On Reddit, a bridesmaid shared that her sister — the bride — asked her to remove an essential medical device so she won’t ruin her wedding photos.
The woman has Type 1 diabetes and wears a diabetic monitor and insulin pump.
“I wear two medical devices, a Dexcom blood sugar monitor on one arm and an Omnipod insulin pump on the other. They’re both really small [under 2 inches each] and work together to automatically monitor and regulate my blood sugar levels,” she explained in her Reddit post.
Wearing the devices gives her freedom from manual blood sugar tests and insulin injections, making life “way easier.”
While trying on sleeveless bridesmaid dresses, the woman’s sister told her she doesn’t want her to wear her devices during the wedding since they will “look ugly in the photos.”
“I told her I wasn’t okay removing them, they’re essential medical equipment and I’m not going to put myself in a position to affect my health just for some photos,” she told the bride-to-be.
Her response upset the bride, who complained to their mother.
“My sister complained to our mother and some of our friends, and they’re all taking her side. They say it’s no big deal if I just don’t wear them during the wedding, but I don’t see why I should,” she continued.
They complained that she wasn’t “willing to compromise,” but she doesn’t believe “health should be an area where anyone can ask that I compromise at all.”
In an update to her post, the bridesmaid revealed her brother “tore my mom and sister a new one” after he found out about the bride’s “hurtful” request.
“He then told my grandfather, who is paying for the wedding. Grandpa apparently drove an hour into town this afternoon just to tell my mother how disappointed he was and that he must have gone wrong somewhere raising her. He told her that if they didn’t apologize and make things right, my mom should figure out how to pay for all of the outstanding wedding costs herself,” she continued.
While she didn’t want to “cause this much trouble” for her mom and sister, “it seems to have worked.”
“They called me to apologize and say it was wrong of them to suggest I just go without my monitor and pump and we can find a way to dress it up instead,” she explained.
The bridesmaid accepted their apologies and revealed she will try to wear a shawl or flower corsages “over each device so they can’t be seen.”
“Maybe it seems minor to some, but it was really upsetting to me that my own family turned on me when it came to my own health, so it was a really big deal to me that they unconditionally supported me when my mom and sister wouldn’t,” she concluded.