Includes bibliographical references (pages 153-170) and index.

Foreword by Francis Desjarlais; Map; Introduction; Chapter 1: Early Alarm; Chapter 2: The First Patients of a New Disease; Chapter 3: Emerging Responses; Chapter 4: Island Lake; Chapter 5: Early Research, Innovations, and Strategies for Care; Chapter 6: Investigation and Hypotheses; Chapter 7: After the Deluge; Chapter 8: Revisiting Roots; Chapter 9: Food; Chapter 10: Poverty and Disease; Chapter 11: Partnerships and Participation; Chapter 12: Hopes and Dreams; Epilogue: Island Lake Encore.

In the late 1980s, pediatric endocrinologists at the Children's Hospital in Winnipeg began to notice a new cohort appearing in their clinics for young people with diabetes. Through dozens of interviews, Krotz shows the impact of the disease on the lives of individuals and families, especially in communities far removed from the medical personnel and facilities available in the city.