Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Bye, Brittany.

Ok, so I heard about Brittany Murphy’s death while at Disney. I’m not usually someone who gets terribly upset over the death of people I don’t know. Is it sad? Yes. Will I carry on and make a big production out of it? No.

However, when I returned home, I couldn’t help but notice all the speculation about how a 32 year old actress could die from cardiac arrest. Of course, my first thought was drug overdose. I’m sure everyone had the same first thought. After all, it is Hollywood. Then I saw a headline that mentioned Diabetes so I had to delve deeper.

While this article does state that we won’t know the cause of death until an autopsy is done, the speculations are outstanding. This one caught my eye. Apparently her mother is a Type 1 Diabetic. Her mother claims that Brittany was a Type 2 Diabetic. In depth medical documentation was not provided. However, she was taking a ton of prescription meds, some of which was used to treat Type 2 Diabetes.

While it is true that Type 2 Diabetics are at a higher risk than most for heart attacks or strokes, this is a disease that can be controlled with diet, exercise and, yes, medication. I honestly find it hard to believe that Type 2 Diabetes was enough to cause a 32 year old to have a heart attack and die.

Also, Murphy doesn’t follow the typical Type 2 pattern. The main reason is that she wasn’t obese. So, maybe, just maybe, she was a Type 1 or Type 1.5. LADA is becoming more and more prevalent in our society for whatever reason. If anything, she looked like a Type 1 because she was super thin. I am 5’8” and weighed 95 pounds when I found out. Everyone thought I was anorexic, too. I wasn’t. I was an undiagnosed Diabetic. Maybe, just maybe, this poor girl was misdiagnosed, pumped up with unnecessary medication and her poor body just couldn’t handle it. Wouldn’t that be a terrible waste?
I think it is terrible that such a young and beautiful woman passed away. I also think it’s terrible when people don’t question authority, Ph.D or not. You have the right to question, to know what you are taking, to know the side effects, to know from A to Z your diagnosis and what it means. It’s your health. I think this should be cause for everyone to question. Yes, they are doctors but, more so, they are human. If you get answers to your questions, still go home and do your research. Get a second opinion. Getting a correct diagnosis is essential for everyone. If you feel your diagnosis isn’t right, question it. It’s ok. You’re allowed. Doctors work for you. Remember that.

Like I said before, this woman didn’t fall into the common categories of someone with Type 2 Diabetes. Just because your parent is a Type 1 doesn’t mean that you would be a Type 2. Just because your parent is a Type 1 doesn’t mean anything at all. In fact, Amanda’s test results for antibodies came back negative. Take that diabetes!! HA!

But….Diabetes can attack everyone, even celebrities. Here are some other celebs with Diabetes:

Nick Jonas
Elliott Yamin
Vanessa Williams
Jackie Robinson
Anne Rice
George Lucas
Bret Stupid Michaels
Mikhail Gorbachev
Johnny Cash
Evel Knievel
Elvis
Sharon Stone
Tommy Lee
Kendall Simmons

This disease doesn’t play favorites. Anyone can get Diabetes. Anyone. Any type. The key is to educate yourself.

RIP Brittany Murphy.



















*Peace.

1 comment:

  1. Its interesting you bring up Type 1.5, that's what happened to me. I just got my GAD back today, positive for antibodies. And, you're right. . you have to be informed and question your Dr. I'm glad I pushed for answers when my meds weren't helping. . thanks to the online community for helping me learn what to ask and when to ask it. This is another great post Kelly. Thanks!

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