Everyone loves a good movie or TV show, but when a person sees themselves reflected in the characters onscreen, the connection is even more powerful. For many years, Hollywood has referenced diabetes on both the big and small screen, but sometimes the level of accuracy varies.
Here are some of JDRF’s favorite movies and TV series that accurately portray Type 1 diabetes (T1D):
1. The Baby-Sitters Club (2020)
Based on the popular book series by Anne Martin, the contemporary Netflix remake centers around Stacey McGill, played by Shay Rudolph, who navigates life as a teenager with T1D, integrating technology into her care regime.
2. Greenland (2020)
This action-packed thriller, written by real-life T1D husband Chris Sparling, follows a family with a T1D son who must fight for survival as a planet-destroying comet races to Earth.
This action-packed thriller, written by real-life T1D husband Chris Sparling, follows a family with a T1D son who must fight for survival as a planet-destroying comet races to Earth.
3. Steel Magnolias (1989)
This cult classic is a comedy-drama based in part on writer Robert Harling’s T1D sister, who is portrayed by Julia Roberts.
4. Panic Room (2002)
A teenager with T1D and her mother are trapped in a safe room during a home invasion.
5. Memento (2000)
In a side plot, a man with amnesia treats his wife with diabetes.
6. The Next Three Days (2010)
A husband attempts an escape plan for his wrongfully imprisoned wife, who has diabetes.
7. Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011)
This Michael Rappaport-directed documentary chronicles the rise of hip-hop supergroup A Tribe Called Quest, including late group member Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor, who had T1D.
8. Virgin River (2019)
In season one of the series, Melinda Monroe, played by Alexandra Breckenridge, saves a local woman from going into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) — a life-threatening condition of T1D — after mismanagement of her blood glucose levels.
9. AJ and The Queen (2020)
The comedy-drama starring RuPaul follows the life of a down-on-his-luck drag queen as he prepares for a new adventure, with advice from his best friend and roommate who suffers from blindness as a result of a stroke and T1D complications.
10. No Good Deed (2002)
The crime thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson as Officer Jack Friar begins with the character checking his blood sugar and preparing an insulin injection.