Upon diagnosis, kids feel all alone. Now that they have diabetes, and if no one else in the family has it, it becomes a stark reality that they will go it all alone….right?
Eli Lilly as partnered with Disney to create Coco. Coco is a monkey character and she has T1 Diabetes and she is a very good friend of Mickey Mouse and Pluto and the family at Disney.
Think about that for a second.
Probably the most recognized cartoon character in the universe and he has a friend with diabetes and Mickey wants to help. You child will not have to ‘go it’ alone. This book has been out there for a while and there is also a follow-up book with Coco. It isn’t exactly new–but it may be new to you, and that is important.
Why would Disney do this? Clearly the amount of money they will make will be minimum at best because of the select niche market. Not exactly sure of the why but much kudos is due Eli Lilly and Disney for bringing to life a character in one of the best-loved families in the world……Disney. Eli Lilly did not just do a good job with this—-they knocked it out of the park. Coco books….a must read for any child with T1 diabetes. Kids will not necessarily have to feel all alone when they see that even the friend of the world’s most famous mouse is just like them. And that ain’t too shabby.
Nice job all.
Your diabetes educator or Doctor should be able to get you a free copy.
I’m a diabetesdad.
7 replies on “Do You Know Mickey Mouse has a Friend with T1 Diabetes?”
Oh! I’ll have to ask our Dr about this on Tuesday at Lenny’s appointment! Thanks so much Tom!!
This is a great idea and I wish it was in place when my son was diagnosed. We were on a trip to Disney World when my son was just about 10 months old, July 8, 1993. He was very fussy and drinking a lot! In fact, he drank Coke for the first time at Magic Kingdom, through a STRAW! We had no idea that his fussiness and thirst were the first symptoms he showed of being diabetic. We didn’t have diabetes in any blood family members so we had no idea this was a possibility. After we returned home he was diagnosed with double ear infections and ultimately Type 1 diabetes after falling into near comatose state in DKA. He spent 5 days in the pediatric intensive care unit. We will always look back at those pictures from that Disney trip and remember what came next. Thanks Disney for making this connection with Mickey for these kids. (my son is now 20 years old and has no memory of his diagnosis).
My girls love those books! They are good and benefit non-d-kids also. Great post, thanks for sharing.
There is a monkey at the Cleveland Zoo with diabetes! It is always a big hit during our JDRF Zoo Walk!
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great book, when my son read this book, he look seriosly…love it