Mary Tyler Moore tells how she took control of diabetes

GREENWICH, Conn. — As you enter the gated property of Mary Tyler Moore's residence in this posh town and approach the front door, you almost expect a butler to answer the bell and a bichon frise or two to scamper out yapping at your feet. Nope. Nothing so precious here. Moore herself opens the door of the rambling, antique-filled home she shares with her cardiologist husband, Robert Levine, and a posse of dogs. BETTER LIFE: The latest news on diabetes
The place is down-to-earth and warm, as is Moore, 72, who first gained fame in the 1960s and '70s for her endearing roles in the television series The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

In the latter, Moore played an independent young woman living on her own and working in a television newsroom in Minneapolis — a novel sitcom theme for the time. Her character, Mary Richards, won laughs and affection for her smarts and spunkiness as she juggled career, dating and friendship conundrums. The opening credits are so memorable that most women who grew up in the 1970s can still rattle off the lyrics, ending with "You're gonna make it after all" as Moore tosses her beret to the sky. Moore's career later moved to the stage, TV specials and film, including her 1980 Oscar-nominated role in Ordinary People. She also has been an activist for animal rights over the years. But her energy most recently has been focused on advocating for diabetes research and educating people about the disease. She is the international chairwoman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a group she has worked with for years.

Few viewers knew that around the time The Mary Tyler Moore Show launched, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a life-threatening illness with serious health implications.
In type 1 diabetes, the body's immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas. The beta cells make insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy.
Type 2 is more common, accounting for about 90% of cases of diabetes, and occurs when either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells in the body ignore the insulin. Both forms of the disease can lead to serious short- and long-term complications. Moore has lost most of her vision because of diabetes-related nerve damage.

In a new book, Growing Up Again, which comes out this week, she offers a personal account of living with diabetes. As her adopted dog, Spanky, lies nearby in Moore's favorite well-worn chair, she talks about her reaction when, at age 33, she got the news of her diagnosis. "When the doctor said I had diabetes, I conjured images of languishing on a chaise longue nibbling chocolates," she says, laughing. "I have no idea why I thought this." But she soon learned about insulin syringes and blood sugar readings.