The Duluth News Tribune is running a story about a support group for parents of Type 1 diabetic kids. The group has been going for seven years now and it usually involves the moms meeting at a restaurant once a month to chat, while the kids stay at home with dad. The parents say that while doctors are an essential part of the support equation, only other parents of diabetic children really know the practical ins and outs of caring for those kids.

Says member Shonda Peller, "I need them...They will be there for you 24/7." Peller adds, as an example of how tight knit the group has become, that when her diabetic daughter got her tonsils removed and her glucose levels went up, another mom came over with special shakes and other foods suitable for a diabetic kid with a very tender throat. At other times, all you need is the sympathetic ear of others who know what special responsibilities you bear. Says another mother Linda Klint, "Sometimes it's nice just to know you're not the only one in the world who has to get up at 3 a.m (to test)." It's awesome when people get together for mutual encouragement and friendship, isn't it?