Several stories of survival and determination

Summer has started, so it's time to ramp up the exercise. My friend Ginger is helping me on an exercise program, but a great pupil I'm not. I wish I had the stamina and discipline, not to mention the abs, of Phil Southerland, who leads Team Type 1 - a group of competitive cyclists who've proven that type 1 diabetes is no deterrent to winning biking championships. We review his inspirational memoir, Not Dead Yet, in this issue.

Speaking of survival, please don't miss Jim Hirsch's Logbook, “The Miracle of Route 24.” If you only read five stories about diabetes this year, include this one on your list. On one level, the column is about a harrowing hypoglycemic episode involving Jim and his son. But it's also about explaining “the facts of life” - a diabetic life - to a young child: how much information do you provide, and when. The column is a reminder as well of how strong our kids are, how dangerous diabetes can be, and how urgently we need a cure.

Maybe I just have kids - and a cure - on my mind, because we just finished shooting the cover photo of “Targeting a Cure for Type 1 Diabetes,” our comprehensive report that will be published after the ADA's annual meeting in June (and will be free to all diaTribe subscribers). We believe ADA will have some important updates on cure-targeted therapies, which will make our report all the more timely. The search for the cure, of course, is always timely - which I was reminded of when we photographed six-year-old Lilly for our cover. Cavorting with her mother, wearing a pink dress and with a white flower in her blond hair, Lilly has a smile that would melt the coldest heart in Siberia. I know she is completely healthy, but I also know how much better her life would be without the burden of type 1 diabetes . . . and how I hope, and believe, that day will come in her lifetime.

I'm still grateful for what we have now, and for people like Phil and Jim who enlighten and inspire us with their stories. Please read about them as well as all our updates on the very latest in diabetes products and research, including the FDA's approvals of several drugs and medical devices.

As Phil might say, “We ain't dead yet.”

Best,