A man who has type 1 diabetes is calling for more awareness after being questioned about his insulin and jelly beans while trying to enter a nightclub in Adelaide's CBD.
Key points:
- Harrison Cal carries jelly beans and insulin at all times to manage his type 1 diabetes
- He says he was asked to present medical information at a nightclub to validate his condition
- Rocket Bar & Rooftop has been contacted for comment
Harrison Cal, 23, said he was waiting to enter Rocket Bar & Rooftop on Hindley Street last weekend with his friends when they were pulled aside by staff and asked to empty their pockets.
"I took out my phone, my keys, my jelly beans and my insulin," Mr Cal told the ABC.
"To which they said, 'what is that? Why are you carrying jelly beans?'
"Not even the insulin itself, but the jelly beans."
Mr Cal said he explained that he was a type 1 diabetic, which means he needs to carry the items at all times in case of an emergency.
He said he was questioned on the amount of jelly beans he had.
"For context, it's a small ziplock bag probably the size of my palm and there were probably 20 jelly beans in there," he said.
"Immediately the energy I was getting and the sort of responses I was getting was 'we don't actually believe you're even a diabetic'."
Mr Cal said he then showed staff the device attached to his arm which constantly monitors the glucose levels in his blood, but said the response was, 'how do I know that's not just something on your arm?'
"This is literally something that's attached to my arm, it can't come off, there was no gain in me lying about any of this," he said.
"It didn't make sense why the questioning kept happening."
He said he was then asked to provide evidence of his condition.
"I told him I have no obligation to show you that … to log in to my private details and whip out any other information that might be on there in order to satisfy whatever predisposition you have against me," he said.
He said after eventually showing staff a letter from his endocrinologist which confirmed an appointment for his condition, he was told he could only enter the venue without his insulin, due to it being a "safety threat".
Rocket Bar & Rooftop has been contacted for comment.
Awareness of invisible illnesses
Mr Cal said it was the first time he had been required to explain his condition or had been told he could not take his insulin inside an establishment.
"I bring [the syringe] on planes, it goes through security, they don't blink an eye," he said.
"I didn't feel heard, I didn't feel respected, it felt like my basic human rights had been violated having to bring out personal medical records.
"To be sort of called a liar about a medical condition I just think is sickening."
He said he also wants there to be more recognition for people who live with hidden diseases.
"I just think to realise that compassion needs to be held with people who sometimes need help and to not just push them aside and ostracise them and make them feel like they don't belong — I think that's what really needs to change here," he said.
"It's a little syringe that you attach to the device and you twist it and inject it.
"I need that, if I go into hyperglycaemia then I will need that to bring my sugar down ... this is a part of me... you're setting contingencies and rules in order for me to enter your premises."
Stigma can be attached to diabetes
According to Diabetes Australia more than 300 people develop diabetes across the country every day, which is equal to one person every five minutes.
Diabetes SA clinical and program delivery manager Maddie Freeman said there were more than 10,000 people living with type 1 diabetes in South Australia.
"Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition and so the body no longer produces any insulin, so they're required to replace that insulin that the pancreas would normally produce and they do that either by giving insulin injections or using a pump," she said.
Ms Freeman said she had never heard of a situation like Mr Cal's before.
"It is a normal part of living with diabetes and people living with diabetes will be carrying their preferred method of giving insulin ... it is something that they're required to do," she said.
"Every time they eat food, or if their glucose levels are above their target range, they'll be needing to administer some insulin while they're out to keep their levels safe.
"Particularly when someone is out and drinking alcohol and enjoying themselves, there is a greater risk of low-glucose levels, so it's really important that they would be carrying some hypo treatment.
"If that happened everywhere someone went, then that would be quite detrimental to their long-term health."
Ms Freeman said there could be a lot of misconceptions around how diabetes is managed.
"There's often a lot of stigma which is very unfortunate," she said.
"No-one chooses to have diabetes, just like any other medical condition, and there are many different decisions and factors that people need to think about each day in order to manage their diabetes.
"Insulin is just like any other medication that people might take to manage whatever health conditions they might have, it just so happens that this one requires a needle or a syringe to administer."
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August 08, 2023 at 09:21AM
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Man says he was questioned at Adelaide nightclub for carrying insulin for his type 1 diabetes - ABC News
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