We have just learned that Mary Tyler Moore has passed away at the age of 80. Moore was the first public face of Type 1 diabetes, and she served with distinction as the longstanding international chairwoman of JDRF.
Much has been written about her advocacy work, but we would also like to take a moment to remember her for upending the traditional picture what it was like to have Type 1 diabetes.
Read “Why Celebrities with Diabetes Matter.”
Consider:
You were “supposed” to get Type 1 diabetes as a child. She was diagnosed at age 33.
You were supposed to keep your Type 1 diabetes secret, or at least quiet. At the prime of her career, she went public about her diagnosis and was outspoken about life with diabetes.
You were supposed to die young from Type 1 diabetes. She passed away at the age of 80, just shy of the average lifespan of women in the U.S.
If you had any chance of a long life with Type 1 diabetes, you were supposed to be a “good patient” right at time of diagnosis. Moore has said she struggled early with diabetes self-care, and it took a team of doctors to get her on track.
So we at Insulin Nation don’t just thank Mary Tyler Moore for her thousands of hours of relentless service to the Type 1 diabetes community; we also thank her for breaking the stereotypical mold of life with Type 1 diabetes.
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