This is a love story. Get a cup of coffee, sit in your favorite chair and have your crying towel at the ready, there will be tears.

Back when I was not famous, or as good looking as I now am (smile), I had this idea about a diabetes wellness program and set out to research it. My Brother, Ray, had diabetes. I watched him, for years, struggle with it. In those years of watching him he developed absolutely every complication you can get as a result of diabetes. He had stokes, retinopathy, neuropathy in both feet and everything else you can imagine, with all those complications finally beating him and taking his life, on my birthday, of all days when he was just 48 years old.

A year before he passed away, I was diagnosed with diabetes. It scared me to death because I had been watching Ray and seeing what he was going through. No way did I want any of that I can assure you. Understand, Ray and I lived in different states so I did not see him all the time, I only heard about his latest bout with diabetes.

Where I wanted to know everything about diabetes, Ray was content to just follow his doctor's instructions and never spent a second trying to learn what he could do about it. We were opposites in that respect. He walked a level path, I wanted to climb mountains.

When I would ask Ray questions about diabetes and how does he do this or that, he honestly could not answer even the most basic questions. It amazed me.

I had diabetes for about eight months when I get a call telling me Ray had a stroke and was in a hospital rehabilitation center. I flew in to see him, which was the first time I had seen him since I had been diagnosed with diabetes, and he was looking great even though he just had a stroke.

I asked him what his blood sugar was and he told me when they took it that morning it was 350! I asked him what his blood sugars usually run. He didn't know because he didn't have a meter to check them. (When Ray was diagnosed with diabetes 20 or so years before that day, meters simply were not available and he never pursued getting a meter when they were everywhere.)

To make a long story short, when Ray was released from the hospital, I got him a meter and told him how to use it, when to use it and to write down his readings. By doing this, he would know how much insulin to take and better control his glucose levels. I went back home and four months later, Ray passed away. When I went to his home I found that meter. He had only used it one or two times after I left. He simply did not think it was very important I guess. He broke my heart because I wanted him to live forever.

I was angry, upset and destroyed. Here was a man, in the prime of his life, who had diabetes for over twenty years and didn't have any idea of what to do about it. He left behind a wife and little daughter. It was simply not fair. I wanted to do something about it and I did.

I spent three years researching diabetes and eventually formulated a plan, a wellness program that would be thorough and as simple as possible.

To give the plan credibility I needed to test it on a group, a controlled group. I wanted a group of diabetics that didn't have the money to even buy meters. I wanted people who are forced to improvise because I figured if I could teach this group, I could teach anyone. I wanted the people whom were told by their doctors to exercise and diet, but never got an explanation of what that actually meant. Simply put, I wanted poor diabetics. Those diabetics that simply don't have any clue what to do. Getting a group of diabetics for the program proved easier than getting anyone to help support it. I was on a limited budget and robbed Peter to pay Paul.

When I started this, I didn't even have meters to show them how to test their glucose levels. I needed some badly. I called around and everyone told me no to providing meters when they knew the population I was taking on couldn't afford the strips so why waste the meters. Everyone that is, except for Accu-Chek.

When I called Accu-Chek I told them what I was trying to do. I explained the program to them. I started to beg but they stopped me before I had to. Now I am going to tell you something everyone knows, but few people say. Most companies that manufacturer meters realize that the money is in the strips and the meters are the less important product. Donating meters is nothing in the long term because they make the money on the strips. Those are what cost.

Well, Accu-Chek not only provided me with enough meters to do my first cycle of diabetics, but provided me with the strips as well. In fact, my research, and the development of our diabetic wellness program took over three years to develop. Accu-Chek was supportive of it from day one and stayed with me the entire time. No complaining about the cost, no complaining about the time, just unlimited support and compassion. This was over nine years ago.

In the past few months I have been seeing more and more diabetics who are a lot less fortunate than most I see. All of whom didn't even have meters. They are being diagnosed with diabetes, don't have insurance and don't have the expendable income to buy meters or strips. I called my old friends at Accu-Chek and asked them if they needed me to beg again, it had been awhile.

Well, there was a different group of people. Different salespeople, different managers but the one thing that was not any different was their willingness to help me, once again. I called on a Monday. On Tuesday the salesperson called from this district and on Friday I had over a hundred new meters in my clinic to provide to those diabetics that had none….and strips to boot!

Understand this, please, I am not writing this as repayment to Accu-Chek for what they have done. I am writing this because I want the world to know what Accu-Chek has done because these people, these wonderful caring people, are like none I have ever met in the corporate world. They give back. They save lives. They are truly admired by me and I am so deeply moved at how fast they always jump at the chance to help.

So, I wanted to personally thank them, publicly and in print, for all they have done for me and for all my diabetics. Thank you so very very much. And yes, D4D does have a love affair with Accu-Chek and will have one forever. Smile.

Living with diabetes can be a challenge. The makers of Accu-Chek™ want to bring you information and simple tools to help you meet those daily challenges.

Accu-Chek™ Live life. We'll fit in. To find out more about Accu-Chek and their role in helping diabetics, click on the website address below: www.accu-chek.com