Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes

Her TV alter ego, Mary Richards, may have been perfect, but it’s Moore’s imperfections that make her the ideal author of this surprisingly frank memoir about living with diabetes. Diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes at age 33 in 1969, Moore rebelled with anger and frustration at the restrictions of moderation the disease imposed and she ignored. Belatedly, she stopped drinking (after a trip to the Betty Ford Clinic in 1984) and quit her three-pack-a-day smoking habit in 1988, but she admits that she’s no poster child for diabetes. With admirable honesty and sardonic humor, Moore exposes her failings with technology and inability to always stay on top of her disease, and reveals how diabetes has permanently affected her vision, balance and stamina. This helpful and illuminating guide is a winning mixture of personal stories with occasional visits to experts who take her step-by-step through surgical procedures or offer more detailed explanations of new technology and stem cell research. It’s a credit to the book’s bouncy tone that even the detailed appendix is readable. Since 1984, Moore has been the international chair of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which raises more than $200 million every year. (Apr.)