Carey Peña | Contributing Writer In May 2014, the Roberts family rushed their son JD to the emergency room. The star football player had been experiencing some alarming symptoms such as weight loss, headaches, vomiting and fast heart rate. After a search on Google, the family discovered many of the symptoms were associated with Type 1 diabetes. A friend whose daughter has diabetes checked JD’s blood sugar. It was so high that it didn’t register on the monitor. That’s when they found themselves in the ER. “It’s like drinking from a fire hose in the beginning and you are just trying to figure it out,” JD’s mom, Kim Roberts, told me. “That was a blow when he was diagnosed.” The Roberts family had to learn quickly about T1D and how to manage JD’s care because his body does not regulate blood sugar. It can be a very dangerous situation. The first thing JD does when he wakes up in the morning is check his numbers. “It’s on my phone so I don’t have to prick my finger anymore,” the now 16 year old told me. “I take insulin whenever I eat. And whenever my levels are high, I take a shot to bring them back down.” It’s hourly management. But there’s new hope for JD and millions of others. A PROMISE THAT COULD SAVE LIVES Groundbreaking research is being done in Arizona that’s showing great promise and gaining national attention. I wanted to know more about it, especially since I’m the emcee of the JDRF Promise Ball Gala. So, I went to meet the researchers who are leading the charge. Klearchos Papas, Ph.D. and Robert C. Johnson, Ph.D. of the University of Arizona are developing JDRF is leading the effort to fight Type 1 diabetes CAREY’S CORNER {carey peña reports} RESEARCH TODAY, A CURE TOMORROW 16 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | OCTOBER 2019
The Roberts family has always been centered by a commitment to serving others. JD’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis has given the six of them a platform to help build awareness and rally others to support the cause. Type 1 diabetes hasn’t gotten in the way of JD living his life. He plays football, trains year-round and remains the active young man he was prior to his diagnosis. OCTOBER 2019 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 17