Yesterday I had the great pleasure to deliver 50 of my TheABCs of Loving Yourself with Diabetes books to Dr. Gerald Bernstein at the Friedman Diabetes Institute, a free diabetes resource/learning center in Manhattan, and part of Beth Israel Hospital. Dr. Bernstein, Director of the Diabetes Management Program at the Institute, pioneered a major diabetes center in the 90’s in NYC that was eliminated with almost all the others due to financial woes.

Today Dr. Bernstein, Dr. Leeny Poretsky, Director of the Institute, and attending staff, have created a dynamite educational resource above the city’s clamor, where patients can avail themselves of exercise instruction, nutritional guidance, a dietician, educational classes, support and more, to better manage their diabetes. Did I say it’s free?

Bernstein’s Novo Nordisk rep, Stacy Kilkenny, was the little angel who ordered my books for the clinic as Dr. Bernstein wants to use them as an incentive, and reward, to motivate and celebrate patient’s efforts and successes. What an incredible way to think! Bernstein’s other passion, that he showed me, is an oral insulin dispenser that he’s working on with a biotech company; it’s now in trials. It works similarly to an asthma inhaler and, thankfully, is the same handy size too. It sprays a mist of insulin onto your inner cheek, the sprayed insulin is directly absorbed into your bloodstream and working within 5 minutes, it’s also out of your system within 2 hours helping to avoid hypoglycemia. The prototype has already been approved in Equador, so exciting things to come. 

My heartfelt thanks go out to Dr. Bernstein and Stacy, and everyone else at the Friedman Institute, and my hope is that if you are in a similar position to use this book to motivate and reward patients’ efforts, you might just do the same – and don’t forget your purchase makes a donation to Diabetes Research Institute, one of the premier research institutes seeking a cure for diabetes.