Dr. Eden Miller, an expert in diabetes management and a certified family diabetologist. Miller, who with her husband, Dr. Kevin Miller, had a practice in Sisters, is now in Bend at the Diabetes and Obesity Care clinic.

Nearly 40 years ago, when Sisters resident and chef Nancy Schupp was in her 40s, she was diagnosed with Type II diabetes.

“Back then not many people knew much about the disease or how to treat it,” said Shupp, now 78. “Not many doctors were aware of its causes and treatments.” There were only a few drugs and the insulin available was much more broadly based, rather than pinpointed at the specific disease.

She was hospitalized early on and taught to give herself insulin injections.

“The first time, it took be three tries to stick the needle in,” she said. She also was without health insurance and needed to purchase insulin test strips, which cost $1 a piece back then.

What resulted was a lifetime of education for Schupp, a retire caterer and dental lab worker, about the disease and how to treat it.

It has been a long and arduous road for Schupp, who has suffered some of the most difficult symptoms of diabetes…and the resultant financial pain.

She’s recently self-published a book on her experiences, aimed at helping others, especially children, eat healthier foods. It includes a wealth of easy-to-understand information about the disease and easy recipes that one can follow to avoid the processed foods so many fall into a trap with.

Enter Dr. Eden Miller, an expert in diabetes management and a certified family diabetologist. Miller, who with her husband, Dr. Kevin Miller, had a practice in Sisters (and now in Bend at the Diabetes and Obesity Care clinic) met Schupp about 10 years ago.

“When I met Nancy, she’d probably had diabetes for about five years prior and 50% of her pancreas was gone,” Miller said. The disease was starting to show up in other organs. But what Miller did for Schupp is give her hope that she could rein in the disease’s effects.

“Diabetes is absolutely preventable,” Miller said. “I can put it in remission, I can’t cure it. But you can stay in remission your whole life. The body has a very good way of forgiving. There’s always a prescription for a healthier lifestyle. You don’t have to become a marathon runner or vegetarian. It’s awareness, it’s trying to create a better lifestyle, which is obtainable for all persons. The way to be successful is to never get diabetes.

“I like to say we are not consulting the user manual with our body when dealing with diabetes,” Miller said.

When the two met, Schupp started giving Miller some of her cooking samples and she was encouraged to write a cook book for diabetes patients. Schupp learned to cook at an early age and fell in love with it, often dreaming up family meals well ahead of time. She cooked at the Yum Yum Tree in Redmond and often catered meals, too.

The 218-page book contains details about diabetes and testimonials from acquaintances and medical people she’s consulted with.

“It is a very practical, real-world cook book for people on fixed incomes not used to being in the kitchen,” Miller said. “It is balanced with health and heart.

The book, which is self-published and simply called “Diabetes,” is more of a guide for people to start them down the path of healthier eating.

It is aimed at people on fixed incomes or tight budgets. There’s a wealth of small-serving recipes for one or two people. It includes suggestions for salads, spices, vegetables, meats, fish, and even a section for hunters. Sprinkled throughout are testimonials from people who have used the book and have advice for diabetics.

What’s important to Schupp is it helps get the user back in the kitchen rather than opting for a fast-food alternative. And it focuses on preventive food options for children.

“You don’t have to stop eating the food you like, just prepare it better and watch what you eat,” Schupp said.

Schupp credits Miller, Dr. Sarah Dawson of St. Charles Healthcare, Amy Chadwick, a registered nurse specializing in heart conditions at St. Charles and Shannon Pollard, a Meals on Wheels volunteer, who all played a part in encouraging her to write her book.

The book is available through Schupp and at the clinic. There is also a gofundme page under the search for Diabetes and Our Children.

• Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.
• More than 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 1 in 5 of them don’t know they have it.
• 96 million US adults — over a third — have prediabetes, and more than 8 in 10 of them don’t know they have it.
• Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States (and may be underreported).
• Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes; type 1 diabetes accounts for approximately 5-10%.
• In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese.

Food for thought from Dr. Eden Miller:

• First thing be aware diabetes is a very pervasive disease, we have hope that we don’t have it, but if in doubt, check it out.
• There are screening factors, but don’t be blind to that, look at family history, talk to you doctor.
• Encourage individual advocacy, small changes in glucose. Don’t delay intervention. It does not have to be as massive as people think it is. Shoot for a 5-8% body weight reduction and 120 minutes of physical activity a week.
• Plan for 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a week. It’s all about awareness. The way to be successful is to never get diabetes.