What was it like for you growing up with diabetes? How do you think it has shaped you?
     I was relatively fortunate in that I've always had good care. I grew up with an older brother with diabetes, so when I was diagnosed at 15, I already knew a good deal about it. That said, diabetes is never easy, and I didn't really talk about it for much of my life, but I guess the cat's out of the bag at this point. I suspect it's made me more independent but also more impatient.

What do you believe has been the biggest breakthrough since you were diagnosed?
     When I was diagnosed in 1977, we were still using urine tests as a proxy for blood sugar levels. Not good. Home glucose monitoring has been the most important breakthrough since I was diagnosed.

Do you think diabetes has been a blessing or a curse?
     I wouldn't describe it as either. It's a challenging part of daily life.

How did diabetes impact your professional life as a journalist?
     Fortunately, it had no impact. If I had wanted to be a foreign correspondent, it might have been a problem; but that wasn't a goal of mine. Now I'm fortunate - I work from home and have much more control of time.

Reports have said there is a 4% chance a mother will pass on diabetes and 7% chance that a father will. Considering your brother also has diabetes, did you and your wife consider the genetic factor before having children?
     Like most adults with diabetes, I did consider it, as did my wife, but it obviously didn't deter us from starting a family.

What kind of impact do you think your own diabetes has had on raising Garrett? Do you think it's made it easier or harder?
     I'm sure it's made it easier for Garrett, but developing diabetes at age three is never easy.

After all your interviews and research while writing Cheating Destiny, where do you believe a cure is most likely to come from? What research looks the most promising?
     I simply don't know. Researchers have been promising cures for many years, but no one has figured it out yet. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system has to somehow be "re-educated" so that it doesn't destroy the beta cells. Unfortunately, the immune system is much smarter and more resilient than any human being.

You wrote that you corresponded with dozens of people around the country, and included stories of many of them in the book, but which one had the most significant impact on you?
     A truly impossible question, because I received literally hundreds of stories about "the human drama of diabetes" - the good and bad - but the Eva Saxl story is perhaps most inspiring. She and her husband were refugees in Shanghai during World War II. She developed diabetes and then her insulin supply was cut off. How she survived, and the aftermath of her experiences, is greatest story in the history of diabetes. I was honored to tell it, and, remarkably, I actually spoke to her several weeks before she died.

Since the majority of research falls on researchers, how do you think teens and young adults can participate in finding a cure?
     Research requires money, so fundraising efforts are great. When you're old enough to vote, seek out candidates who will fund research.

Before your book, you were never heavily involved in the diabetes community. How have you changed that?
     It was inevitable that I would become involved because I had done so much research - hopefully, I can now share that with other people. I speak at conferences, write a diabetes blog at www.closeconcerns.com, and write a column for a new patient newsletter, diaTribe.

What is the most important lesson you have learned about living with diabetes as an adult?
     Adult or teenager, it doesn't matter. The key is, don't get discouraged, which can lead to apathy. You have to remember that with diabetes, you're going to have good days and bad days, you're going to have ups and downs. The key is, when you have a good day, take the credit for it. When you have a bad day, blame the disease and vow to make better decisions tomorrow.

Who is your inspiration?
     My son.