T1D Tuesday: Insulin Transplantation

Every November I retire my Monday Random Round Up, and instead trot out T1D Tuesday for Type One Diabetes Awareness Month. 

You can learn about Juvenile Diabetes right here, and even make a donation to further research here. 

When you hear the word 'transplant', what do you think of? Heart? Liver? Plants, even? For most of us, something as abstract as insulin doesn't come to mind as a transplant option. What even IS it, exactly?

And if that raises more questions than it answers:

And who's smart enough to figure out how to transplant a hormone? Harvard, of course. We know that T1D is caused by the body attacking the beta cells in the pancreas. Well, a pack of brilliant Harvard minds has figured out how to produce those beta cells, making them theoretically available for manufacturing and transplantation.

What does that mean for T1D patients? NO. MORE. SHOTS.

A normal life, free from injections, with a body that can regulate it's own blood sugar. In a word: Amazing. In fact, a University College of London Professor of Regenerative Medicine, Chris Mason, is quoted as saying "If this scalable technology is proven to work in both the clinic and in the manufacturing facility the impact on the treatment of diabetes will be a medical game-changer on par with antibiotics and bacterial infections."

...Whoa.

I highly encourage you to read the whole article on this research - It's pretty short and even in layman's terms so all us non-Harvard grads can understand. The implications are mind-blowing for the future of those with T1D. A cure is real and within reach. Let's spread the word and increase funding for amazing research like this!

T1D Tuesday: Get'cho Facts Straight

Every November I retire my Monday Random Round Up, and instead trot out T1D Tuesday for Type One Diabetes Awareness Month. 

You can learn about Juvenile Diabetes right here, and even make a donation to further research here. 

Let's address something right off the bat this month: Type One Diabetes is not caused by what you eat or how much you exercise. Kids don't get it because they're parents are lazy, and adults don't get it because they're eating fast food.

Type One is a tricky business, and the pervasive belief that those diagnosed brought it on themselves somehow is a frustrating reality. It simply isn't true, and it hinders funding for research as people don't want to open their wallets for a 'self inflicted' disease. ARGH!!

So yes, this post is short and sweet. That makes it easy to pass on. We'll get into some mind-blowing developments in the march toward a cure next week, but for now, spread this word. This one, right here: Type One Diabetes is not a disease for the unhealthy, fat, lazy, uneducated, or sugar-addicted. It can hit anyone at any time. YOU, even. The faster we support finding a cure, the better it is for us all.