We diabetics are not broken

I don't think I miss too much the days of "cable TV," let alone "on-air TV." I'm sure many young people today don't even know what I'm talking about. In the explosion of content that streaming has brought us, I've found examples of a "new television" that, for better or worse, we format to our liking. Although I consider myself more of a "writing nerd" than a "TV enthusiast," I've found excellent programs in this new system which, in my opinion, leave a mark on our consciences.

Images from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10011374/mediaviewer/rm3699542785/

Such was the case with an episode of the "New Amsterdam" series, produced by NBC and conveniently rebroadcast on Netflix, which I watched recently. Episode 19 of the second season, broadcast in 2019 and titled "Happy Place," shows Psychologist Iggy Frome (Tyler Labine) talking with his patient Jemma (Lizzy Declement), who suffered abuse and harassment throughout her childhood and adolescence. Dr. Frome discharges her and, as he says goodbye, looking into her eyes, tells her, "Just try to remember one thing: you were never broken." The scene closes with an affectionate and supportive hug between the two.

I retake that phrase with more specificity: "Diabetics are not broken." Often, what is broken is a healthcare system that prefers huge profits on treatments and equipment instead of investing in research for a definitive cure; an environment that blames diabetics for their condition instead of educating, assisting, inspiring, and embracing them; a food market that prioritizes soda and candy over fruits and vegetables.

And "because we were never broken," I am confident that we will continue to live with our condition in a positive, proactive, and successful way. But we will also continue to demand, with our voices and our actions, a better system for treating diabetes and to soon begin to cure it.