Diabetic Emmerdale plot highlights illness
A storyline in Emmerdale is shining a light on what to do in the case of a diabetic emergency, much to the approval of campaigners raising awareness about the illness.
Amy Wyatt was shocked with the news that her mother Kerry was in a diabetic coma. The character is now conflicted as she has only just been reunited with her mother and has stated that she ‘doesn’t care whether she lives or dies’
However, leading diabetic campaigners at www.IceGems.co.uk says that the storyline should be a chance for redemption and more importantly showcase how important it is to deal with diabetes effectively, both in terms of treatment and to ensure that any future emergencies are dealt with quickly.
Time is off the essence with Diabetes. When it comes to diabetic emergencies, fast reactions and first aid knowledge can save lives, so information engraved into medical jewellery can be crucial to inform people what is wrong with the suffer and how to take action.
Diabetes is a complex illness because there are two key types – the campaigners say – often with very subtle symptoms, which puts sufferers at risk: hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar).
Medical alert bracelets are designed to be a lifesaving sign post to those administering first aid, helping explain what type of diabetes the sufferer has and what course of action to take. They will have important In Case of Emergency (ICE) information engraved on them.
With hypoglycaemia, if action is taken quickly, a sugary drink of food can be administered. With hyperglycaemia the symptoms are more subtle and the sufferer will need medical attention at a hospital. These bracelets help ensure this information is communicated.
Nadine Lewis of icegems.co.uk, who has campaigned on the issue of diabetes for the last 10 years, said, “The storyline should be a great opportunity to show the British public how to deal with diabetes properly. Amy and Kerry should put their differences to one side and learn how to handle any crisis. They should buy some medical jewellery and put crucial ICE information on it to ensure that everyone understands what to do in case of an emergency.”
It was noted by television regulator, the IBA, in the 1970s that more people took notice of ‘situations’ which happened to soap opera characters rather than the same situation and advice being displayed in a leaflet or a television promotion. Storylines included into soap opera to raise awareness included Malaria, learning to read and write, decimalisation, abortion, cancer and dangerous driving to name only a handful.
The two main types of diabetes are NOT hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia – it would be rather stupid to put either on ICE jewellery…
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OMG the diabetic story line is so factualy wrong, who advised Emmerdale on this???
We have a story line where an insulin dependant woman is deprived of her insurling pen, when the pen is found it is decided that she is unsafe to be around childred with her pen and is made homeless.
Why was the child not repremanded for having the pen?
Why was it not stressed how important it is not take an insulin pen away from an insurlin dependent diabetic?
Why would making this person homeless come above checking her blook count and using her insulin pen?
When the woman is found in the street in a coma the first thing Eric shouts is to get her bag and he was going to give her insulin. OMG this is so dangerous as diabetics have comas for being to high or to low. So if members of the public follow the shows advise they will all be routing through the womans handbag to give her insulin which would kill her if she was in a coma due to her blood being low.
Now we get to the hospital sceen where we are informed the woman is in a coma due to the amount of alcohol she has consumed. WHAT – no she is in a coma as she has been deprived of her insulin when the child in the storyline stole her insulin pen.
The worst bit about this storyline is how other members of the cast thought it funny to drive past the woman while she lay unconcious at the side of the road.
This show could not have done more to DAMAGE awareness of this condition.