DREW'S CREW

Great Day for Baseball!

2010-10-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day to watch Drew be a kid ...

2010-07-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

There are very few books about diabetes that are written by kids for kids. Getting a Grip on Diabetes is one. Now young adults, Spike and Bo Loy were diagnosed as young kids with type 1 diabetes. This book contains their guidance about living successfully with diabetes and covers a wide range of topics, from school to athletics, to travel, to parties.

Getting a Grip on Diabetes does offer diabetes from the perspective of teenagers. Comments from Janet Silverstein, MD, follow each section, providing medical guidance in addition to the thoughts of Spike and Bo. The successes of these two young men are proof that having diabetes need not interfere with living life to its fullest.

A1C goes up to 8.0!

2010-07-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

Not a great trip to the doctor on Tuesday. Drew's A1C went from a 6.7 to a 8.0. We are adjusting his basal initially and will then make other corrections.

This just goes to show that Diabetes is a day to day battle. A growth spurt and being sick probably contributed to the high A1C.

There is no perfect way to manage your diabetes. We just utilize all the tools available to us and make adjustments when we need to ... 3 more months to the next A1C.

THE CURE:

2010-07-03T16:16:00.001-07:00

THIS IS THE FUTURE OF THE CURE:

Researchers Use "Nanoparticle" Vaccine to Cure Diabetes in Mice

Key Point: Researchers were able to cure type 1 diabetes in mice using an antigen-specific nanoparticle "vaccine." This approach holds great potential to reverse the immune attack that causes diabetes without generally suppressing the immune system.

Using an innovative "nanotechnology-based" vaccine, researchers successfully cured and prevented type 1 diabetes in mice.

Co-funded by JDRF and published in the journal Immunity, the study is important for three reasons:

It provides important new insights into how to stop the immune attack that causes diabetes.
It shows the potential of "antigen-specific" therapies, which target very specific autoimmune responses without compromising the overall immune system.
And it suggests that antigen-specific nanovaccines might be useful in treating other autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. That could make the science more attractive to drug-development companies.

Researchers from the University of Calgary, led by Dr. Pere Santamaria, were looking to stop the immune response that causes diabetes. But they sought to do so without damaging the immune cells that control and regulate the immune system, protecting the body against infections. So the scientists focused on developing a highly targeted antigen-specific immunotherapy-one that could, as they put it, address the "internal tug-of-war between aggressive T cells that want to cause the disease and weaker T cells that want to stop it from occurring."

The researchers used a vaccine made of nanoparticles thousands of times smaller than a cell, coated with proteins that are involved in immune cell communication. The nanoparticle treatment expanded the numbers of regulatory T cells that suppressed the aggressive immune attack in type 1 diabetes.

The expanded cells shut down the attack by preventing what are called "autoreactive" immune cells from being stimulated. With the immune response blocked, mice with type 1 diabetes regained normal blood sugars. And those that would have contracted the disease did not.

Although the research was in mice, it could be a promising new therapy for people. That's because nanoparticles that were coated with molecules specific to human type 1 diabetes were able to restore normal blood sugar levels in a humanized mouse model of diabetes (in other words, a mouse that has been genetically altered to biologically simulate type 1 diabetes in people).

"The potential that nanoparticle vaccine therapy holds in reversing the immune attack without generally suppressing the immune system is significant," said Dr. Teodora Staeva, JDRF's Director of Immune Therapies.

The nanoparticle vaccine technology developed by Dr. Santamaria and used in the study has already been licensed to a company, Parvus Therapeutics, Inc. Parvus, which was spun out from University Technology International LP, the University of Calgary's technology transfer and commercialization center, is focused on developing and commercializing the treatment for people with diabetes.

Another Win!

2010-06-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

Champs!

2010-06-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Longview, TX Tournament

Infusion Site Rotation

2010-02-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

Drew's numbers have been a little difficult to manage the past month or so. His A1C went up from a 6.4 to a 7.0. We finally talked Drew into letting us move the infusion site from his hip to his abdomen. After 2 days, his highest reading has been 137!

Since he is so lean, he hasn't been keen on using his stomach and I think scar tissue has built up on his hips to the point it has affected his insulin absorption. Hopefully, the new new site area will continue to yield positive results!

Tyler Longhorns Win Super Series!

2009-11-11T08:14:00.001-08:00

The Tyler Longhorn's, captured the championship in the 2009 Super Series Tournament! It was a great weekend and Drew's first time playing at that level. Drew is excited about the future of his new team!

A's Finish 2nd!

2009-11-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

The mighty A's finished 2nd out of 12 teams in Fall Ball 2009! They made a valiant comeback in the championship game, falling short by 2 runs to the Pirates. Drew was a big contributor to the team effort, batting in the 3 spot and finishing the year batting .525. Diabetes is NOT slowing him down!

More Soccer

2009-08-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Drew's team finished 2nd in a tournament this weekend. The heat kept us on our toes with his blood sugar, but he played well and had a great time. Now it's time for Fall baseball!

Drew is Home!

2009-08-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

Drew is back from Camp Sweeney. He had a small relapse, but managed to play a soccer srimmage today in this horrible heat!

BACK AT SWEENEY LAND!!!!

2009-08-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

After several days on Tamiflu and NO fever, Drew has made a reappearance at Camp Sweeney!

Swine Flu

2009-08-02T18:55:00.001-07:00

I'm not so sure how 90 out of the 270 or so campers contracted the flu ... but Drew is not "symptom free" and could not return when Camp Sweeney opened back up today. I guess he can always look forward to next year ...

Brown Cabin

2009-07-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

If Drew is symptom free by Sunday, he can return when they reopen the camp. We will keep our fingers crossed!

CAMP SWEENEY!!

2009-07-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

Drew finally got to go to Camp Sweeney. Unfortunately, the camp was shut down for 3 days due to influenza outbreak. We got the word as we sat down on a flight to San Diego. Drew is one of the 90 campers that contracted the flu and is home resting with us ...

Back In Cancun!

2009-06-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

A1C at 6.3!!!!

2009-04-18T14:04:00.001-07:00

After 3 months on the pump, Drew's A1C dropped from a 7.1 to a 6.3! Amazing!

PUMP IT UP!

2009-03-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

Drew has made the leap to the pump. We decided based on our research that this was the best way to keep blood sugar levels down. We've already noticed a big difference.

The downside for us is checking him twice during the night. We have to do this to insure his basal rates are properly set up and he isn't too high or low.

Drew loves the pump. He has more control over his diabetes.

Spinning for Diabetes

2009-01-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all that donated to my 12 hour cycling event that will benefit JDRF!!! I raised over $3,000! The event raised $120,000!!! I can't wait until next year!!!

Strength

2008-11-07T06:33:00.000-08:00

It's amazing to me to watch Drew and how he has adapted to life with diabetes. Many busy nights we are trying to get everyone fed prior to heading off to various practices ... We'll fix all the kids a plate and say a quick prayer.

While the other kids dig in (no we don't make them wait), Drew will check his blood sugar, we'll set his syringe up with the proper insulin dose (based on the carbs and his blood sugar). Many times Drew is the middle of a story with his brothers and sister when I walk over to give him his shot.

Without missing a beat, he'll tap where he would like his shot (arm or thigh; he's too skinny for his stomach) and continue talking. Sometimes when I give him his shot he may make a quick wince, but he continues laughing and talking ... being an 8 year old.

This is an occurrence 4 times a day. NOT ONCE has he complained to us. When I feel a bit of emotion coming on, I picture those big blue eyes and happy smile and I remind myself, that if Drew is not complaining, ... neither am I. He is the strongest one of us all.

FOCUS

2008-09-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

One thing living with diabetes teaches us all is to STAY FOCUSED! We continue to live our busy lifestyle, but we can NEVER lose our focus. I tell Drew it's a marathon. We'll manage his blood sugar one day at a time.

Drew really looks up to athletes with diabetes. Jay Cutler was interviewed this past Sunday during halftime of a NFL game. They even showed him checking his blood sugar! This was great for all of our family to see ... a top tier athlete who continues to perform with diabetes!

I encourage Drew to learn all he can about managing diabetes. This will help him carry his "Focus" into his adult life. We''ll keep focus on our daily life, while never losing sight of the ultimate goal ... a cure!

In Drew's Words

2008-09-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes I didn't now what was going on. I started learning through out my life. My mom and dad keep on looking up articles and telling me when to check my blood sugar. When ever I feel low I am below 60. When you are below 20 you will probably pass out. When Jay Cutler was diagnosed about 8 months ago I felt sorry for him because I remembered how I felt when I was first diagnosed. I have been diagnosed for 10 1/2 months I was diagnosed on November 13, 2007. A lot of people are always concerned about me. It's ok, because I won't quit fighting until we find a cure. Right now we are doing "Dimes for Diabetes" at my school.

Traveling With Diabetes

2008-09-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

We told Drew that there are only 2 things he can't do ... join the military and be a pilot. He can do anything else he wants to ... and that includes seeing the world!

We went on our family vacation in June to Mexico for two weeks. Both Jon and I were very concerned about having enough supplies ... and about something breaking.

We decided to pack 2 identical kits with plenty of supplies for 2 weeks. I carried one and Drew carried one. This worked out great and gave us the confidence to travel as much as we did before Drew's diagnosis. Since he was diagnosed, not only has Drew spent 2 weeks in Cancun, but he also traveled to Southern California for Spring Break.

Athletes with Diabetes

2008-08-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

NHL’s Boynton Advice

“My only advice to other young athletes would be to find a level that works for you, especially for training. Make sure your blood glucose is at the level you want it by testing often,” Boynton says. “I make sure I test a lot. That’s one thing I do that’s very important, because if I’m low, then bad things are going to happen out on the ice. I find out what works for me with food and test my glucose as often as I can.”

Camps

2008-08-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

Drew and Jack stand in front of the state capital in Austin. Jack had just finished the UT Soccer camp and Drew is dying to do a resident camp. We're looking at Camp Sweeney for next summer (it's 3 weeks) ... The link to the camp website is under our "links" to the right.

Managing Low Blood Sugar During a Game

2008-08-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

The only time Drew drinks Gatorade is either before or during a game if his blood sugar is lower than 100. We've found Gatorade will quickly elevate his blood sugar. Before a recent game Drew's blood sugar was 74. He drank 8 ounces of Gatorade 15 minutes prior to game time and by the kickoff he was over 110. At the half he was 125, so we gave him a 15 carb glucose "shot" (liquid gel) and he played the second 25 minutes, finishing the game around 110.

Checking Blood Sugar

2008-08-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

I check Drew's blood sugar twice before the game and again at the half. We've seen pregame sugars anywhere between 85 and 400 (worst case). We target 150-180 to start and have held there fairly regularly.

CHAMPS!!!!

2008-08-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Drew's team won the first tournament they entered. Drew kicked the winning penalty kick after the game ended in a tie!!

Sports

2008-08-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

Sports are very important to our family. I think they teach invaluable lessons to all us. I have maintained that Drew can play any sport he wants to ... which is all of them! I am devoting a lot of time to research the best ways to help him accomplish his athletic goals. I will post numerous times on this subject and let everyone know our successes and failures. Please contribute what you've learned as well!

Commitment

2008-07-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

The emotions that we went through during the first few weeks were very difficult. I think we tend to look too far down the road, instead of taking everything one day at a time.

We know the only way to DEFEAT this disease is to find a cure. Until then, we "win" our family's battle with diabetes on a daily basis ... ultimately reducing Drew's risk of complications by CONTROLLING his diabetes until it is cured.

We are committed to Drew and we gain our strength through each other. We told Drew he can do anything he wants to ... as long as he controls his diabetes and not to let his diabetes control him.

Drew

2008-07-15T11:55:00.001-07:00

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