It was late July before I was to start my freshman year of high school. I had no energy, was going to the bathroom constantly, just didn't feel right.

We had to get our physicals done before started two a days for football at Lindale. Physical went good, except for one thing, doctors found my blood sugar levels were too high.

I did a 24 hour fast, came back and sugar levels were still too high.

I was no stranger to diabetes as my dad is also a type-1 diabetic. I had always seen him prick his finger, fill his syringe and inject himself.

We set an appointment with his doctor in Tyler and after a couple of other tests, it was determined I was also a type-1 diabetic.

When I ran across this article, this excited me. Granted, I've read study after study of how a cure was close, but this one gives me the most hope.

Fox News via The Associated Press has reported that Johnson & Johnson has teamed up with a biotech company, ViaCyte, and their work is promising.

They have put embryonic stem cells into a lab dish to turn them into insulin producing cells. These cells are then put into a capsule that is implanted under the skin. The capsule works to prevent the body's immune system from rejecting the new cells.

Human testing has been encourging. The new cells had attached themselves to nearby blood vessels and the implanted cells began multipling.

Prior testing in mice had produced the insulin hormones for as long as they lived, which was about a year.

The American Diabetes Association says that 29.1 million Americans have diabetes, 1.25 million have type 1, like myself.

I will be the first to tell you that being a diabetic is a struggle, as others diabetics will attest too. People ask me, "How can you give yourself a shot?" My simple, yet true, answer, "If I don't, I die."

I check my blood sugar three, four, sometimes, five times a day. That's a lot of finger pricking. My fingers are callused from all the pricks. I really need to work on eating better. That to me is the biggest struggle. I love cheeseburgers and french fries just as much as anyone.

For those that struggle with diabetes, type-1 or type-2, don't let it get you down. We can still get from life what we want, we just have to make adjustments. Easier said than done, I know.

It's an exciting time, but until then, I still have to do my routine every day.

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