4 days ago
Barbie just released a doll with diabetes. Here's why a B.C. content creator is calling it 'incredible'
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When Bella Bucchiotti was 19, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (T1D).
'It came completely out of the blue, and adjusting to life with T1D was overwhelming,' the B.C.-based content creator and founder of the site recalls. 'There's no easing into it — one day you're fine, and the next you're figuring out insulin doses and how every bite of food might impact your blood sugar.'
A chronic autoimmune disease that prevents your pancreas from making insulin, people with T1D require insulin therapies in order to survive.
The diagnosis changed everything for Bucchiotti. Life, she says, became a constant balancing act.
'No one really sees all the mental load that comes with it,' Bucchiotti says. 'There's a huge learning curve, especially at the start — figuring out how your body responds to food, exercise, stress, even lack of sleep. Every day is different, and that can be exhausting.'
Developing the tools and knowledge to help manage her diabetes, Bucchiotti says she's learned to live with Type 1, without letting it define her.
Bucchiotti isn't alone in her diagnosis. According to the research and advocacy organization Breakthrough T1D, about 300,000 Canadians have T1D, with that number forecast to increase to 455,580 by 2040.
Most diagnoses come between ages 10 and 14, according to Breakthrough T1D. But a diagnosis can come at any age. And that diagnosis can come as a shock.
Looking to raise awareness about Type 1 diabetes, Mattel Inc. is releasing its first Barbie doll with the disease. The move, Bucchiotti says, could be helpful to people, especially young girls, who might be facing a T1D diagnosis.
'It's a way of being seen and not singled out,' she says. 'That really matters, especially in the beginning when you're learning how to manage it all and you feel so different from everyone around you.'
As a new mother, Bucchiotti says the representation can impart an important message to children living with T1D: 'You're not broken, and you're not alone.'
'The mental-health side of diabetes is something we don't talk about enough, especially the isolation,' she says. 'A toy like this sends a message that living with Type 1 diabetes is just one part of who you are, and it doesn't have to make you feel like you don't belong.'
Created in partnership with Breakthrough T1D, the new doll wears a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), an important tool that measures a person's blood-glucose level, held in place with a Barbie-pink piece of heart-shaped medical tape.
'Even now, seeing someone else with an insulin pump or CGM at the coffee shop makes me feel like I'm not alone,' Bucchiotti notes of the noticeable inclusion. 'That quiet connection is something really special, because no one else quite understands how tough some days can be.'
The doll also features an insulin pump, a small device that allows for insulin dosing as needed, at the waist.
'It gives kids someone — even in doll-form — who truly reflects their experience,' Bucchiotti remarks of the realistic elements of the polka-dot-dress-wearing Barbie. 'Instead of feeling different or ashamed, they see something familiar, something that makes their condition feel normal.
'A Barbie with a CGM might seem like a small gesture, but for a child navigating a life-changing diagnosis, it can bring comfort, confidence and a sense of belonging. It can also open the door for conversations with friends and classmates, helping to build empathy and break down stigma.'
Part of the Barbie Fashionistas' line, the Barbie doll with Type 1 joins a collection of more than 175 looks who feature a wide variety of skin tones, eye and hair colours, body types, ethnicities, disabilities and more.
The latest doll reflects an 'important step' in Mattel Inc.'s commitment to inclusivity and representation, according to Krista Berger, senior vice-president of Barbie and global head of dolls.
For Bucchiotti, the doll represents an important point of connection for the community of people around the world living with the disease.
'Type 1 diabetes is relentless, but it builds a kind of strength you don't expect,' she says. 'It's not always easy, but the T1D community is incredibly supportive.
'Sometimes it's a message from someone who's been there, or even just spotting a CGM on a stranger across the room — those small moments of connection remind you that you're not in this alone.'
Aharris@
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