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This Isn’t About Barbie. It’s About Us.

The recent excitement around “Barbie with Diabetes” has sparked widespread conversation, and that’s a good thing. Awareness matters. Representation matters. And for children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D), seeing a doll like Barbie living with the same condition can be uplifting.

But make no mistake: this article isn’t about Barbie.

Years ago, long before Barbie got a CGM or insulin pump, a woman named Julie co-founded a company called Pump Wear. The company didn’t just offer fashionable and functional clothing for insulin pump users, it also created toy-sized medical devices that children could attach to their dolls or stuffed animals. A brilliant concept: letting children see their own reality reflected in the toys they loved.

Pump Wear tried for years to gain traction. They had vision. They had passion. But sustaining it was difficult, and despite their efforts, the company eventually closed its doors.

The same fate met Sugar Baby, a doll once available with small red dots that helped kids practice insulin injections. Like Pump Wear, Sugar Baby eventually disappeared from shelves.

And so, I can’t help but wonder: once the media buzz fades, will “Barbie with Diabetes” quietly vanish too?

It’s a cycle we’ve seen before. But that doesn’t mean the need has vanished. On the contrary children with T1D still need to see themselves reflected in the world. They still need to feel understood, accepted, and not so alone.

But maybe now, we can do more. Maybe we can do better.

I’ll never forget attending a diabetes conference years ago, where Miss America, Nicole Johnson, a woman living with T1D herself, was kneeling to speak with a young girl. On that child’s head was the actual tiara Nicole wore the night she was crowned. But what stood out wasn’t the crown, it was the conversation. They talked about their CGMs. Their insulin pumps. Their lives. And Nicole told the girl that she could do anything. That T1D couldn’t stop her, unless she let it.

The little girl’s eyes grew wide. You could see it; belief had just taken root.

That’s the kind of connection we need more of.

These days, we talk more about the mental health impact of diabetes and rightly so. But too often, mentorship and peer support are treated as an afterthought. What if they were a first step?

What if there was an organization with one mission: to make sure no one, especially no child, ever navigates this diagnosis alone? A place where thriving adults with T1D are matched with newly diagnosed children. Where celebrities, athletes, community leaders, and everyday heroes, can share their stories and offer guidance. Where struggle is met with strength. Where isolation is replaced with belonging.

No, it’s not as glamorous as funding breakthrough research. It’s not as headline-grabbing as mass screening efforts. But it may be just as life-changing.

And I’d bet on this: the data would show that children with mentors have better A1Cs, better coping skills, and better lives. And those doing the mentoring? They’d grow too.

This isn’t about a doll.

It’s about us.

It’s about showing every person with T1D that they’re not alone. Not now. Not ever.

I am a diabetes dad. Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like.’
Tagged diabetes, diabetes dad, diabetes inspiration

One reply on “This Isn’t About Barbie. It’s About Us.”

I totally agree. We all need to feel understood. Giving kids a chance to see or imagine themselves in their play activities is valuable in expressing themselves. Teachers will recognize this. At CWD FFL there is a new company that currently sells doll-sized pumps and CGMs. While Barbie has always been aspirational with her “dream house” and fancy wardrobe, there are all kinds of Barbies, even “weird Barbie” (my favorite character in the movie) and that allows more kids to relate to her. I hope she won’t be discontinued. Nicole Johnson is a role model for young people to be authentic and do their best, no matter what challenges life brings.

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