Ah, the pancreas. That organ behind the stomach that’s always been the target of angst and anger for us PWDs (people with diabetes). We bemoan why it went on permanent vacation and daydream about kick-starting it…
But all of our complaining might be for naught. Turns out there might be an even bigger, badder enemy of healthy blood sugars: the thymus!
… the who??
Let me tell you a little about this other gland:
The…
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Participating in a marathon is a pretty amazing feat for anyone, but five people taking part in the 26.2-mile Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 7 share something that makes this amazing feat extra special: all of them were formerly dependent on insulin, but have had an islet cell transplant and are now living their lives diabetes-free!
Islet cell transplantation is what connects the five together as members of the athletic team Cellmates On The…
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Lots of organizations are working on new ways to accomplish islet cell transplantation in which the immune system does not kill off the transplanted cells. If they could do that, we’d likely have a cure for diabetes. But it ain’t easy, especially because we’re talking about transplanting into people whose immune systems are in mega-attack mode to begin with (type 1 diabetics).
The Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) in Florida is currently working on this challenge…
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Although I was diagnosed at age 8, I spent most of my childhood pretty much oblivious to diabetes advocacy. My family raised money for the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes, but that was it. Only in high school did I become more aware of the devastating impact that diabetes has on people. I applied to be a JDRF Children’s Congress delegate at age 15, and in June 2001, my mother and I traveled to Washington,…
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This weekend, I was honored to be a part of a group of bloggers heading to Washington, DC, to be part of JDRF’s Government Day — actually a four-day event that is “part training session, part research update, part networking opportunity, and part celebration of our JDRF’s Advocacy Program.”
I was there along with active online advocates Mike Hoskins, Scott Johnson, Kelly Kunik, Kelly Rawlings, Cherise Shockley, Scott Strange, Kerri Sparling, and Kim from Texting…
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