but I don't get paid nearly as much as the Jonas Brothers or have an eighth of their fan base.