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Diabetes Viewpoints

Same Goal, Different Year

By Tom Karlya

Tom pic The knock came upon my door. “Did you want to see me, Tom?”

“Yes I did. I wanted to talk about your performance over the last 360 plus-odd days.”

He looked down at the floor. “I tried…..I really did try.”

“I’m not blaming you for anything, but every now and again we need to assess a situation. And as your predecessors came and went, I’m afraid I’ve no choice but to let you go, 2006.”

2006 stated his case, “But we did many good things together. This was a terrific time for dLife. There was fabulous growth and many, many people were helped.”

“Undeniably.”

“There was the initiative started by Kari Rosenfeld and the IDF for a UN resolution on diabetes. Wasn’t that a good thing?”

“It’s a fabulous idea, but…”

“What about Team Type 1, that was an incredible undertaking. Dramatic. People and machine. Sport. Awareness….”

“Yes…”

“There was the DVD created for the Public Health Foundation on a topic that diabetes educators applauded. We’ll probably help thousands. Is that down there on my record?”

“Yes, we have that. And yes, it was a wonderful thing.”

“The kid from American Idol? C’mon now, that has to be a powerful turn of events. We surprised thousands of people at a huge conference with Kevin Covais and the kids were blown away---what a highlight that was. Just what was expected of me?”

There was an awkward silence between us. I looked out the window. I looked back at 2006 who stood before me, one step out the door. I felt badly. Many good things had indeed happened. 2006 had highlights. I thought a little while longer and right before I began, I sighed.

“You are absolutely correct in defining the many good things. But as I looked over your record, I’m afraid you are like so many who came before…the objectives and goals were not achieved. I just do not feel we are any closer to a cure than we were when we let 2005 go. You need to understand. Out of the many fabulous events that happened out there, you missed on the holy grail of what every single person with diabetes waits for along with their loved ones, and they wait every year. But I do admit we did learn from you.”

2006 spoke very slowly, not looking up. “But….how?”

“Well, I want to personally thank you for bringing me that person – the one who worked for a leading diabetes organization for years. He said that doing the same things year in and year out will never yield different results and that a whole new tactic may be needed. That it is up to each individual, both volunteer and staff alike, to take a long hard look at how things could be changed before this decade comes and goes like the last ‘decade for a cure’ came and left.”

There was some more silence, and 2006 looked up at me. “I cannot deny that unless people start asking demanding questions, we will not get different results. I know that we cannot just buy this cure off a shelf. I know everyone is doing their best.”

“But it’s not doing their best we are after, is it?”

“No,” 2006 replied.

“No, it isn’t and that is why we need to change. We need to look at it from the outside. All said and done, research money amounts to over a billion dollars a year and really, not one entity has a mechanism in place to look at what has failed and succeeded in the past. How will we ever chart a course to figure out where the answers are? Same actions will never yield different results. Look at the history. Tell me – and I mean this – tell me what has the last 10 years in research money resulted in that will have a profound impact on the so many who have diabetes? Show me something that was not a biomedical finding funded by private industry.”

2006 shuffled his feet around and looked up at me. “Some promise was there but islet cells are a big question mark and stem cells are such a controversial item. Perhaps a few people are on to something like Dr. Faustman, but I just don’t know.”

2006 stood up and slowly headed for the door. As he started to leave the room, he turned to me. “We did do some good things, yes?”

“Yes, 2006, we did.”

He smiled, turned, and walked out the door as 2007 walked by him. I heard 2007 ask, “Is he tough to work for?”

2006 looked at him, looked over his shoulder at me, and returned his look right into the eyes of 2007. “Demanding, fair, results-oriented and no-nonsense kind of guy.”

“What is he anyway,” 2007 asked. “Researcher, doctor, corporate executive?”

“No….a diabetes dad.”