Shannon Lewis, whose little boy Brendon was diagnosed with diabetes while still a toddler, blogs Mom Wants A Diabetes Cure ... pure and simple. In a recent post, she shared the moment of realization of what she needed to do to be the mother Brendon needed her to be.

Shannon did all the rights things that mothers do when they are pregnant and avoided all the things mothers are supposed to avoid when they share the same heartbeat with another human being, sustaining their life until they enter the world and can sustain life on their own.

When your baby is born, you listen for the cry. Then you check the fingers and toes. Then you wait while the doctor and nurses run your newborn through a quick series of tests. Brendon was born with all his fingers and toes, and he aced the APGAR. Brendon was home-free to the beginning of a healthy life. Shannon's efforts during her pregnancy to be healthy for both herself and her baby had served them well.

Two and a half years later, Brendon lay on a gurney in the ER, limp, seemingly lifeless, with shallow breath and sallow skin. What had gone wrong to such a perfect beginning for Brendon? He was diagnosed with diabetes and Shannon's idealistic concept of motherhood and her child's health became forever altered. She writes poignantly about the threshold from one reality to the next and touches your heart in the passage. It's a must-read post for all mothers.

Diabetes Mine's Amy Tenderich is blogging the American Diabetes Association's 66th Annual Scientific Sessions. While Richard Kahn, Chief Scientific & Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association is blogging the same convention, Tenderich promises to give her readers the uncensored and totally unofficial scoop. I believe she will more than deliver on her promise.

I am certain everyone in the online diabetes community is well aware that Tenderich blogs the Diabetes Mine, but if you are new to diabetes and reading this, her blog is a must visit. Amy -- diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes three years ago -- is all-things-real with the intelligence and sharp commentary to back it up. A most excellent blogger and blog.

Richard Kahn, Chief Scientific & Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association, is blogging the American Diabetes Association's 66th Annual Scientific Sessions. From June 9 - 13, the annual convention brings together leading scientists and health professionals to present the latest study findings and to discuss the current and future progress in the field of diabetes prevention and care.

So far, some of Kahn's posts have covered such topics as: insulin and longevity; endocannabinoids, oral insulin, the new A1C test, who is responsible for optimal diabetes care; the worm study; and you are what your mother ate during her pregnancy. The posting is written in a light and easy manner, not requiring the average person to being a textbook of medical definitions to make sense out of what is being said. I assume Kahn will continue blogging through June 13. You can read Richard's D.C. Diary here.

In an earlier post, we shared study findings linking diabetes to depression. As a result of this, the Washington University School of Medicine, in St Louis researchers recommended that diabetics would benefit from taking antidepressants in order to control depression.

In another post, we shared study results that University of Alberta researchers were able to establish that Type 2 diabetes patients tended to have a history of depression extending back before they were diagnosed with diabetes.

Most recently, during the American Diabetes Association annual meeting, study results were presented that suggest antidepressants actually appear to increase progression to diabetes in people who are already at risk for the disease. Not exactly in line with the previous two studies, is it. Keeping up with research can be exhausting at times. Stay with me. The ending of this post is priceless.

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researchers collected information on 3,000 people who took part in the Diabetes Prevention Program. According to the researchers, those who took antidepressants regularly were two to three times more likely to develop diabetes. No increased risk was reported for those not taking antidepressants. However, the study participants who took the glucose-lowering drug metformin with antidepressants also had not increased risk of developing diabetes.

I am going to end this with a direct quote from study co-leader Richard Rubin, "We don't have a clue what's going on."

USA TODAY ran a feature story that covered an American Diabetes Association, ADA, briefing over the weekend in which Robert Rizza, president of the ADA, stated that 7.2 million diabetic disabilities and deaths could be avoided by a simple daily pill that combined low-dose aspirin with drugs that lower cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. A polypill is what Rizza called it.

Rizza went on to say that this treatment would cost approximately $100 dollars a year per person. According to the ADA, 21 million Americans have diabetes with an additional 41 million Americans at risk of developing diabetes. When I read this, it struck me that this is either a groundbreaking statement that has profoundly promising implications in the future treatment for diabetes -- or this is common knowledge in the diabetes community and then -- why is no one acting on this knowledge and developing the pill Rizza is referring to? Then again, is creating a mega-pill combining so many different medications in one pill -- prudent?

I am going with groundbreaking news, as the information shared in this weekend briefing was based on a mathematical model produced by Archimedes that predicts various outcomes based on variables in treatments. Now that they have this information, what will they do with it?

Kerri Morrone, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was six years old, blogs the typical life issues of a bright and full of light twentysomething woman at Six Until Me. The blog tagline reads diabetes doesn't define me but it helps explain me. And the blog is true to the tagline in posts that are filled with a daily life where diabetes is never far away.

Bloggers begin blogging for a number of reasons. Morrone began blogging as a means of creating an online community for herself with other diabetics. As she tells it, one spring afternoon, she goggled diabetes looking for the personal voices in the world speaking out, reaching out, and connecting to others who understood on an intimate level what it means to be diabetic. She found them blogging. Morrone has a delightfully engaging way with words and is a natural-born storyteller. The better blog seems to invite you in with a comforting welcome that makes it easy to stay awhile and come back often. Six Until Me is a better blog.

The Weblogs, Inc. network features over 100 independent, unfiltered bloggers producing over 1,000 blog posts a week across over 75 industry-leading blogs. Each week we ask our bloggers to choose their top posts, which we bring to you in one easy-to-read weekly post. You’ll find links to the hottest posts from the past week after the jump including a Macromedia MAX ticket for next to nothing, the Charles Bronson farm and the Nintendo Revolution controller. Plus, when your done with the full listing after the jump check out the Open Source Weblog for a special live blogging event today (September 17) only.

 The Weblogs, Inc. network features over 100 independent, unfiltered bloggers producing over 1,000 blog posts a week across over 75 industry-leading blogs. Each week we ask our bloggers to choose their top posts, which we bring to you in one easy-to-read weekly post. You’ll find links to the hottest posts from the past week after the jump including coverage of the most overrated shows of all time, DVD disagreements, and even a Picasso. Enjoy the full listing after the jump.