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lives on in the V Foundation which is a non-profit group that works towards a cure for cancer. His motto in his fight against cancer was "never give up".

This same spirit to "never give up" must be an intrinsic value of persons living with diabetes. By staying motivated to control blood sugar levels through proper diet, exercise, medication and/or insulin management, and stress management the person with diabetes has a great chance to control diabetes rather than to let it control them.

The Behavior/Control Connection

Diabetes is a disease that is greatly affected by the behavior of the person who has it. Motivation and attitude play a key role in the patients self-care. The need to monitor and regulate the day to day regimen of health diabetes care is paramount in achieving and maintaining optimum control. Patients must understand the significance of their blood sugar results and comprehend and use the connection of their behavior and the results of their blood sugar results. Granted, many complicating factors can aggravate ideal blood sugar results, however, personal behavior is a fundamental cornerstone of diabetes care that is often not talked about or addressed at the level required. This often occurs because patients are hesitant to "tell the whole truth" and doctors are often too busy to ask probing questions that might give insights to the patients behavioral challenges as related to diabetes self care. Part of any complete diabetes care team should include a counselor or psychologist to aid the patient in exploring this behavior/control connection. Just as we assume the importance of a dietitians role in diabetes education, we should also offer behavioral consults for both patients and their families and to the professionals who serve them.

The Role of Motivation in Diabetes Care

An individual with diabetes must be motivated to do many things. Lets look at just some of the basic self-care issues that are part of a diabetic plan:

1. Blood Sugar Testing. Unless you've been living on a deserted island away from civilization, your aware of the critical importance of blood sugar control. Ideal pre and post meal levels should be communicated with the patient. Goal setting is a fundamental behavioral component of this procedure. The patient must "buy in"to the notion that gaining control is possible and that the only person capable of controlling the results is him or herself.

2. Monitoring Diet. The self-help section of any book store will demonstrate the

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