Sotomayor nomination brings promise to health care, for people with diabetes

Although not everyone shares my views, as a person with type 1 diabetes and as a cancer clinician, I am excited about Sonia Sotomayor being nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. I believe that she provides hope to young people with type 1 diabetes. Despite the doom and gloom you read about diabetes, many amazing things are possible. It can be hard to realize that when you are feeling many losses related to your diagnosis, however.

I distinctly remember the day that I had to give up my dream to be an EMT because I found out they don't allow people with diabetes to be emergency responders (I hope that law has since changed). Later on, I had to invoke the Americans with Disabilities Act to alter my residency call schedule when I started having hypoglycemic seizures post call. One reason (though not the main reason) that I chose oncology as my specialty was the lack of overnight in-house call, which I just can no longer tolerate with my tightly controlled blood sugars and hypoglycemic unawareness. This was sad for me, because I really loved the excitement of the ICU but realized that I would be helping no one if, late one night in the hospital, it was I that the code was called on, rather than a patient.

It was also a harsh realization that if you take diabetes for granted, it will sternly remind you of its presence. Diabetes, like some cancers, can feel 24/7/365, relentless and unforgiving. For a period, I resented my diabetes and what it took away from me. But I know now that my diabetes makes me a better doctor, allows me to relate to patients better, and makes me a better mentor for trainees both in teaching them about diabetes and also speaking about life in medicine with a chronic illness. I am no longer ashamed. I give a voice to young people with type 1 diabetes and tell them that they can be a professional and have diabetes. You can have a family. You can travel. And I feel so blessed to have made it 18 years with no complications and almost perfect control (big shout out here to my insulin pump, affectionately known by my 4-year-old as Pumpie, and my endocrinologist!). So just as diabetes took some things away from me, it also makes you realize that you are possible of things more amazing than you dreamed.

As a cancer doctor, I also believe Sotomayor will be supportive of embryonic stem cell research and its use to potentially treat illnesses like cancer (Great review of stem cells here.) I think she will see the need for expanded NIH budgets and health care coverage for chronic illnesses and cancer. (I feel uneasy assuming cancer can be called a chronic illness. For some that is true, but for many it is not, and it can be offensive to equate hypertension and [for example] pancreas cancer. Two very different things.) So my heart is filled with hope and optimism. The tides are changing and this is again beginning to seem like a great time to be in medicine.

Dr. LoConte is a regular blogger on EndocrineToday.com's sister website HemOncToday.com.