If you've jumped onto the American Idol bandwagon (or in my case, on it, off it, then on again), you know that it's a show full of surprises. So, since I started blogging here, I was surprised to learn that two AI'ers deal with Type 1 diabetes: "regular guy" yet talented Elliott Yamin, 27, of Virginia and the slight-framed, sort of Harry Potter-ish Kevin Covais, 16, of Pennsylvania. Though the two singing hopefuls couldn't be more different, they agree their biggest shared obstacle has been learning to manage diabetes. We don't know much about how Kevin deals with it but the insulin pump-wearing Elliott is more vocal. He says it's a personal goal to educate people about music and diabetes. As a musician myself, I'd personally like to know how diabetes impacts their hectic rehearsal and performance schedules, or how they deal with nerves or stress before they sing. Since they both made the Top-12 cut, maybe continued press coverage will highlight this aspect of their lives. It would be great to see them emerge as teen advocates. While Simon told Covais that "he was guaranteed the grandma vote," chances for success seem more likely for Yamin, who Simon says could be the best male vocalist the competition has ever seen. I wish them both luck. They've already got practice rising to a pretty major challenge. What's one more? (Pictured top: Elliott Yamin; Shown below: Kevin Covais)