Your Disability is Hilarious

Everyone gets really excited when someone brings sweets to work. The office is a buzz for about 10 minutes while the word spreads.

If you are at my place of employment then you also hear this shouted across several desks: “I brought donuts … SORRY, ANGELA. Ha ha ha.”

What the mother effin what?

“I’m buying everyone new shoes! SORRY, JOE WITH NO FEET. Ha ha ha.”

“Let’s all walk to the corner for lunch. SORRY, KIM IN A WHEELCHAIR. Ha ha ha.”

“Everyone gets tomorrow off for Family Day. SORRY, BLAKE THAT LOST ALL HIS FAMILY IN A HOUSE FIRE SO THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE MOST ARE DEAD. Ha ha ha.”

I don’t get it. I never have. The lack of understanding and insight into type 1 diabetes is so vast. However, does that mean someone should make a joke of it? To the face of the person with the disease?

I know nothing of epilepsy. Nothing. But I’m not a d*ck wad. I would never say to an epileptic, “We are gonna rage with our strobe lights tonight. SORRY, HANNAH WITH EPILEPSY. Ha ha ha.” People would stop what they are doing and take it to the mattresses for poor Hannah. As they should.

But type 1s, we kinda just have to take it. People think it is funny that food, or the lack thereof, may kill us.

Also, IT IS NOT OKAY TO SAY THINGS LIKE THAT TO A TYPE 2, A PRE-DIABETIC, OR A GESTATIONAL DIABETIC. It’s just not cool.

Read 7 Times TV and Movies Got Diabetes Wrong by Thor Jensen.

WRITTEN BY Angela Wing, POSTED 01/23/17, UPDATED 10/06/22

Angela Wing lives outside Chicago and has had type 1 since 1999, age 18. She is a single mom to two teenagers, has a cat that doesn't seem to like her, performs improv weekly in Chicago, and writes her little heart out hoping to make dolla bills. While she loves fruit snacks, she really wants a cure for type 1 (T1). Until that day, she will use it as a comedic tool and excuse to get out of speeding tickets.