But between his sophomore and junior years, the Warrenton High School student received surprising news. He had been diagnosed with diabetes, certainly a disease that would alter his lifestyle. However, five years later, he learned it's manageable. "It's more overwhelming than anything," Daniel Green stressed. The Greene family hosted the Ride to Cure Diabetes, a benefit fun horse show for the fifth consecutive year. Combined with the Walk for Diabetes, the two events held Saturday at the Warren County Fairgrounds raised around $1,500, said event organizers Milissa Greene and Alouise Marschel. The Wal-Mart Foundation aided the cause by donating $350. "We're $1,000 closer to a cure," Milissa Greene said. As Americans feast on the convenience of fast food and cut out exercising from their daily grind, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is finding more and more people are at risk at becoming diabetic. Polly Klasek, associate manager of the ADA office in St. Louis, said the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has increased by 3 million in the past year, reaching a staggering 24 million overall. Three people every minute are diagnosed with diabetes, Klasek added. "It's growing faster than cancer, AIDS or heart disease," she explained. "You never get a break." That is why Randy and Milissa Greene have been instrumental in supporting the cause. Diabetes has been part of their everyday life raising three children, including two affected by the disease. Eleven years ago, Emily Greene, 8 at the time, was the first in the family to unexpectedly be diagnosed with the disease. Six years later, son Daniel also was found to be a Type 1 diabetic. Each day, the two siblings check their blood sugar four to five times. Each day insulin shots are part of their schedule to help monitor their blood sugar level. "You learn to adapt pretty quick," Daniel said. "It's more of the thought process you have to put in every time you eat. You have to count carbs. You have to worry about how your blood sugar is going to affect your day." Despite a couple of scares, the family hasn't let the disease slow them down. In fact, it's been the other way around. "You learn how to deal with it," Milissa Greene said. "We don't let diabetes control us. We control diabetes."

Diabetics Learn to Adapt

Diabetics Learn to Adapt