NEWS
MISS IDAHO
PUTS PUMPS
INTO THE
LIMELIGHT
In July, a woman going by the name of
Miss Idaho brought her Type 1 diabetes
to the fore as she wore only it and a biknii
while in competition for an American
beauty pageant. No matter how you
may feel about those, her action made
a difference to a lot of pumpers, and
provoked much commentary. Among
the coverage online Miriam E. Tucker,
writing for Shots, a health service from
NPR, commented: "Since posting the
photo on social media in mid-July, Sierra
Sandison has become a new hero to the
Type 1 diabetes community. One mother
wrote on Sandison's Facebook page,
"You changed my 11-year-old daughter's
summer! She's been so self-conscious,
but since she read about you and saw this
photo, she cannot wait to wear a bathing
suit and show off her insulin pump!"
Twitter users have been responding
to the hashtag Sandison created,
#showmeyourpump, and in her blog
Sandison, 20, of Twin Falls, Idaho, said
that she had used injections when she
began competing in pageants because, "I
didn't want people to see a weird-tubeymachine-thing attached to me all the time,
and could not wrap my head around
having a medical device on my body for
the rest of my life."
Then she heard about Miss America
1999, Nicole Johnson, who also wore
an insulin pump during the competition,
although not visibly. Johnson, who has
continued with her diabetes advocacy
since her reign, tells Shots, "I think
diabetes technology has become more
socially acceptable because of the
dominance of social media and our
'selfie' culture which seems to be more
accepting today, as opposed to when I
was diagnosed in 1993."
Medical device-wearing 'pride'
appears to be a trend. Amputees are
increasingly using visible prostheses
rather than covering them up and the
ostomy community too. On Facebook,
Ms. Sandison also received thanks from
parents of kids who wear other medical
devices, one who wears hearing aids
and another who has a feeding tube for
digestive problems.
Tucker added in her article, "As an
insulin pumper myself, I can attest to the
hesitancy to wear a visible medical device
- I resisted for years before deciding to
use the pump in 2007. But now I wear it
with pride. If I run into another pumper on
the street we can strike up a conversation
as if we were old friends. And in fact, that
happens fairly often.
Johnson agrees. "It seems that insulin
pumps and diabetes devices are now a
symbol of community," she told me. "It
is becoming more and more common to
see them widely displayed, because of
the opportunity that brings for connection
to others. In the diabetes community,
we use the visibility of our devices as a
badge of courage and a connector. There
is a pride in successfully managing the
condition and surviving. One hundred
years ago there were no survivors of Type
1 diabetes." Read more here.
Miss Idaho, Sierra Sandison, wearing her pump in
competition in July, 'medical device wearing pride'.