Media coverage is sometimes good. Like Bethany Townsend, 23-year-old British model with Crohn’s disease, who photographed herself in a bathing suit with her ostomy pouches on her stomach, Seera Sandison, Miss Idaho with diabetes, paraded on Saturday with her insulin pump.
This 20-year-old American took advantage of her election to show her illness for the first time. The young woman is indeed suffering from type 1 diabetes, which she was diagnosed with two years ago. Often called “juvenile diabetes”, it represents five to ten percent of diabetes cases and generally appears during childhood or adolescence. But in the United States, the initiative has a special scope. Seventh leading cause of death in the country, 18,400 young people are diagnosed each year of this disease which prevents the pancreas from secreting enoughinsulin.
To raise awareness
The young miss explains her gesture by her desire to raise awareness among other patients. The one who had great difficulty accepting her diabetes at first, now wants to send a message of hope and encourage young patients to be proud of themselves, even if they do not meet the beauty criteria relayed by the media.
A photo of her walking with her pump, posted on her Instagram account, has been shared 995 times since yesterday, with many comments from diabetics saying they feel less alone. It is now making the buzz in the media.
In 1999, Nicole Johnson, the one who was going to be elected Miss America that year, had made the same gesture. She has become an active and highly publicized figure in diabetes awareness in the United States. Spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association in the 90s, presenter of a radio program on the subject, she managed to get people talking about the disease and to encourage donations for research.
What do you think of this initiative? We talk about it on our forum!
