Sarah Howard (nee Tackett) has dedicated her career to supporting the T1D community ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Manager of Marketing at T1D Exchange.
I have no awareness of other family members medical details. However, I don’t believe that any of my relatives have been screened for T1D antibodies.
I had two cousins who were T1D’s.
Same here, I chose N/A, but this is not something I definitely know.
I have one family member with type 2 diabetes who is able to control BG with diet and pills. I don’t know if he was screened or not.
I wish they would get tested but no one in my family has and many have aged out of trialnet.
Other than me, we have no family history and I wasn’t diagnosed until age 51. My family sees me enjoying a normal life so they think this disease isn’t that bad!?! I think if I had been diagnosed at a young age or was suffering, every relative would have been tested.
90 percent of the cases of T1D are in people with no family history…so recent research suggests EVERYONE should start screening children regardless of family history:
My younger cousin was told by a doctor (“she does not like him”) that she has “the eyes of a diabetic.” Though her two cousins & her elder sister developed T1D as kids, she has ignored getting tested, not even for pre-diabetes. She has not had her children or grandchildren checked.
My two youngest nieces are the only ones who have been that I know of. They were because my oldest niece was diagnosed a month before my second one was born.
I was unable to convince my daughter to get herself and her three kids tested. She said that since there wasn’t a cure she saw no benefit in being aware.
As a mother of two, and having lived with T1D myself for 25 years and written extensively about Tzield, I’ve had my children screened multiple times while knowing Tzield is available if they tested positive for T1D autoantibodies.
My of my two children tested and was negative. My other child did not want to know if she was positive. She felt she would be dreading getting T1D her entire life. She knows the symptoms and will deal with Diabetes if she needs to. I wish she would get tested but I respect her decision.
HI Ann! I encourage you to read our resources of WHY it’s so impactful to catch it before symptoms. Waiting until symptoms arrive mean damage has already been done, the risk of DKA is higher, etc.
A younger brother diagnosed TYPE1 several months before my “TYPE 2” diagnosis and a 2nd brother at his diagnosis. With two brothers confirmed as TYPE 1 the Iabwork was run: no markers and C-peptides in range. A true TYPE 2.
We were over 45 so we were too old. The cousins weren’t interested
Only 1 of 5 sons has agreed to be tested.
I have no awareness of other family members medical details. However, I don’t believe that any of my relatives have been screened for T1D antibodies.
I had two cousins who were T1D’s.
Same here, I chose N/A, but this is not something I definitely know.
I have one family member with type 2 diabetes who is able to control BG with diet and pills. I don’t know if he was screened or not.
This is seriously something like the fifth time you’ve asked this question! Get something new!
I wish they would get tested but no one in my family has and many have aged out of trialnet.
Other than me, we have no family history and I wasn’t diagnosed until age 51. My family sees me enjoying a normal life so they think this disease isn’t that bad!?! I think if I had been diagnosed at a young age or was suffering, every relative would have been tested.
They can still get tested using an at-home testkit from JDRF’s “T1Detect” program.
Here’s more about this:
https://t1dexchange.org/tzield-delaying-type-1-diabetes/
https://t1dexchange.org/fda-approval-teplizumab-type-1-diabetes/
My adult children are not interested
My sister was tested because she developed diabetes as an adult and was tested for autoantibodies when they learned I had developed T1D as an adult.
My son’s half brother was tested thru TrialNet
I have Monogenic T1D, not much point.
90 percent of the cases of T1D are in people with no family history…so recent research suggests EVERYONE should start screening children regardless of family history:
Here’s more about this:
https://t1dexchange.org/tzield-delaying-type-1-diabetes/
https://t1dexchange.org/fda-approval-teplizumab-type-1-diabetes/
My younger cousin was told by a doctor (“she does not like him”) that she has “the eyes of a diabetic.” Though her two cousins & her elder sister developed T1D as kids, she has ignored getting tested, not even for pre-diabetes. She has not had her children or grandchildren checked.
My two youngest nieces are the only ones who have been that I know of. They were because my oldest niece was diagnosed a month before my second one was born.
I was unable to convince my daughter to get herself and her three kids tested. She said that since there wasn’t a cure she saw no benefit in being aware.
Janis! Tell your sister that there is an FDA-approved drug that can DELAY the full onset of the disease called TZield. Read more about it here: https://t1dexchange.org/tzield-delaying-type-1-diabetes/
As a mother of two, and having lived with T1D myself for 25 years and written extensively about Tzield, I’ve had my children screened multiple times while knowing Tzield is available if they tested positive for T1D autoantibodies.
My of my two children tested and was negative. My other child did not want to know if she was positive. She felt she would be dreading getting T1D her entire life. She knows the symptoms and will deal with Diabetes if she needs to. I wish she would get tested but I respect her decision.
HI Ann! I encourage you to read our resources of WHY it’s so impactful to catch it before symptoms. Waiting until symptoms arrive mean damage has already been done, the risk of DKA is higher, etc.
Here’s more about this:
https://t1dexchange.org/tzield-delaying-type-1-diabetes/
https://t1dexchange.org/fda-approval-teplizumab-type-1-diabetes/
A younger brother diagnosed TYPE1 several months before my “TYPE 2” diagnosis and a 2nd brother at his diagnosis. With two brothers confirmed as TYPE 1 the Iabwork was run: no markers and C-peptides in range. A true TYPE 2.