[Brent44a]

I am still new to this thread of thought, but find it fasinating. I would categorize the war against diabetes as being fought on several fronts, two of which are "control" and, for lack of a better - more descriptive term- "cure."

On the contol front I see more developed and more effective insulin and insulin delivery products like lantus, humulog, and novolog delivered through a syringe, pen, insuflon, pump and other items. I am thankful for companies like Animas, Medtronic, Deltec and the makers of the insulin products. Without their efforts, I would not be alive today. Sure its expensive, but who among us would prefer there to be no profit if there were no correlating development and progress.

On a second front is the struggle for a cure. In that arena I primarily see research organizations and the medical establishment. While I wish there were a cure today, I am thankful for those that are working hard to make a real cure a reality. In this area I see transplants, beta cell transfers, efforts to begin the regenerative process that would have our own bodies begin to give birth to the very cells that would manufacture our own insulin and stop whatever it is that causes those cells to malfunction. Those engaged in this "front" are often unheralded but none-the-less very important in the progress being made and that will be made against this disease.

So I guess I am optimistic that there will be a cure someday, and grateful in the meantime for the progress being made to help me control this affliction. I am eternally grateful to those people fighting the war on the front lines. I do believe my life is better for their efforts and offer my thanks to those that entered the pharmacutical, medical and medical research fields and who plow through the grind every day in search of better "control" and a hopeful "cure."