While I don't remember the exact date on which I found TuD, there is much else I remember about that amazing day. I googled "diabetes artists" because when my diagnosis came in, my artist's soul seemed to fly out the window. Up popped Beth's group for artists at TuD. I lurked just a bit and then dove in.

It was a new site and I was a scared newbie. Manny and Doris were the first to greet me. We were still small enough that a little later Manny himself instructed me on how to cut and paste---yes, I was a newbie not only to online communities, but also to how to use my computer for more than emails!

From day one, I felt embraced and supported. Some of my first advice came from T1s, though I am a T2. Such divisions didn't really matter and this is still one of TuD's greatest distinctions. Though I certainly cannot give advice to a T1 on how to bolus for a meal, I can support such good folks in their quest for better ways of living with our common scourge and comfort those who suffer setbacks and losses. As I have been comforted so many times over the years.

I have made lifelong friends here. From Manny and Andre and Santi (all of whom I had the joy of meeting) to Kathy and Scott 3000 miles away in Minnesota with whom I have shared in person tea and stories, laughter and tears, when back there visiting my family. Dear Sohair in Riyadh I have never met, nor Gerri of the unwavering kindness and yummy recipes, but they are both responsible for vastly improving my life with the D, spiritually and physically and emotionally. There's our local star, Ricky Joe the Blind Chef with whom I have also shared fondness and tea. My beloved twins, Amylia Grace and Rachel Joy, don't post here a lot right now, but I am in regular touch---one in the Midwest and one in Monterey. They greeted me early on and answered one of my first questions: "how do you handle testing in public?" Yes, so new was I that I hadn't had to do that yet, but the following week I had jury duty and I was very nervous. Pup wanted a picture of us doing something "diabetic". I chose a holiday Portland meet-up with amazing folks I could only have met here!

Diabetes presents us with daily challenges. Our vigilance cannot flag, even when our version of the D is invisible to friends and family. But with the sustenance and solace of my TuDiabetes community, I can persevere with a renewed sense of purpose. And, it must be said, so can my beloveds and yours. Here, they can find insight and clear-thinking on just how to live with us!

Manny's True Impulse in founding this haven of sanity was a sincere belief in breaking the isolation of those who live daily with diabetes. His sincerity and love of humanity are a presence in every discussion and blog that we share, whether we know it directly, or not.