On July 13, Pixar released the trailer for Turning Red, an upcoming animated fantasy film about a 13-year-old girl, Mei Lee, who transforms into a giant red panda whenever she becomes overstimulated.

Although the trailer was only about two minutes in length, it quickly circulated its way through the online diabetes community, due to a "don't blink or you will miss it" moment.

At 0:34 of the trailer, a classmate of Mei Lee's can be seen sporting a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) on her arm, as well as an insulin pump on her waistband — both of which are incredibly useful tools when it comes to managing diabetes. As a type 1 diabetic who wears both a CGM and an insulin pump, I was ecstatic to see my "robot parts" displayed in the upcoming film, especially during Disability Pride Month (July).

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was four years old. I grew up overseas as an army brat, moving around every one to four years. No matter how many people I met during my moves or travels, none were diabetic. I was sixteen years old when I met my first diabetic "in the wild," and we became good friends.

He opened my mind one night while we were bar-hopping in Brussels, Belgium. He gave himself insulin at the table and said, "I'm diabetic, and if people don't like me for who I am, they can fuck off."

Mind you, back then I was the kind of person who hid my disease. I'd go to the bathroom to test my blood sugar or give myself insulin in order to not offend anyone (or feel ostracized due to stares).

Looking back, I understand why I hid my disease from others — even my friends. I did not want to be labeled as "different" or "weird" or even "that girl on shots." I did not want others to see my disability as something that held me back.

And most importantly? All those years growing up diabetic, I felt like I was all alone.

Not having opportunities to meet fellow diabetics and share experiences is one thing, but a lack of accurate representation in the media was yet another factor in my isolation.

Sure, there have been movies centered on diabetic characters in the past, but Hollywood has (mostly) found ways to funk them up, leaving viewers with negative opinions or false conceptions regarding the autoimmune disease. Do you remember the movie Panic Room, with Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart? Stewart played the role of Foster's diabetic daughter, and the two were stuck in a panic room. Stewart ended up having a low-blood-sugar episode, which can be life-threatening, and Foster sneaks around the house to obtain a lifesaving "insulin injection."

I remember seeing Panic Room when I was about eight years old, and I asked my parents why Foster was giving Stewart insulin if her blood sugar was low, and questioned if I was treating my lows wrong by not giving myself insulin. As all diabetics know, if you have low blood sugar, you need sugar to bring those levels back up. A shot of insulin, in that scenario, is actually a quicker way toward death. If the film team had done any research, they'd have referred to the lifesaving injection as "glucagon," which is essentially an injection full of glucose.

Another popular film that gets me is Steel Magnolias, in which Julia Roberts plays a type 1 diabetic. Her mother and doctor tell her she should not get pregnant as a diabetic, but she does anyway, and tremendous strain is put on her body (specifically her kidneys) as a result. However, this is literally the worst-case scenario! In reality, the majority of diabetic mothers have complication-free and healthy births, not to mention, nondiabetic babies. This film really bothers me, because it caused viewers to think that diabetic women should not bear children.

I'm a firm believer that the lack of accurate representation of diabetes in the media has negatively impacted not only individuals living with diabetes but also the perception of diabetes within the nondiabetic community.

As soon as I saw the still from the Turning Red trailer, that little diabetic girl inside of me burst with joy, and I'll admit, I cried happy tears. It's not every day you see representation of yourself in the media, let alone media that caters to a younger audience.

I imagined how, if I had seen this trailer as a child, if something like it existed at the time, then maybe I would've felt like less of an outcast, and perhaps would've become more accepting of my own disease at a much earlier age instead of trying to hide it, because it's mine to keep, forever.
And oh, how this trailer has brought out that little diabetic girl inside of me, cheering on Pixar for its representation and saying, "Yes, diabetes is mostly a hidden disability, but we're everywhere, and we've got this!"

Not only is seeing that representation incredibly meaningful to my now-24-year-old self, but I understand how beneficial it will be for all the diabetic kids out there that feel like they're going at this disease alone.

Even so, there is some concern in the online diabetes community regarding the accurate portrayal of diabetes, and it's still uncertain how big a role this classmate will play in the film — only time will tell.

But as if highlighting diabetes equipment wasn't cool enough, Pixar also presented its first Sikh character as a friendly school security guard, and then took it three steps further with its first female POC director, Domee Shi.

Turning Red is set to be released on March 22, 2022, and I cannot wait.