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It started as the perfect story. Zippora Karz was a member of the famed New York City Ballet by the age of eighteen. By twenty she was starring as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, dancing roles created by Jerome Robbins, and traveling the world.
It was the stuff dreams are made of until, at age twenty-one, Karz
became exhausted, dizzy and excessively thirsty. Heavy pancake makeup covered the sores under her arms that would not heal, but she neglected to go to the doctor. When she finally did, she was diagnosed with diabetes, and learned that if she continued to ignore her symptoms, she risked heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation of her toes, feet and legs. She struggled to get the correct diagnosis
and treatment, first thinking she had Type-2 diabetes, when in fact she
had Type 1, juvenile diabetes. Once placed on an insulin regimen to
regulate her blood sugar, she would inject herself with unsafe doses
before going on stage in misguided attempts to obtain peak performance.
The potentially fatal result of Karz's self-experimentation became all
too real when she nearly lost consciousness. Her weight dropped and she
became dangerously ill.
Balancing ballet and her blood sugar would be a long and difficult
struggle for Karz, but eventually she learned to value her body and
work with it, rather than rage at its limitations. In The Sugarless
Plum, Karz shares her journey from denial, shame and miseducation
about her illness to how she led an active, balanced and satisfying
life as an insulin-dependent diabetic and soloist with one of the
world's most famous ballet companies. Through her fascinating story,
those struggling with diabetes and other serious illnesses can find
encouragement and inspiration as well as practical advice on achieving
physical and emotional wellness.
After sixteen years with the New York City Ballet, Karz retired and
took her passion and skills into a whole new arena as a diabetes
educator and advocate, where today she inspires people to not just
manage their illness, but to thrive and fulfill their passions. The
Sugarless Plum takes readers deep into the heart and soul of a
young dancer, and is a remarkable testament to determination and
perseverance.
pub date: 2009-10-27 | hardcover | 9780373892037 |
