Last week Amy Tenderich, creator of Diabetes Mine and co-author of Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes, sent out an email asking us to speak out on behalf of Mr. Universe. I remembered the gist of the story when it first happened, back in April. What I didn't realize was the ensuing atrocities for Mr. Burns after the event.

Back in April, Doug Burns was maced by police during a hypoglycemic event at a movie theater. During the episode, the police assumed he was intoxicated, despite a bystander's insistence that it might be a diabetes issue. He was handcuffed, thrown into a car, and driven to a nearby ER without proper treatment for his hypoglycemia. Officers arrested him for assault and resisting arrest. Prosecutors initially insisted Burns needed to provide more medical evidence that he was a Type I diabetic suffering from insulin shock at the time. For some unknown reason -- a blood sugar of 40 isn't proof enough? The records from the event show that Doug never struck anyone, and in fact, he was the only party injured in the incident. However, the case was raised to assault and resisting arrest when one of the policemen suddenly reported an injury -- week-and-half later.

Turns out the county prosecutors have dropped misdemeanor charges against Mr. Universe. Ladies and gentleman, this is proof of how misinformed the general public is of the hurdles diabetics must overcome to continue life, uninterrupted. I'm proud to say that when issues are raised, awareness prevails. Thanks to everybody who called into the DAs office last week and thanks to Amy for calling out for the help.