Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images
By AOL Health Editors
Mary Tyler Moore
is probably best known for playing a thirty-something, career-minded
and endlessly stylish TV news producer on the classic ‘70s sitcom the
“Mary Tyler Moore Show.” What you probably didn’t know about the star
is that while she was inspiring a generation of young working women,
she was having her own behind-the-scenes struggle with type 1 diabetes after being diagnosed at the age of 33. In her new memoir, “Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes,”
Moore, who is 72 and nearly blind because of her diabetes, reflects on
a life with the illness and gives tips, advice and inspiration to
millions of others sufferers.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, meaning the body's
immune system turns inexplicably against its own insulin-producing
cells, destroying them as if they were foreign invaders. Since people
with type 1 diabetes can't produce their own insulin,
they must put insulin into the blood stream through injections or an
insulin pump. This type of diabetes is associated with a number of
complications, including heart disease, kidney disease and blindness.
Because type 1 diabetes usually develops in children, it’s often called
juvenile diabetes, but adults, like Moore, can develop the condition as
well.
Story continues below the gallery.
Mary Tyler Moore Through the Years
By AOL Health Editors
We all fell in love with Mary Tyler Moore as the adorable wife of comedy writer Rob Petrie on the popular '60s series "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Moore won two Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress for her work on the show.
AP
Moore inspired women everywhere when she played career-minded, TV-news producer Mary Richards on the long-running '70s series the "Mary Tyler Moore Show." Moore was given Emmy nods for her work, winning Outstanding Lead Actress three times during the show's seven-year run.
CBS
Moore took on a serious role in Robert Redford's heavy drama "Ordinary People," (1980). In it, she played the mother of two sons -- one who died in an accident and one who tried to commit suicide. She received an Oscar nomination for the role and while she didn't win, she did receive the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her part.
Everett Collection
Looking as fit and healthy as ever, Moore proudly accepted the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a TV movie for her turn in the 1993 movie "Stolen Babies."
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Moore proved to get funnier as she got older, bringing her outstanding comedic timing to Ben Stiller's 1996 comedy "Flirting With Disaster."
Everett Collection
The cast of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was together again for a reunion show in 2004.
Tony Esparza, CBS / AP
The TV icon made some guest appearances on "Lipstick Jungle" in 2008, playing the mother of Brooke Shields's character.
NBC
The star has been a long-time advocate of animal rights and co-founded Broadway Barks, an annual animal adopt-a-thon held in New York City with friend and fellow actress Bernadette Peters.
Diane Bondareff, Pedigree / AP
Moore, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 33, has been dedicated to raising awareness about the condition. She is Chairperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International where she helps increase funding for research on the disease and advances in treatments for people living with it.
Linda Spillers, AP
Moore, photographed outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, made a stop by the "Late Show with David Letterman" earlier this week to promote her new book, "Growing Up Again," a memoir about living with diabetes.
Ray Tamarra, Getty Images
Mary Tyler Moore, Continued
In an interview about her book with "USA Today," Moore explains how living with type 1 diabetes means there is little opportunity for spontaneity. “You’ve got to always have a plan,” she said. “It’s a fact of life that if someone invites you out to dinner you have to think, ‘What are they going to be doing whey they serve you dinner? How quickly are they going to get it on the table from the time I arrive? When should I take my shot? What should I eat of what’s available.”
Moore told “USA Today” that she regrets not being as mindful as she should have been about her illness when she was younger, living a life of high stress and heavy drinking and smoking, but says that finally taking ownership of her diabetes helped her grow and become more self-reliant. Moore is much more vigilant about her condition today. She told the interviewer that she works out five to six days a week to keep herself fit and to help fight the disease. Her workouts incorporate the treadmill, elliptical machine, rowing machine and Pilates to avoid boredom. Because her blood sugar often drops after exercise, Moore keeps orange juice nearby for a post-workout boost. Moore also said in the interview that as she’s gotten older, it’s become more difficult to predict the onset of a drop in blood sugar and the episodes occur more often.
Moore hasn’t let diabetes or near total blindness stop her. As chairperson for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International she lobbies for more diabetes research. On March 11, 2009, in reaction to President Obama’s executive order ending restrictions on using federal money for embryonic stem cell research, Moore issued this statement:
"As someone who has had type 1 diabetes for far too many years now, I'm grateful to President Obama for setting in place a policy to fully explore this promising field of science. The President's Executive Order is a strong signal to patients, scientists, and the nation that we have the government's full support to pursue ethical research that may accelerate progress to new treatments and possible cures for diabetes."
While Moore doesn’t feel that others should model their lives or treatments after hers, she offers some strong advice about taking control of her condition. “I’ve always been independent,” she told "USA Today." “I’ve always had courage. But I didn’t always own my diabetes.”
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