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Oliver Double on Diabetes

Review

Combining comic entertainment with diabetes sounds impossible, yet Oliver Double succeeds in doing just that.

This DVD is not only moving and emotional; it is also educational and inspiring. It provides a fine, almost precarious, balance between being comically serious and seriously comical; pretty similar to coping with blood sugar fluctuations!

Rather like the ups and downs of actually being a diabetic Olly takes listeners on an emotional rollercoaster; as he drops to the low bits, the heartache and seriousness of diabetes, yet at the same time you are left looking for the next high and he masterfully delivers by steering you gently back with humour to prove that life is still fun whether you are having to cope with diabetes or not. This DVD is proof that raising awareness of diabetes doesn’t always have to be serious.

Watching as a diabetic makes me wonder what non-diabetic viewers might think of the DVD because I always say their bodies are “automatic” whilst mine is “manual” and I wonder if they can truly know what it must be like to be diabetic – yes, they can sympathise, but can they really understand? As a parent bringing up two diabetic boys, with his wife Jacqui and by relating their experiences, Olly goes a long way in closing the gap with this DVD, because he uses humour to get the message across that whilst diabetes is serious and a constant trial, it doesn’t stop you being normal!

As a fellow diabetic I can really relate to and sympathise with the family as they work with diabetes and that is an important point – they are working with diabetes rather than fighting against it. As all diabetics and parents of children with diabetes know, there is never a holiday with diabetes; you don’t even get one day off and so it is refreshing and uplifting to see a DVD like this.

Olly’s stand-up routine removes a lot of ignorance surrounding diabetes, it raises awareness of the symptoms to look out for and helps open peoples eyes to what it is like to cope with daily life with diabetes; oh, and it also makes you laugh – a brilliant combination and highly recommended viewing.