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.
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