People like to repeat over and over that health is the biggest treasure and that we should take care of ourselves no matter what, but they only realize that when they get sick. It is an especially discouraging feeling when you have a disease that has no real cure and you are stuck with it for the rest of your life.
It sucks having a chronic illness on its own, but when other people don’t understand it and try to call the police on you for taking medication to manage it, it gets even more frustrating. If that example feels too specific, it is because a woman on TikTok shared this very experience in a video reenacting her conversation with her manager who found her insulin syringes in her bag.
More info: TikTok
A woman almost got the police called on her for having her insulin syringe in her bag at work
Image credits: thegebos
The woman is Abby Gebos and she has over 270k followers on TikTok where she shares videos about diabetes, fashion and other topics she considers to be important and can educate others on.
Abby has type 1 diabetes, which she was diagnosed with when she was 14 years old. In a YouTube video, the woman remembers that she started going to the bathroom really often and started falling asleep during lessons, which she would never do. She realized something was wrong and convinced her mom to take her to a doctor, who then quickly found out what was happening.
Abby has type 1 diabetes and uses a syringe to take her insulin which controls her blood sugar levels
Image credits: thegebos
Diabetes is a quite common disease: according to the data of CDC, about 10 percent of Americans have it, but around 20 percent don’t even know that they do. They also predict that by 2040, more than half a billion people will be living with this disease.
There are actually two types of diabetes. They are called simply type 1 and type 2. The difference between them is that type 1 diabetes is a genetic condition and reveals itself early in life. The reason why the pancreas doesn't produce insulin in type 1 diabetes is that a person’s immune system is destroying the cells that produce it.
Type 2 diabetes is developed over time and depends more on a person’s lifestyle. If someone has type 2 diabetes, it means that their body doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin doesn’t do its function properly.
Both types of diabetes don’t have a definite cure, but they can be managed, so it’s not a fatal disease as long as the person is following the doctor’s instructions.
One time at work, her manager went through her bag without her permission and saw the syringe
Image credits: thegebos
Abby has type 1 diabetes and to manage her disease, she has to take insulin to control her blood sugar levels. There are a few ways it can be taken: with a syringe, an insulin pen, insulin pump or insulin inhaler. The third and fourth way mentioned here can be expensive and it is more common to use syringes and pens.
Insulin is usually taken every day and some people might need to take it twice a day, so it is understandable why Abby had a syringe in her bag. Unfortunately, her manager saw it and made an incorrect assumption and was ready to call the police.
The manager assumed the syringe was for drugs and didn't believe Abby when she told them this is how she takes her insulin, just because their niece takes it differently
Image credits: thegebos
Seeing the syringe, the manager thought that Abby probably was doing drugs even though they knew that the woman had diabetes. However, they were convinced that nobody used syringes to take insulin because their niece was using pumps, which, as mentioned above, is the more expensive method of treatment and Abby can’t afford it.
The manager even asked their employee to prove that the syringe was meant for insulin by showing the vial and only then did they back off, excusing their behavior by saying that they were just making sure nobody who works there was using drugs.
Only when she showed the vial with the insulin did the manager change their mind about calling the police, but Abby didn't want to take any chances and quit
Image credits: Laura Stoinski (not the actual photo)
The day this incident happened, Abby quit her job and she was right to do so because not only was she disrespected for having a health condition, but the manager was also going through her things without asking.
The video was viewed by 85k people and many of them were appalled by the manager’s behavior, especially those who also have the condition. They believe that Abby has full right to sue the company and needs to report this to HR.
What do you think of Abby’s story? Has something similar ever happened to you? How did you deal with it? Let us know your thoughts and reactions in the comments!
People in the comments were suspicious about the manager snooping in Abby's bag and found their behavior unacceptable
