Face of Diabetes

What does a diabetic look like?

Blank for an answer? 

Me too.

While getting through the paperwork to purchase this, I mentioned to the salesmen that the OnStar (free for one year) would be a great thing to have, seeing I’m a diabetic and we can crash while driving.  He looked at me and said, “You don’t look like a diabetic.” 

I didn’t have a response.

So — what does a diabetic look like?  Amy here doesn’t “look like a diabetic” does she?  Diabetes is worn on the inside and we don’t have a letter D emblazoned on our chests.

I “think” what he meant was the sterotypical “look” is someone that is overweight.  No, I’m not overweight yet some diabetics have to loose weight to help with their treatment.  So, we may not physically look like someone with a disease, but then you can’t tell all the time when someone has a back problem either.

I wear a med-alert bracelet, but it doesn’t say “diabetic” on it.  It opens to a small peice of paper with my medical information on it listing that I am both a thyroid patient and Type II diabetic.

But to look at me - I don’t fit the sterotype.

So how about today we decide that “looks” of a disease don’t match what you thought it was and start to learn that no matter the shape, race, or age, diabetes can strike at any time.

I know my salesmen meant no harm and it was a compliment, but I buttoned up my lip in getting snarky with him — he was selling me my desire