Learning To Make a Difference

At DMTC, we want to change forever the way people with diabetes and those who serve them think about and care for this disease. It's a huge challenge and we need all the help we can get. We believe that every health care provider and administrator, every community leader and public servant, every patient and family member can make a difference. Each has their scope of influence. None can do it alone, but together we can change the world for those affected by diabetes. The following story expresses the spirit that informs our efforts and is the source of DMTC's corporate logo and slogan.

There once was a little girl who lived near a stretch of smooth, white beach. Each morning she went there to play because she loved everything about the place: the sights and smells and sounds, the plants, and all the creatures that swam and crawled and creeped. One morning when she arrived, she noticed that the beach was littered with thousands of starfish. Washed up by the tide, their colorful bodies covered the beach as far as the eye could see. She could see that they were rapidly drying out in the sun and headed off down the sand, throwing the fish back into the water where they belonged.

After a while, the girl met a tired old man coming the other way. He watched for a few minutes as she continued with her task. When she approached, he asked her "What are you doing, little girl?"

"Why, I'm saving starfish, mister," she replied.

The man rolled his eyes and considered how to set the girl straight.

"You're wasting your time, child," he advised. "Look up and down the beach. There are thousands of fish out there. It's already too late for a lot of them. You can't possibly save them all. Give up and go home. You can't make a difference."

The girl paused for a minute and thought about what the man had said. Then she bent down, picked up a starfish and threw it into the ocean with all her might before turning to look the man in the eye.

"I made a difference to that one," she said.