A friend (with diabetes) and I were discussing how so many people with diabetes get judged and blamed for not doing or doing certain things. As another friend would say, they get “should” on. This negative attention can really bring someone down. It can even lead people to give up trying to manage their diabetes.
The question, therefore, is not whether Paula Deen brought on the diabetes by following an unhealthy lifestyle. For me, the question is: did her health care professionals guide her appropriately? Did anyone ask her if diabetes ran in her family, or if she was engaging in regular physical activity? A celebrity like Paula Deen can certainly hire a personal chef (I know that sounds ludicrous, but she must get tired of cooking at some point) and a physical trainer. Did anyone encourage her to do that?
Paula raised some important points during her interview with Al Roker. She mentioned that not only lifestyle, but family history (genetics) and stress can lead to type 2 diabetes. I imagine a life of fame comes with some stress. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or at least delayed with healthy choices. It does no good, however, to blame someone who’s been diagnosed and make them feel worse than they already do. No one wants to get diabetes and no one deserves to get diabetes.
Paula Deen now has an amazing opportunity to become an example to the TV-watching, social networking public by making healthy choices. She told Al Roker that she has always stressed everything in moderation, and she will likely continue to do that. Those of us who are health care and diabetes professionals can be reminded through Paula’s announcement that it doesn’t matter who we work with – everyone needs to know how to prevent diabetes.