meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Story Collider

Diabetes Awareness: Stories about dealing with diabetes

The Story Collider

Story Collider, Inc.

Arts, Science, Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Performing Arts

4.4824 Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2022

⏱️ 33 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this week’s episode both our storytellers are sharing their experience with diabetes. More than 34.2 million Americans have diabetes, however, many people don’t know about the disease or that they even have it. This episode is to raise awareness for American Diabetes Association Alert Day, which is on March 22 this year.

Part 1: Diabetes runs in Michele Carlo’s family and she’s determined not wind up like them.

Part 2: Comedian Gastor Almonte comes to terms with his new diabetes diagnosis.

Michele Carlo is a native New Yorker, a Nuyorican, a natural redhead, and remembers when a slice of pizza (and the NYC subway) cost 50 cents. As a storyteller, she has performed across the U.S., including Joe’s Pub, RISK! live shows and podcast, and the MOTH’s Mainstage in NYC; and has appeared on NPR (“Latino USA”) and PBS (“Latino Americans of NY & NJ,” “Stories from the Stage”). She is also the author of the NYC-set memoir “Fish Out of Agua: My life on neither side of the (subway) tracks” and a sometime actor. For more on Michele: www.michelecarlo.com

Gastor Almonte is a stand-up comedian and storyteller from Brooklyn, NY. He's appeared on Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, Risk! podcast and the Story Collider Podcast. Timeout magazine named him one of your "New Comedy Obsessions." He's been featured on the New York Comedy Festival, The People's Impov Theater's SoloCom and Cinderblock Comedy Festival. His new album, Immigrant Made, was released in March 2019.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

A science story, huh?

0:04.0

Is NYU a scientist?

0:06.0

I felt it was really strong.

0:08.0

And I just thought, well,

0:10.0

it was that golden moment.

0:12.0

Because science was on my side.

0:15.0

Hi, everyone.

0:24.8

Welcome to the Story Collider, where we bring you true personal stories about science.

0:29.8

I'm your host, Erin Barker, and this week's episode is in recognition of the American Diabetes Association's Diabetes Alert Day on March 22nd.

0:39.7

According to the association, diabetes is growing at an epidemic rate in the United States.

0:45.8

In 2019, 37.3 million Americans had diabetes. That's 11.3% of the population.

0:54.8

This is a serious thing because it's the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.

1:00.4

In today's episode, memoirist Michelle Carlo and comedian Gastor Almonte will share stories about coming to terms with what diabetes means for themselves, their families, and their communities.

1:12.1

Our first story is from Michelle Carlo. It was recorded last December at our hybrid show at the

1:17.6

Tank in New York City. The theme that night was belonging. One note before we begin, there is a

1:25.5

minor glitch in the audio early on in this one.

1:28.3

We apologize for that, but we hope that it won't impede your enjoyment of this story.

1:41.9

When I was in seventh grade, a science teacher called me up in front of the class to make an example of me to support her lesson in genetics, presumably because I had and still have red hair.

1:56.6

Michelle, you're Irish, right?

2:01.6

Nah, I'm Puerto Rican.

2:03.6

Oh, well, what color is your mother's hair?

2:07.6

Black and your father?

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Story Collider, Inc., and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Story Collider, Inc. and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.