Two women share their experience with diabetes and how the condition impacts women of color.
Liz Cambron, Ph.D.
Instagram: @drlizcambron
How does diabetes impact you as a woman of color?
It’s taught me the importance of speaking up and advocating for myself, when as a woman of color (WOC) I’ve always been told to do the opposite. Women are meant to be seen, not heard, is what my culture has ingrained across generations, but diabetes helped me break that. Diabetes also impacted my view on putting myself and my health first. As the only daughter of immigrants, I’ve been so used to putting others’ needs before mine, but you can’t do that with diabetes. It waits for no one. I’ve seen what happens when you put diabetes on the back burner, and I didn’t want that for myself — or anyone.
What stigmas are held in communities about diabetes? How does it affect the way diabetes is addressed and treated?
Unfortunately, there are many stigmas about living with diabetes, outside the community and even within. People view type 2 diabetes as the “you-did-it-to-yourself” disease, so the stigma is that we’re lazy, overweight, irresponsible, etc. This impacts how it’s addressed and treated by neglecting diagnosing anyone who doesn’t “look” like they have diabetes and giving up on anyone who fits the description, deeming them “non-compliant.” There are people who hide their diagnosis just to avoid being given these labels. Living with diabetes is already difficult. Add stigmas to it, and you bring in mental health conditions too.
How can women of color receive more support when it comes to diabetes?
Women of color need to be listened to and taken seriously. Healthcare providers need to start considering culture when coming up with diabetes management plans. Nutritionists and dietitians need to stop demonizing cultural foods. I think the best way to find out how WOC can receive support is to give them a platform to voice their needs. Teach them how to speak up to their doctors, or how to walk away when they’re not being heard.
In your experience, has being a woman of color made it harder to get a diabetes diagnosis, and if so, why is do you think that is?
No. I think it was almost a no-brainer for my provider that I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, given that my mom, brothers, aunts, uncles, and more also had it. There have been higher numbers of misdiagnoses though. Many WOC have been misdiagnosed as type 2 when they’re actually type 1.5, also known as latent autoimmune diabetes (LADA). Again, if women fit a description, then they’re put into that box and ignored if the woman believes they don’t belong there.
What else should people be aware of regarding diabetes and women of color?
We’re resilient despite living with a chronic illness. We may not ask for it, but we need more help than women who don’t live with diabetes. Living with diabetes is a full-time job. Any other thing that can be taken off our plate is an immense help.
Taylor Daniele
Instagram: @healinginhindsight
How does diabetes impact you as a woman of color?
Statistically, I was more likely to get diabetes. However, there weren’t a lot of resources that supported helping me slow down its progress. There’s already a medical bias for WOC and how well we’re treated. The lack of support and resources isn’t surprising.
What stigmas are held in communities about diabetes? How does it affect the way diabetes is addressed and treated?
It’s seen more as a joke than something to take seriously. You’ll often hear, “I got a plate full of diabetes” or some variation of it. It’s been driven into our minds that eating too much sugar and being overweight means that you’ll get it. It’s never talked about in relation to family genetics or access to quality foods. Add to that the biased treatment from doctors, and you get communities of people who don’t want to get help out of fear. They may have untreated diabetes, and by the time it’s addressed, the damage is already done.
How can women of color receive more support when it comes to diabetes?
I feel that there needs to be more education for medical professionals about passive biases towards WOC and the impact it has when there is a disease that we could be more susceptible to. We don’t trust a lot of people in the medical fields to listen to us. We would rather suffer in silence, and that has to change.
Do you see stigma being addressed by the diabetes industry, and if so, how?
Sadly, not yet. I’m starting to see individuals address it, and even a few startups and nonprofit organizations. But the larger companies who have impact have yet to address diabetes stigmas. I see commercials where they’re using actors who fit the typical overweight narrative. Medications that are focused solely on weight loss as the answer to “curing” diabetes. Yet access to higher quality medications and technology is extremely difficult to get. There’s a huge gap in access, and the diabetes industry does very little to close it.
In your experience, has being a woman of color made it harder to get a diabetes diagnosis, and if so, why do you think that is?
Yes, it has. I had to fight to get tested. When I first started having concerns, I went to get tested. However, the doctor I saw didn’t listen to me at all. I had to push to get him to order the labs I needed to see if I had diabetes. No one listens. There’s plenty of history on this. The father of gynecology aided in the idea that WOC can take more pain. He created this image that we aren’t hurting as much as others, so when we mention concerns, we’re exaggerating. This has rooted itself deeply in the medical field. Add to that any stigmas with communities of color and it’s a recipe for misinformation and mistreatment.
What else should people be aware of regarding diabetes and women of color?
My culture and my existence are not the reason for why I have diabetes. We have to educate ourselves and rewire our thinking. The stigmas about diabetes have done a lot of damage for women of color. The sooner we realize and debunk the misinformation out there, the sooner we can work towards fair treatment.