An Open Letter to Halle Berry
Dear Halle,
It's great to see you making the circuit of talk shows, walking the red carpet, looking extra gorgeous and clearly enjoying your pregnancy. When news of your good fortune first came out, I of course wondered if you'd choose to publicize the fact that you have diabetes and that, having diabetes, you had to take extra steps to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Perhaps some strong media mentions of the fact that women with diabetes can and do have healthy babies all time these days.
I wasn't terribly surpised when you didn't take that path and I don't fault you for that. Just because you have diabetes and are famous doesn't mean that you have to shout about your medical condition at every turn. You don't owe it to us. Though I will concede that it would be nice to have such a beautiful, vibrant spokesperson (no disrespect to Wilford Brimley).
Silence is one thing. Misinformation is another. Telling an A&E audience that you had type 1 but weaned yourself off insulin and now consider yourself as having type 2, well... that's just wrong!
If that's true, then please share your cure! Tell the researchers! Tell the world! Why are you keeping the details of this miracle secret?
If in fact you have type 1 diabetes and are not injecting insulin, and you are not dying from wildly out of control blood sugars, then you do not have type I and you never did.
Please, stay silent on the subject or get your story straight. I'd much rather hear you say "I don't discuss my pancreas with the press" than hear from a mis-informed but well-meaning acquaintance that they heard I can stop taking insulin.
Respectfully,
Kassie Gregorio Palmer
Mom with Type I diabetes
posted by Kassie @ 8:08 AM
40 comments
40 Comments:
Great post!!
Halle Berry bothers me so much with this, I don't even watch her movies anymore.
Not because she doesn't want to discuss her D, but because she waivers back and forth from having Type 1 to Type 2 and back again.
Thank you!
I keep waiting for her to say something, but I think it's going to be a long wait.
Wow. Did she really say that? That is wack. My father's wife once told me I should wean myself off insulin naturally. WTF? From a misinformed person I can see it, but from someone with diabetes, that seems foolish and really pisses me off!
I saw this too! I actually Tivo-ed it. I rewound it when she said that, I was so confused. Now I maybe no expert, but aren't the main differences between type 1 and type 2 pretty obvious? No one can go from being a person who produces little to no insulin (type 1), to a person who produces insulin but is somewhat resistant (type 2). She maybe off insulin, but whatever she is doing to make that possible can not be that healthy.
I've always been confused about her, and had no idea that she said that. It makes no sense, and like everyone else, I have been waiting for her to acknowledge her diabetes. I saw her picture in an ad for World Diabetes Day. Well, I hope she can get her story straight by then.
I can't believe that she would acutally be that ignorant about her own disease. If she isn't on insulin she didn't ever have type 1! People that would be stupid enough to try to stop their insulin will end up in the hospital or worse, all because Ms. Berry decided to be so misinformed about her own illness.
:) I knew I could count on you for a proper response.
Beauty is skin deep but stupid is forever. She clearly hasn't a clue what type of diabetes she really has.
I heard before that she could have Type 1b, and from what she said it sounds like it's still possible. But that doesn't mean she needs to say what she said! Yeesh.
Personally, I always questioned whether Halle herself knew the difference between type 1 and type 2, and now, apparently the truth is revealed: she is clueless. Unfortunately, many people think that the use of insulin renders them a person with type 1, neglecting the fact that its all about etiology.
As for Halle, she has never been a great spokesperson for the diabetes community, especially compared to others like Mary Tyler Moore or Jean Smart, I think we may be putting too much hope in people like Ms. Berry, who relate more their career and image more than than to the community of people with DM themselves. Maybe someday this will change, but until then, don't hold your breath waiting.
Hey Kassie,
I posted this in my Weekly Nuggets today. WtF? Is that her idea of helping the diabetes community for Natl Awareness Month?!
No wonder she's so happy. Ignorance is bliss!
Great letter!
Kathy (type 1/insulin 'weanie' for 25 yrs)
I am so happy to see your letter! I was going crazy last night looking for stuff about Halle's rediculous comments and couldn't find anything, so I decided to post a comment about it on this website (on the Oprah endorsed diabetes book link) and also on WebMD. I got so may responses on Web MD from fellow angry Type 1's! Then today, I came back to this site and saw your letter! Yeah!!
It's PERFECT! Thanks you :)
Teresa
Type 1 (definitely!)
Halle actually spoke (like the dumbass she is) on BRAVO -- not A&E -- on a program called Inside the Actors Studio.
It replays on BRAVO if you want to see it for yourself.
Halle has her own website
hallewood.com
Might be worth checking it out and leaving her a comment.
Thank you soooooo much. That was beautiful. I got this link on WebMd and I'm so happy to see that the backlash is getting bigger. I've had T1 since 1966 (age of 2 1/2) and I've had it up to here with well-meaning but mis-informed folks telling me to eat right and I can get off insulin. What I have gotten into the habit of telling people that the fundamental difference between T1 and T2 is that if you remove all medication, the T1 will die.
Oh well. Thanks again for the post.
Cora
Thanks.
Well said.
I particularly like the I don't expect you to be a spokeswoman but you have to be accountable for what you do say.
Hey Kassie,
Check out PerezHilton.com. He's posted about this over there and it's generating quite a stir.
Just thought I would pass the info along to you!
Allison
Celebs making claims of magical cure is not new, I remember some years back watching Luther Vandross on TV saying he is cured from his type 2 diabetes. He went on to say that the medical establishment did not want him to speak up about it.
He finally died from diabetes complications. May his soul rest in peace.
Great post Kassie.
Maybe Halle is going to be featured on Oprah’s show about diabetics in denial.
We could support her by having a “day with out insulin”. That would be a great special day at camp.
-Deirdre
And to think, she's the Spokeswoman for Diabetes by the National Diabetes Education Campaign. And for her claiming she's had it for 19 years, she still has alot to learn.
Here’s a story for all of you who are so hard on Haille and what she “knows” about her diabetes. I was diagnosed with diabetes at age 13 in 1982. At the time, Type I was Juvenile Onset and Type II was Adult Onset. Of course I was put on insulin and my parents were told about the honeymoon period, etc. In 1995, my husband and I started discussing a family and we went to a specialist at Northwestern University. I was given a test whereby glucose was pumped into my body via an IV and my blood was drawn to measure glucose levels among other things. During that test it was determined that I WAS producing insulin. Guess what! I can do just fine on oral meds. Turns out I have a fairly uncommon form of the disease – which the specialist guessed at given my family history. Both my father and grandmother were tall and thin and developed insulin resistance in their 20’s. So, while I have no idea about Haille Berry’s situation, I can tell you that it is possible to go from being an insulin dependent Type I to a non-insulin dependent Type II. Not because I was cured, but because I was mis-diagnosed. You may think Haille is a fool but maybe she knows something about this disease/her disease that you do not. Maybe she doesn’t talk to the public about it for EXACTLY the reasons you are all up in arms about – she doesn’t want to mislead or misinform.
I still struggle with the question “Do you have Type I or Type II?” The answer, according to my doctor is that I probably have MODY – Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young.
Here is a bit of info about MODY.
Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) is a group of diabetes disorders that affects about 2% of people with diabetes. MODY is often not recognized and people may be treated as Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes by their doctors. MODY has four main characteristics:
1. Diabetes presents at a young age, usually less than 25 years of age.
2. MODY runs in families through several generations. A parent with MODY has a 50% chance of passing on MODY to their child. This is called autosomal dominant inheritance.
3. People with MODY do not always need insulin treatment and can often be treated with diabetes pills or meal planning alone.
4. People with MODY do not produce enough insulin; this is different to Type 2 diabetes where people frequently produce lots of insulin but don’t respond to their insulin.
MODY isn't that rare, it's just not tested for frequently enough.
I've often wondered if Ms. Berry made up that diabetes diagnosis. Not sure why, but I just don't believe it. Even if she is MODY, or a straight up type II, insulin is the SAFEST thing during pregnancy!! GAHH. Can you tell that I am super annoyed by this.
AMEN!! Too bad YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID. Now the rest of us normal Type 1s will have to pay for her misinformation.
your great. I love this letter and thought the same thing!!
I'm a little late to this post. Great letter.
Ok - She's the whole reason I started my blog! I absolutely went Ape s^*t when I read about her idiotic statement on Perez Hilton. I swear I spent that whole weekend leaving posts on his website!
THat week I even talked to her publicist and published her name, number, and email on many a diabetic website/blog/group.
I got my Endo to call!
HB is moron and I will never go see a movie of hers again!
k2
Wake up folks! Type 1's have gotten off insulin completely. Look at the Tree of Life in Patagonia Arizona, they have a program which cures diabetes. They even participated in documentary which shows type 1's and type 2's being "weaned" off insulin and all oral meds in less than 30 days. 2 1/2 years later, the type 1 diabetic in the film is still 100% off insulin. The film is called "Simply Raw. Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days" and is just now being released at the Newport International Film Festival in New Port RI.
I am type 1 and have been on insulin for 22 years. I have tried their diet (as best I could) which is primarily a raw vegan diet. Within 2 days I had drop insulin intake levels by 90%, but I still needed a little long term insulin. I could not maintain the diet, because I did not know what I was doing, but will try again when I either have gone to Tree of Life for a month long Diabetes program, or have better studied the book that Dr Gabriel Cousens put out "There is a cure for Diabetes...the Tree of Life 30 day program.
Bottom line, diabetes is curable. Dr Christopher was able to get people off insulin in the last century, (we do not know if these were type 1's or type 2's because now it seems type 2's are on insulin more and more). In his time only type 1's were on insulin, so I assume they were type 1's. He used a combination of herbs for the glandular system with the most prevalent being Cedar Berries, that rejuvenated the islet cells of the pancreas.
Wake up folks. Your Endo does not know any of this stuff. Why??? Because the education that they receive is all pharmaceutical based. It is a losing proposition.
Look at Dr Robert Young. He has type 1's and type 2's off insulin and all meds in more like 90 days. He wrote a book called the PH miracle for Diabetes. HIs diet is similar to the one at tree of life, but he does include fish and lightly cooked items.
There are others out there. Check it out. If you are like me, you are tired of shots and glucose tests. It appears there is another way. Keep eating what you are eating and taking your meds and you are doomed to the same chronic condition. I agree the same old same old is much easier, but in hindsight, it stinks.
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Brock, please let us know when you are off insulin and how you are able to maintain that. Thanks!
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I absolutely agree with Brock. My daughter was diagnosed with (definite) T1 diabetes on June 30 this year with very high blood glucose levels. Within a week of being diagnosed she cut out all fast acting shots through eating a low carb diet with lots of green veg and and has gradually reduced her slow acting insulin from 26 units to 4. Today we have just started on the Robert Young regime (pretty strict but anything's worth a shot) and it looks as if she will be halving her slow acting insulin tonight judging by her results throughout the day. Each to their own but my advice is to take what the medical profession say with a slight pinch of salt. Well intentioned they may be but many have also been brainwashed by the pharmaceutical industry who would stand to lose a few quid if more diabetics/sick people in general opted to try the nutrition route and were successful.
liz, please let us know when your daughter is off insulin completely. How old is she? I'd also be curious about how she weathers coming out of her honeymoon phase (if that happens) using this regimine.
Brock & Liz - I wish you were blogging about this so we could see your progress!
Sorry i haven't been back for a while. Emma is completely off her Lantus (slowrelease) and was from the first night we started this detox. We did the detox for three days (it wasn't easy!) and we are now eating a low carb vegetarian diet with the odd bit of fish. We have found some great recipes so we can all enjoy our food (v important for us!) Her BG has been absolutely perfect and she has started to introduce carbs. the patern of BG is pretty much like a non-diabetic although we are not pushing it too much at the moment. She was diagnosed on 30th June this year - very high BG. What both Emma and i wondered about the honeymoon period was that perhaps it is the pancreas trying to get going again once the virus (which is what sparked Emma's diabetes off) and thus the antibodies attacking the pancreas has subsided. Obviously if you are giving supplementary insulin the pancreas will cease to produce it as it is surplus to requirements. So we decided to test this by supllementing as little insulin as possible (only the slow release at night) and having very low carb but nutritious meals, which i am happy to give examples of if you wish. We used the Food Doctor books a lot for recipes. The final push came with the detox and Emma has not looked back. We hope it is permanent but of course only time will tell, although a 13 year old boy in Germany reduced insulin over time and five years later he seems fine even eating high carb food. Emma's blood test at the hospital also revealed very high thyroid antibodies and both TSH and T4 out of normal range. However although they wanted to start her on Thyroxine we said thatwe would prefer to wait and see. Her last blood test was encouraging with her TSH coming closer to normal and we are getting another one done next week. Given the right diet (we also used Gymnea Sylvestre a herb that is supposed to help islet cell regeneration and fish oils to help repair possible leaky gut) and more than a little determination and positivity i firmly believe that anything is possible. Hope this helps.
thanks liz! Keep us posted!
I am a dietitian and have had type 1 diabetes since I was 5. I have looked into multiple 'claimed cures' to no avail. The ones that work the best put you on a very low carb diet which is not optimal nutritionally, even for a diabetic. Get your research from well designed studies not bogus money-makers.
Each to their own. Emma is on a mainly vegetarian diet with some complex carbs and there are absolutely no health issues with this. We both have science degrees and have studied nutrition in great depth, not to mention read several research papers from respected scientific journals to confirm that diabetes Type 1 has been reversed. Our 'dietician' suggested a 50% carb diet otherwise, she said, Emma would not gain weight. Emma is now the perfect weight, has perfect blood glucose readings and, we heard back yesterday, her thyroid reading have now come back into range (supposed to be impossible and - we were strongly recommended to get her onto Thyroxine asap). I would say that is a Hell of a lot of good luck if that's what you want to put it down to. I am not posting here to try to convince anyonewho is averse to trying these options. Our main concern is for our daughter and we would never to anything to jeopardise her health or well-being. I am posting for anyone who wishes to know about Emma's experience and take what they wish from it. To those i wish the best of luck. To the rest - i really don't care what you do. It's your life and your health. Good luck to you as well!
I don't know how old these posts are...Liz..if you read this post I would love to know more about what you did with your daughter. My daughter is also Type 1. Diagnosed in Feb 2008. My e-mail is rsbsrb@skybest.com. I will check back frequently for your response. Thank you.
Nikki
Hi Nikki - i will contact you via your email but just for anyone else coming across this the latest news is absolutely BRILLIANT. The consultant seemed pretty sceptical that Emma would continue to do well and suggested that we get her HBA1c measured once a month to see if it 'crept up' We just got the latest results today. It is now at the low end of normal for a non-diabetic. And that is without any insulin for nine weeks. We are so pleased!!
Liz,
I would love to talk with you!
I just came across this and I too have a daughter named Emma. She is 10 years old with Type 1 for 3 years now. We are just trying the raw food diet along with some supplimentation, as recommended by the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia Arizon.
So far we are starting to see much more stable blood sugars just with the suppliments alone. I am eagerly trying to learn the raw food recipes and hope to visit the Tree of Life to speed things up for me.
Knowing that there are other mom's out there willing to go the distance on this disease is very exciting!
How can I touch base with you?
hi Julie
My email address is liz@hortictraining.demon.co.uk. The latest is Emma is still off insulin and still doing well. Please feel free to contact me via my email address. It's really good that there are others out there who are not put off trying other routes by sceptics and/or the medical profession. I also heard from another Greek lady who is having success with getting her son off insulin with diet. Look forward to hearing from you. All the best, Liz
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