Thanks to all the fine contributors who took an active role in "Blogging For A Cure" for diabetes during the month of November, American Diabetes Month.

Extra special thanks to the wonderful people here at Blogcritics for encouraging people to become involved and for becoming involved, themselves, in raising diabetes awareness and fighting for a cure. I want to especially thank Eric Olsen, Natalie Davis, Pete Nelson, Mac Diva and Joe McNally for taking an active role in educating people about diabetes and for encouraging them to take an active role in fighting for a cure as a Diabetes Advocate.

Today may be the final day of American Diabetes Month, but the fight for a cure is not yet over. There are still millions upon millions of people worldwide who suffer from this terribly tragic disease, and each day the number grows. Diabetics are at greater risk for kidney disease and removal, untraumatic limb amputation, heart disease, blindness and other unfortunate health maladies.

The cost of diabetic health care is high, making few insurers cover those with diabetes. Insurers who do cover diabetes have to increase your health insurance fees in order to cover the diabetics who are covered by your health plan. There are things the government could do to help offset this high cost, but instead of acting it simply sits still.

I am not quite 30 years old. I became afflicted with Type 1 "juvenile" diabetes at one year of age. Having suffered from none of the maladies associated with diabetes, I feel that I have been incredibly blessed by God, however, not everyone has been so fortunate.

In April of 2000 I told a House Appropriations Subcommittee about two teenage girls who suffered from this disease. Their mothers told me of diabetic ketoacidosis, vomiting and the inability to hold down food, a lack of energy and other unpleasant things they suffered as a result of diabetes. They were unable to live normal, happy, healthy lives because of diabetes.

The lives of these two youngsters will never be the same because of diabetes.

American Diabetes Month will officially end tomorrow, but the fight for a cure must move forward. Please join me and my fellow Blogcritics in fighting for a cure by becoming a Diabetes Advocate.

If you will not do it for me, please do it for Audrey Haber of Tampa, Fla. and Cambria Lee Hollingsworth of Crown Point, Indiana, the two youngsters I spoke of in my testimony, and do it for all the other diabetics across America and throughout the world so that they may regain the hope and the optimism of their lives that is now at risk of being lost.

Thank you.

-John Mudd