As June Biermann ingrains her daily dose of insulin into her thigh, she remembers the day she was diagnosed with diabetes. Back then, in 1967, June never believed that she could live for more than ten years with her disease. But that was thirty-four years ago; now she lives a productive and healthy life. Even though she is completely insulin dependent, she has adopted a healthier lifestyle and has refused to let her diabetes advance.
             However, unlike June, there are millions of people around the world who have failed to control the disease. The implications are heart breaking. Diabetes has robbed countless individuals, regardless of age or race, of their eyesight, strength, and mental capacity. It is a de-habilitating disease that ruins lives and families. This is diabetes.
             The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse defines diabetes as a disease "characterized by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both." But many people know it as a terror that effects countless people all over the world.
             Every year, in the United States, over 750,000 new cases are diagnosed. And in the US alone, over 190,000 people die each year from this disease. Financially, medical costs run up to $40 billion each year. This figure does not take into account the over $50 billion spent in compensation payments issued to people facing disabilities, work loss or premature mortality as a result of diabetes.
             Diabetes is a deadly killer that effects every race. It is found in 1/15 of all Caucasians, 1/8 of all Hispanics, and effects 1 in every 10 African Americans. It also effects every age group, claiming 18% of the US population over the age of 65, 8.2% of the population over 20, and 123,000 victims under the age of 20.
             It is a disease that has followed us through the ages and left countless people dead in its wake.
             The disease was first described by early civilizations, such as those ...