Diabetes has officially become an epidemic of national—even worldwide—proportions. In the past few decades, the disease has grown at an alarming rate that continues to escalate today with more young people being diagnosed, and at ever decreasing ages. In addition, there are reported estimates that upwards of 5.7 million people have the disease and do not even know it.

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For me, the disease and its debilitating effects have been all too familiar, as my father has been a diabetic for over 40 years. For a while, the disease crippled our family. My mother and I were forced to monitor his sugar level for—literally—24 hours each day. Dad's ongoing low blood sugar attacks (there were hundreds, maybe even thousands) placed him in deadly peril. Common occurrences included driving off the road, forgetting his identity or losing his bearings, getting arrested by police who misread his condition for drunkenness and comas that resulted in his being pronounced dead.

Thankfully, in the passing years, we've been able to find the right physicians who could educate all of us on how to properly treat the disease. Up until then, we were basically winging it on common sense and outdated medical advice. With the help of the pump (a device that continually monitors sugar and delivers insulin) and increased knowledge on nutrition, I am proud to report - with the hardest of knocks on wood - that my father is doing better than ever.

Type 1 diabetes  is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. With Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.

Type 2 diabetes  is the most common form of diabetes. (Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.) With Type 2 diabetes, two things can happen: either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause problems, like starving your cells for energy, or, over time, developing high blood glucose levels that may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart.