Do you know the way to ADA?

If you are now singing, you are OLD as in gold ;)

In about a week, I'm heading north to DC for a few days at the ADA Scientific Session. Now, I won't be attending the lectures, but will instead be at the Bayer booth in the exhibit hall, giving away copies of my book and encouraging practictioners to tell their patients about the Bayer Dream Fund contest.

So, as always, if you know anyone attending, please encourage them to stop by the booth for their free (signed) copy.

Peter Hoogenboom will also be there, and he knows the LONG way to ADA (check out his progress). There is a rumor afloat that the first winner of the Dream Fund will also be somewhere in the exhibit hall as well. It'll be a hall full of dreamers, that's for sure.

Last year, when I was trying to capture the attention of seasoned conference-goers who knew how to stride past booths without making eye contact, I'd often ask people if they knew anyone with diabetes. Some would laugh and stop long enough for a conversation and some would look at me like I was insane because of course they knew people with diabetes!

Would you believe some said, "No"?

Those folks, of course, were the researchers. They know plenty of mice with diabetes, and they sure as heck know alot about diabetes, but they are a bit removed from the actual disease in actual people.

I'm not making a statement here, just musing about the tone of the meeting. We need those mice and their keepers, just as much as we need the endocrinologists and CDE's who work to keep us healthy while they sort out that research stuff.

Whatever road gets you to ADA: salesperson, author (!), researcher, physician, nurse, advocate... here's hoping it's an exciting meeting, full of hope, run by dreamers. Perhaps we'll even get to see one of those rainbows I keep hearing about...