Last week on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, I took part in a trial for finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes at The Faustman Lab at Mass General Hospital. I was contacted by a friend of one of my best friends via e-mail looking for someone to be a control in this study for diabetes for a nine year old boy named Jerry. Jerry was traveling to Boston with his mother Cristina, and not having any friends or family from this area, they reached out to people in their state who had ties to the Boston area. I immediately responded that I could make myself available to take part and help out, as Diabetes is something that affects my family with my husband being diagnosed in 2008. It was so nice to meet Jerry and his mom and to learn his story of his diagnosis at the age of two. As with any family, when there is a diagnosis of any disease, we do our research to educate on how we can try to conquer it. Cristina did just that, and after years of being told there is no cure, she stumbled across Dr. Faustman's trial and decided to take part with Jerry in hopes of one day having a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Jerry has been doing a great job learning to manage his Diabetes with in eating right, getting his daily insulin shots whenever required, and staying active as any little kid should. Jerry is now back in Washington and getting ready to start school on September 1. Although we live miles apart, his family and I will stay in touch and we will also continue to support this study as we hope that it will make a difference in Jerry's and Rob's lives and countless others who are Type 1 Diabetic. Meeting Dr. Faustman was such an honor and bonus to participating in this trial. She was so fun to talk to and hear her story on doing this research. I loved to hear how people come from all over the world to participate in this trial, and she and her lab have actually gotten a geography lesson on several occassions with people coming from areas they have never heard of. I applaud her for having such enthusiasm and for taking the time to meet with us and especially to meet with Jerry and giving him and his family for a cure someday!
Phase I tested has been completed and it has been FDA approved that the vaccination being used is safe for individuals with Type 1 Diabetes. Phase II will begin once funding has been raised.
For more information on this trial and how you can donate to help Phase II get underway, please visit the website at: http://www.faustmanlab.org/. If you or anyone you know has Type 1 Diabetes, I encourage you to become a part of this trial. For more information on Type 1 Diabetes, please visit http://www.diabetes.org/.
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