On Becoming a Diabetes Warrior

Diabetes education + fun probably sounds like an oxymoron, right? Well, not if you’re Wil Dubois, DiabetesMine’s resident weekly Ask D’Mine columnist. As if the guy doesn’t have enough to do, what with working as the Diabetes Coordinator at the buzzing Pecos Valley Medical Center in New Mexico and a freelance writer for Diabetic Living, dLife and the ‘Mine, Wil has recently released his edu-fun-tastic fourth book, Diabetes Warriors: Be your own knight in shining armor, the sequel to 2009′s Taming the Tiger.

Like Taming the Tiger, Diabetes Warrior is a pocket-sized book that packs a punch with all the diabetes info that someone newly diagnosed could possibly need. It’s mostly geared toward type 2, though people with type 1 will find it useful too. While Taming the Tiger was geared for those fresh out of the hospital, Diabetes Warrior takes on some additional must-need information in battling the “Diabetes Dragon.” That is, like in the Tiger edition, this entire book is written in metaphor, only this time, diabetes has transformed from a pouncing tiger to a fire-breathing dragon, and the reader — you — are the medieval knight who’s after it.

“Like medieval knights, we modern diabetes warriors need a good suit of armor to protect us in battle,” writes Wil. “And just as a suit of armor has many pieces of metal that make up a protective whole, we diabetes warriors have a complex, interlocking set of medications, actions and behaviors that make up a suit of armor that protect us from diabetes.”

Like most long-running metaphors, it isn’t a perfect comparison, but Wil does an excellent job of breaking down some complex topics, like statins and ACE inhibitors. Each chapter averages just about 3-4 pages, though a bit more space is devoted to the chapter on diet and nutrition. Although the book is 165 pages, you can easily read it in an hour. It also makes a great reference book with its “Ask the King…” recommendations for your next doctor’s appointment, like making sure to ask about taking a daily aspirin and getting your annual dilated eye exam (hey, we said the book is fun…).

With a healthy dose of irreverent humor, Wil’s brand of “entertaining education” will undoubtedly continue to help patients struggling with the task of managing their diabetes.  We give this book the royal seal of approval — or at least that of the ‘Mine.

And it looks as if our busy maestro is already at work on another book, this time aimed at those who love PWDs, titled So You Love A Diabetic. No formal release date is available yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as Wil lets the news leak.

Meanwhile, you too can become a Diabetes Warrior! The book is available for purchase online at Amazon for $11.99, and also in Kindle format for $2.99.

The DMBooks Giveaway

We love sharing our book finds with our readers, so once again we’re giving you the chance to win a free copy of our latest-reviewed book. In fact, we’re giving away a copy of Diabetes Warrior: Be your own knight in shining armor, plus the prequel, Taming the Tiger! So it’s a Wil Dubois two-for-one!

Entering for your chance to win is as easy as leaving a comment.

Here’s what to do:

1. Post your comment below and include the codeword “DMBooks” somewhere in the comment (beginning, end, in parenthesis, in bold, whatever). That will let us know that you would like to be entered in the giveaway. You can still leave a comment without entering, but if you want to be considered to win the book, please remember to include “DMBooks.”

2. This week, you have until Friday, Sept. 23, at noon PST to enter. A valid email address is required to win.

3. The winner will be chosen using Random.org.

4. The winner will be announced on Facebook and Twitter on Monday, Sept. 26, so make sure you’re following us! We like to feature our winners in upcoming blog posts, too.

The contest is open to anyone, anywhere. Good luck!