At the age of 61, after losing her husband to a 3-year battle with cancer, Nancy figured she was due some good news. Instead, after visiting the E.R. for multiple symptoms, she found out she had diabetes.

Now, 10 months after her initial diagnosis, Nancy has called on her “can-do” attitude to help her manage her diabetes. While others might have put up a battle at the thought of taking insulin, Nancy puts her energies into battling the disease instead.

Not only has Nancy worked with a diabetes counselor to deal with her diabetes issues, she has done a lot of work on her own, researching the topic and cross-referencing the information she finds with the website for the American Diabetes Association (ADA). She’s also very active in diabetes chat rooms, sharing and comparing with other patients.

Nancy describes her attitude as, "I just need to do this." What are her diabetes "to-do's?" They start with following her doctor’s recommendations for a healthy exercise program. And when it comes to treatment, she takes her medication, including insulin, as prescribed.