Blood Sugar Rising

As a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Dr. Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan knows firsthand how hard it can be for Native people to access healthy foods. She points to the loss of traditional cultures as a key cause of today’s high rates of diabetes among Native Americans, and uses her own family as an example.

Ed’s son David was less than a year old when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. An infant can’t manage his own blood sugar levels, so Ed and his wife had to keep track of David's blood sugar levels night and day. Eventually this would lead Ed to his life’s work, developing an artificial pancreas to take over diabetes care.

A talented rapper still trying for his big breakthrough, Monteil Lee was diagnosed with Type 2 eight years ago. Now 36 years old, he has a diabetes-related wound on his foot that may mean amputation, and he is trying hard to avoid surgery. Monteil’s story is part of Blood Sugar Rising, a PBS special from WGBH about the diabetes epidemic in the United States.

Diagnosed as a teenager, Nicole was so frightened of her Type 1 diabetes that she ignored it for years. But chronic high blood sugars damage the eyes, the heart, the kidneys, and more, and now Nicole has multiple organ failures. This episode follows Nicole as she works to stay alive, hoping for a life-saving and rare dual transplant: new kidneys and a new pancreas.

Diabetes runs through Gretchen Carvajal’s family. “My mother had it, her mother, her sister, and now my older sister has it, too,” she says. She was pleased to become a mentor at The Bigger Picture, a group that uses poetry to bring the message of healthy eating to their community in San Francisco.

What's your diabetes story? Watch this clip from Blood Sugar Rising, and tell us your story! #Blood SugarPBS

In the 1920s, the scientists who found and purified insulin sold their patent for $1 to make sure the hormone would be available to all. But today, for patients without good insurance, the drug can cost hundreds of dollars a month. What does a person do when he can’t afford this life-saving medication? For the Smith-Holt family, the answer came down to a tragic choice.

Karen's brother died of diabetic complications, and now Karen is committed to bringing healthy foods into her community with her “Garden of Happiness”. “If we don’t change the food system and get rid of this processed food, this junk food...the lifespan of so many people of color living in low-income neighborhoods will be shortened." she says.

The lead community health worker in Meigs County, Ohio, Laura Grueser admits she didn’t really understand “what the big deal was” until she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. She decided that living a healthier lifestyle was an important example to set for her patients. As she travels around this rural Appalachian region, she works to educate her clients and neighbors on managing their diabetes.

Blood Sugar Rising follows the diabetes epidemic in the U.S. Diabetes and pre-diabetes affect over 100 million people in the US, costing more than $325 billion each year. Blood Sugar Rising puts human faces to these statistics, exploring the history and science of the illness through portraits of Americans whose stories shape the film.

David Alvarado, director of Blood Sugar Rising, is pleased to let you know that “Blood Sugar Rising” is available on your PBS station with Spanish-language captions.

Azúcar en Aumento es un especial de PBS sobre la epidemia de diabetes en los Estados Unidos. La diabetes y prediabetes afecta a más de 100 millones de personas en E.U.A. y conlleva un costo anual de más de 325 mil millones de dólares. Se proyecta que uno de cada tres niños nacidos desde el año 2000, desarrollarán la enfermedad en algun momento de su vida.