I just had an appointment with my endo last week. He called me "motivated." I call myself "concerned about my future."
I also spoke with a rep from my pump company on the telephone today. He was surprised that I use the software to download all my meter & pump records. Apparently not a lot of people do that.
In my opinion, I WANT to live a long, healthy life. I WANT to have children and see them grow up. I WANT to see my grandchildren.
I WANT to still be healthy when there is a CURE.
I am with you, Rebecca. I will put up with the constant testing and counting carbs, and appointments, and shots and pumps...if it means I am still healthy and alive long past my non-compliant counterparts.

All the sunshine talk is great but in the end diabetes still wins. Since I was diagnosed in 2003 as Type II, I have lost 80 pounds, try to eat right, and exercise 3 days a week. I take the drugs. My a1c is still thru the roof. Nobody gives a damn about me/us. If they did they would be researching a cure and not a temporary band-aid fix. A cure would be catastrophic to the pharmaceutical industry. I can totally understand and relate to the feelings of the people in the study. Why shouldn't I eat, drink, and be merry now while I still can and enjoy the 10 or so good years I have left? The harsh reality is, if you have diabetes and are not independently wealthy, you will not have the time nor medical attention to avoid complications as you grow older.

Yes, I would prefer the pinpricks in my fingers and meds that make me a little uncomfortable than the alternative down the road. It's unfortunate that people feel that way about the disease. Perhaps those who of us who are younger may have motivation? I'm not sure.

Personally, I'd rather dance with my granddaughter at her wedding, even if I have to live a little differently than before. I was dx'ed last summer, have lost 40 pounds, and my pitbull won't let me slack up on exercise. No meds yet, but fistfuls of supplements, and flaxseed by the pound. I don't believe it's necessarily true that "in the end, diabetes still wins". If I did, I'd probably share gymply's attitude. I had a cousin who died from the complications of T2, after losing an extremity, because she thought the care was too much to cope with. I can understand her attitude, but I don't share it.
I know that I may have to go on meds and/or insulin at some point down the road, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I'm not sure age is the determining factor in attitude. I'm 59, and have no intention of letting my disease kill me before my time. Abe Lincoln said that most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. I'm also a recovering alcoholic, and I will die with both diabetes and alcoholism, but there's a real chance that I don't have to die FROM either one. Fortunately, my primary care doctor is one who didn't choose to lead off my teatment program with drugs. She chose to educate me about the disease and give diet and exercise a chance to work. She believes (and so do I) that diabetes, although at present incurable, is manageable for most of us (particularly us T2's) if we're willing to eat and exercise the way we should have all along. Call me foolishly optimistic if you must, but I refuse to speculate about the inevitability of the progression of this disease I have. Sunshine talk? Better that than doom and gloom. I could go down this afternoon in a motorcycle accident on the way home from work today, but that don't stop me from riding. I just follow some safety rules, and enjoy two wheels and the wind. Eat right, exercise, stick my fingers to a pulp, and live the days my Maker chooses to give me. Same thing. I am responsible for my choices, and face their consequences. I don't blame folks for getting depressed. It is a chronic disease, and I can never go back to the way I "lived" before. Yes, it would be great if medical science discovered a cure for diabetes, but it wouldn't change the way I now eat and exercise all that much. I just wouldn't bleed as much.