More than 20 million Americans have diabetes; more than 220 thousand people died from the disease in 2002. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in whcih the body stops producing insulin. With the more common type 2, the body doesn't produce enough insulin, or the cells ignore it. Either way, the diagnosis imposes a regimen of rigid monitoring, restricted diet, and a change of behavior hard enough for any adult. High school intern Eilis O'Neill spoke to a teenager who recently learned that she has type 1 diabetes.

More than 20 million Americans have diabetes; more than 220 thousand people died from the disease in 2002. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in whcih the body stops producing insulin. With the more common type 2, the body doesn't produce enough insulin, or the cells ignore it. Either way, the diagnosis imposes a regimen of rigid monitoring, restricted diet, and a change of behavior hard enough for any adult. High school intern Eilis O'Neill spoke to a teenager who recently learned that she has type 1 diabetes.