PEOPLE Book paints picture of challenges of diabetes Diabetic puts lifelong battle into words BY AMANDA PERSICO For some the battle against diabetes starts in childhood For Newmarkets Steve Beriault 58 part of that lifelong battle is the focus of his first book Tales in the Insulin Vial Mr Beriault was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was two years old and has been insulindependant ever since This is a book for people who dont have to live with diabetes Mr Beriault said The book paints a picture of all things involved The book ties together Mr Beriault s strug gle against diabetes from childhood and his successes against it For more information contact Steve The book starts with a diabetics first chal lenge learning to take the needle and how to deal with diabetic reactions in public Although insulindependant the fear of going into a hypoglycemic reaction at any time didnt put a hamper on Mr Beriaults dream of cycling across Canada and kayak ing along the old furtrade route in Western Canada Diabetes becomes part of your existence the father of two said We all have burdens in our lives The mark of being who you are depends on how you handle the buitiens Its a story of a warrior who went through it all and came out OK It took almost 18 months for Mr Beriault to write the book after a failed pancreatic transplant surgery which could have put an end to his diabetic condition Theres no way I wanted to pack it in said Mr Beriault who went blind in his left eye at 32 had one of his legs amputated and had a kidney transplant at 50 He lost is other leg two years later I ran the tough course I watched my body be cut off in chunks But Im not done helping to find a cure or make people aware of this quality of life disease Mr Beriault now has two steel prosthetic legs STAFF PHOTOSUSIE KOCKERSCHEIOT Steve chronicles his experience with diabetes in Tales in the Insulin Vial In five years he raised more than 100000 in pledges for his participation in the annual Steel Legs Walk in support of juvenile diabe tes research Although laced with his inspirational accomplishments the book focuses on the importance of controlling the disease in the early years and the cure for diabetes lives beyond insulin Mr Beriault mill talk about his book at the Newmarket Public Library 6 at 7 Just Married