The Whitingham Free Public Library and Halifax Community Club are sponsoring a presentation by Gretchen Becker of Halifax, author of the best-selling book "The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes." Her talk, “Taking Charge of Your Type 2 Diabetes” will take place at the Library at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 21.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. In contrast, Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, meaning that even if a person produces insulin, the body is resistant to its actions. Type 2 diabetics should be under the care of an endocrinologist or other qualified health care provider. However, because a person’s diet and exercise significantly effect blood sugar levels, Type 2 diabetes must be controlled, in a large part, by the patient.

In order to make wise decisions about diabetes, the patient needs knowledge. Becker wrote her book to share some of the science of diabetes in terms that a non-scientist can understand and to offer some psychological support to newly diagnosed patients. Becker, who has had type 2 diabetes for about 20 years, will share her experiences about what has and has not worked for her and answer questions One need not have type 2 diabetes to glean useful information from Becker’s book and presentation.

The Library, located at 2948 VT Route 100 in Jacksonville, is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible bathroom. The presentation is free and open to the public. If the presentation is canceled due to weather, there will be an outgoing message on the Library’s answering machine (802-368-7506). For more information, contact Linda Lyon at LindaALyon@gmail.com or 802-368-2211.