Blood Sugar Rising - KPBS

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Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Airs Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, April 19 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 + PBS Video App

—New Documentary Exposes U.s. Diabetes Epidemic, Showing The Many Faces Of Diabetes And An Urgent Need To End The Stigma—

Diabetes is a hidden epidemic in America, with a frighteningly rapid rise in the last generation alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three children born today can expect to develop the disease, and the disease impacts everyone in the country: we are spending more than $325 billion each year on diabetes.

Looking behind these statistics is a new two-hour documentary special, “Blood Sugar Rising.” The program explores the lives of people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in communities across America and showcases the caretakers, physicians and scientists who are working to improve diabetes management and prevention, creating new hope for the future. It is narrated by S. Epatha Merkerson.

Blood Sugar Rising: Preview

"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.

"Blood Sugar Rising" also suggests that one of the most challenging parts of living with diabetes is stigma. Experts in the film are clear that people with other chronic diseases do not face the same “blame and shame” for their conditions, and they suggest that stigmatizing diabetes helps keep the epidemic hidden and makes it harder to support and improve life for the more than 34 million Americans with diabetes today.

“Today, perhaps more than any time since insulin was discovered in the 1920s, diabetes has reached an inflection point in America,” observes "Blood Sugar Rising" WGBH Executive Producer Judith Vecchione. “It’s a time of great peril and great hope. The peril is in the skyrocketing rates of diabetes we’re seeing, for men, women, and children. At the same time, there’s great excitement in the diabetes community. The most amazing advances are being made in understanding the biological facts of diabetes and offering new tools to help individuals manage their disease. “

Diabetes on the Rise

In the United States, it's estimated that 100 million people are affected by a blood sugar problem. Watch this clip from "Blood Sugar Rising," a PBS special from WGBH, and learn about the alarming increase in this country of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is so dangerous because it undercuts one of the most basic functions of our bodies: the ability to break food down into the nutrients needed by every cell in the body.

Type 1 diabetes is genetic and causes the body’s own immune system to attack the pancreatic cells that create insulin, which regulates blood sugar.

Type 2 diabetes, which can be affected by environmental factors like lifestyle, diet and weight, causes the pancreas to make too little insulin and the body to resist the insulin it has.

Monteil - San Francisco, CA

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.

In both cases, symptoms can take years to develop, and for many patients, a diagnosis comes when it is already too late: damage has been done to many delicate systems in the body, contributing to heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, strokes, and more.

Nicole - Southern California

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.

“Like many others, my Type 2 diabetes diagnosis was a shock,” says acclaimed actress S. Epatha Merkerson. “Coming from a family with a history of diabetes, I didn’t fully comprehend the signs and symptoms or, more importantly, that I was actually showing them myself. Education about both the prevalence and management of this deadly disease is critically important, and I’m honored to be a part of 'Blood Sugar Rising' to challenge all Americans to think differently about diabetes.”

Gretchen - San Francisco, CA

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.

In "Blood Sugar Rising," we meet individuals with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes who received their diagnoses anywhere from infancy to adulthood. They tell stories that are rich with complexity and individuality as they navigate the difficulties, surprises and frustrations associated with the disease. Some of them struggle to secure the care and medicine they need.

Laura - Meigs County, OH

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.

“How are you still standing here? You should be in a coma!” one man was told. In contrast, another individual featured in the film declares, while pointing to her children and husband and her rewarding job, “It’s so possible to live well with diabetes!”

"Blood Sugar Rising" also looks at remarkable innovations in diabetes care, showcasing the revolutionary changes of the last 50 years. New devices and medications, and life-saving surgeries suggest there is hope for a future where diabetes management does not require all-consuming monitoring, day and night, seven days a week.

In the series, we meet Ed Damiano, whose son David has Type 1 diabetes. This inspired Ed to create a “bionic” pancreas to automatically regulate the disease so David can safely go off to college and begin to live independently.

Ed - Boston, MA

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.

The film challenges viewers to look at the environments where we live. In communities of color and in poor, rural areas, we see how social inequities are fueling the growth of diabetes.

In the Bronx, for example, residents lack access to healthy foods and are instead surrounded by bodegas filled with sugar- rich options for their families.

To combat that, Karen Washington, who lost her brother to diabetes, spearheads the building of an urban garden, increasing access to healthier foods and educating school groups and others about the importance of diet to diabetes prevention.

Karen - The Bronx, NY

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.

And while some people lack access to healthy food, the film introduces others who have limited access to the drugs and care they need to survive.

Many people with diabetes require insulin, but the rising costs of the drug can mean that those who have diabetes and are uninsured pay thousands of dollars at the pharmacy counter, driving them to the insulin black market or even to the dangerous practice of rationing their insulin, which can lead to death.

The Smith-Holt Family - Minneapolis, MN

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.

"Blood Sugar Rising" Digital Content

Accompanying the two-hour documentary is special digital content, including a digital-original feature on diabetes in Native American communities, answers to many often- asked questions, and a series of “Portraits of an Epidemic” which invites viewers to share their stories of diabetes using the hashtag #BloodSugarPBS. Also included on the website is information about how to host free community screenings of the film. A complementary "Blood Sugar Rising" series will be released.

Valarie - Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

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.

in April on WORLD Channel’s YouTube channel. "Blood Sugar Rising" will also be available for streaming with full Spanish subtitles.

David Alvarado and Blood Sugar Rising with Spanish Captions

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.

Watch On Your Schedule:

With the PBS Video App, you can stream your favorite and local station shows. Download it for free on your favorite device. The app allows you to catch up on recent episodes and discover award-winning shows.

Tune into the broadcast, or you can also watch on the program website, and the film will be available for streaming on demand for a limited time after broadcast on the KPBS Video Player. Extend your viewing window with KPBS Passport, video streaming for members supporting KPBS at $60 or more yearly, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now.

The program DVD is available to purchase at ShopPBS.org.

Join The Conversation + Share Your Stories:

PBS is on Facebook and Instagram. Follow @PBS on Twitter. #BloodSugarPBS

Tell Us Your Story

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

Credits:

Produced by WGBH Boston and Structure Films. Executive Producer: Judith Vecchione. Director and Writer: David Alvarado. Producer: Jason Sussberg. Funding is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Russell Berrie Foundation, Draper, and Sami Inkinen through the Inkinen Family Donor Advised Fund.

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