‘I ignored it until I could barely read subtitles’: Jewish families reveal hidden toll of diabetes

A Jewish grandfather who lost his leg after decades of smoking and diabetes, a woman left struggling after a diagnosis with “no advice and no medication”, and a father terrified he had pancreatic cancer after collapsing with dangerously high blood sugar are among those speaking out as part of Jewish News and Jewish Blind and Disabled’s diabetes awareness campaign.

The testimonies, gathered by JBD and shared with Jewish News, reveal the often hidden personal toll of type 2 diabetes within the Jewish community – from eyesight problems and amputations to fear, routine medical planning and family trauma.

The stories come after research commissioned by JBD from the Institute for Jewish Policy Research found around 17 percent of British Jews over the age of 65 are living with diabetes, compared with around 8 percent of the wider UK population.

For Norman, now 82, the consequences were life-changing.

He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes seven years ago after a routine blood test unexpectedly revealed the condition. But he believes the disease, combined with years of smoking, ultimately led to the amputation of his leg.

“My amputation eight years ago was because of diabetes and smoking,” he said. “I smoked 20 a day for 50 years. They had to remove my leg because they said it was just full of tar from smoking.

“The doctor said that he could see I had been smoking and that was certainly three-quarters of the reason that they had to remove my leg, the rest was diabetes.”

Norman now carefully manages his condition through diet monitoring, regular checks and daily insulin injections. Looking back, he believes education around sugar consumption is critical.

“When you are ten years old, and you are having a Coca-Cola, you’re not realising how much sugar you are putting into your body,” he said. “Over the years, by the time you’re a teenager, you’re heading in the right direction to having diabetes.

“It’s difficult to get kids to think about it, but education is the main thing.”

He added: “Not having diabetes is a very good thing because it leads to so many horrible diseases. It can affect your eyes, and one symptom I am so scared of is going blind.”

Debbie, another JBD tenant, said her diagnosis 18 years ago initially came as a shock after an optician urged her to see her GP following an eye test.

“When you are in your forties, you expect your eyesight to change,” she explained.

But Debbie says she was given little support after being diagnosed.

“My GP matter-of-factly informed me that I was diabetic,” she added, saying she was offered “no advice and no medication.”

Over time, she found the biggest challenge was the level of structure diabetes management required.

“I’m very spontaneous, I hate making plans,” she said. “However, to look after yourself properly with diabetes, you must be organised, and none of that comes naturally to me.”

Debbie also criticised what she described as judgmental assumptions surrounding type 2 diabetes. Despite losing more than 10 percent of her body weight, she said her sugar levels remained unchanged.

“Many people, some medical practitioners included, are quite judgmental about it,” she said. “They say it’s your fault.”

She now advocated for healthier communal food habits and greater awareness around low-sugar choices.

“Why are we buying biscuits?” she said of communal spaces. “Get rice cakes, get oat cakes, get crackers, get fruit. Let’s get into that groove.”

Meanwhile, 52-year-old Julian said he was left terrified after doctors discovered extremely high blood sugar levels earlier this year.

“The doctor called me and said, ‘you must come in this afternoon,’” he recalled. “It was really scary.”

One of his most alarming symptoms was deteriorating eyesight caused by swelling linked to high blood sugar.

“I was struggling to even read subtitles,” he said.

Julian has since dramatically changed his lifestyle, returning to exercise, overhauling his diet, and using continuous glucose monitoring technology to track his condition.

“I’ve literally changed my diet 100 percent and I’m going back to doing sport,” he said.

He now believes greater awareness and education are urgently needed, particularly for people with family histories of diabetes who may underestimate their own risk.

Dave, who is pre-diabetic and has a strong family history of type 2 diabetes, said watching his father suffer complications from the disease transformed his own attitude towards health.

“My dad died three years ago or so, not from type 2 diabetes, but he suffered a variety of different consequences of having diabetes,” he said. “Ultimately, he died of kidney failure, which is not unusual for diabetics.”

Dave credits regular medical testing, diet changes, reduced alcohol intake and weight training with helping prevent his condition from worsening.

“If people can, they should absolutely go for an annual medical – don’t leave it,” he said.

“The idea of ‘if I don’t go, I won’t find out the bad stuff’ is idiotic.”

As part of the campaign, Diabetes UK warned that some Jewish communities may face increased risks linked to a combination of age, diet, genetics and socioeconomic factors.

Silvia Sullivan, Engaging Communities Officer at Diabetes UK, said: “Like the rest of the UK population, risk is shaped by a wide range of factors such as age, diet, genetics, and socioeconomic circumstances. Some Jewish communities may face a higher risk because of these factors, which highlights the importance of culturally appropriate prevention and support.

“For example, some traditional Ashkenazi food patterns are high in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, which can increase insulin resistance and risk of type 2 diabetes.”

She added that lower levels of structured physical activity had also been observed “in some ultra-Orthodox communities, particularly among men, though this is not uniform”.

Jewish Blind and Disabled said the campaign aimed to increase awareness around prevention, earlier diagnosis and long-term management of diabetes within the community.