Diabetes Mine and the Case of the Rainbow Unicorn
It all started when diabetes advocate Allison Bailey posted a tweet thread about the Insulin Affordability bill, stating that it did not include the uninsured.
Mike Hoskins, Managing Editor of Diabetes Mine dropped a few reply comments, using the Diabetes Mine Twitter account. His tweets questioned the validity of Allison’s advocacy, alluding to “unrealistic expectations” that would do nothing to further the access to insulin agenda. But the clincher that resulted in an uproar amongst diabetes advocates was this tweet:
This tweet seemed to be mocking #insulin4all advocacy; a proclamation meant to antagonise diabetes advocates and advise them that their advocacy was fantastical. Many that were dismayed at the sentiment of the tweet angrily responded:
This tweet coming from a diabetes platform with a 40k following was definitely unprofessional. There are very few advocates and all are working hard, using their voices to advocate for good quality healthcare for people with diabetes. Why was it necessary for a huge diabetes platform to publicly bully and tone-police an advocate? Later that day, things got a little stranger. Amy Tenderich, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of DiabetesMine posted an apology tweet:
This attempt at damage control seemed to reflect some sort of internal conflict among the Diabetes Mine team. And #insulin4all advocates were not convinced by this apology. They called out the “mistake” tweet as being part of a barrage of tweets from Mike Hoskins.
Two weeks passed.
Then to the shock of many, Diabetes Mine tweeted the following:
Was the barrage of troll tweets from Mike Hoskins connected to this announcement of the discontinuation of the Diabetes Mine Platform? As shocking as this announcement to discontinue their publication was, an amusing response tweet appeared from #insulin4all advocate and self proclaimed troublemaker of the DOC @t1dialectic. He posted a selfie, wearing a t-shirt with the infamous emojis 🌈🦄 and the words “I BELIEVE”.
A few people thought this t-shirt was photoshopped. But T1dialectic swears it is a real t-shirt, and was mysteriously sent to him. But by who?
***
Following this online announcement from Diabetes Mine, @t1dialectic proceeded with an amusing tirade of memes, resulting in a Wikipedia War where he claimed ownership of Diabetes Mine.
In conclusion, what could have been a professional adieu from a massive diabetes platform turned into a disastrous exit from the DOC. Diabetes Mine is now found at a different Twitter Handle @DDataDiabetes, choosing to focus on digital health and DData Exchange.
So what can we take from this bizarre experience?
Hope is an act of resistance. Trying to silence the voices of diabetes advocates is divisive to a community that is already vulnerable and fighting so many battles. It only serves to discourage rather than uplift. And right now, we need to mobilise a diabetes grassroots movement, to keep pushing to ensure affordable access to insulin is a reality.
After all, many first world countries have achieved this.
Why does Diabetes Mine think magically free insulin 🌈🦄 is an impossible dream?
This website is a personal account of Type 1 Diabetes and should in no way be taken as medical advice. Please consult your medical team if you have any questions regarding your own diabetes management.
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