Because he has type 1, not type 2, treats don't have to be sugar-free. "Sugar-free has as many carbs. We'd rather have natural sugars than sweeteners."

Murray believes the future holds dramatic change for people with diabetes. After all, in 1980, monitoring glucose levels hinged on testing urine, which was very inexact. Then meters came along and got smaller and cheaper so by about the mid-'90s, most everyone could afford them. And complications rates have gone down as control rates have gone up.

"With improved control, people are living long, healthy lives now," Murray said. Lifespan and quality of life are both improving. And though it requires more effort attending to glucose and diet, that's not a bad trade-off for a longer, healthier life.

There are new things coming, including other hormones made by the pancreas that may help control blood glucose levels, newer methods of monitoring them and different kinds of sensors. The hope is for a future closed-loop system where the sensor watches the glucose constantly, telling the pump what to give in the way of insulin. That would mean individuals would not have to pay so much attention to it. And it would reduce the number of needle pokes.

Joshua wants to be a pilot. And while his parents know that the career goals you set at 6 may not stick, it gives them pause. Can he be a pilot with type 1 diabetes? They can't predict what might be possible in the future.

The day he told them he doesn't want to be a diabetic anymore, they got involved with the JDRF. Each year they form a team for the Walk for a Cure. It's held on different days throughout the state, the schedule is online at jdrf.org/utah. The Blacks are walking Aug. 23.

"I can't do the research. I can't find the cure," Carrie Black says. "But I can support the agencies that are going for a cure."

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com