It was an ordinary day. Reading a story that was in our local Sunday News that told about a fellow who has been ruled by Type 1 diabetes all his life. It got to the point that when his blood sugar plummeted, he would lose consciousness without warning. He crashed his motorcycle into a wall one day when he lost consciousness while riding it. He also passed out in the yard of one of his customers while delivering mail. Following that episode he was asked to retire his position of mail-carrier after a quarter-century in the Postal Service. He was 57 years old at the time. He had his ex-wife so worried that she actually took him into her home once again, since she was so afraid to leave him alone all day. Then, one day she saw an article in her local newspaper asking for volunteers who had Type 1 diabetes so they could participate in a clinical trial that was sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The company had plans to test a treatment developed over decades by scientist Doug Melton who vowed to find a cure after his baby son, and then his teenaged daughter, got the devastating disease. The story drew my immediate attention since my teenaged granddaughter also is a sufferer of Type 1 diabetes. Brian Shelton, got an influx of cells grown from stem cells that were just like the insulin-producing pancreas cells his body lacked. His body now automatically controls its insulin and blood sugar levels. Brian may be the first person who has been cured of the disease by means of the new treatment that may someday help many of the 1.5 million Americans who suffer from Type 1 diabetes. The study is being continued using 17 people with severe cases of Type 1 diabetes. The new treatment is meant just for those with Type 1 and not those with the more common Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes expert Dr. Irl Hirsch has been hoping for a cure like this for years. He is not part of this study, but is hoping to see the results duplicated in many more Type 1 individuals. He also is hoping that there are no adverse effects and if the cells will last for a lifetime or if the treatment would have to be repeated. Another Diabetes expert, Dr. Peter Butler says it is a remarkable result. He added, "To be able to reverse diabetes by giving them back the cells they are missing is comparable to the miracle when insulin was first available 100 years ago. The disease occurs when the body's immune system destroys the insulin-secreting islet cells of the pancreas which often begin when a person is in their early teens. Type 1 can be lethal unless the patient gets injections of insulin. As of now, no one gets better, yet! Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in this country and is also the leading cause of kidney failure, heart attack and stroke since it weakens the immune system. As of now the only cure that has ever worked is having a pancreas transplant or a transplant of the insulin-producing cell clusters of the pancreas. Could this new "amazing result" be what many have been waiting for over the years. I'm sure all are hoping for results that will lead to a cure for diabetes. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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