Sarah Howard
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 Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.
Sarah and her husband live in NYC with their cat Gracie. In her spare time, she enjoys doing comedy, taking dance classes, visiting art museums, and exploring different neighborhoods in NYC.
I have only one son and he was screened about 3 decades ago. He would definitely be interested in being screened again. As I recall the results aren’t good but for a certain number of years.
My daughter who also has T1D had her daughters tested, but my other daughter not diabetic will not have her children tested
I did ‘other’ – No, and THEY are not interested and feel there is no point knowing.
I developed T1D after my sons were both grown. I tested positive for antibodies when I was diagnosed. There are no other family members with T1D. My sons have not been tested.
What is the purpose of the screening for a person who already has an excellent lifestyle and gets a regular checkup including screening for diabetes?
If children get screened and test positive, there (are/will be) drugs that may help delay the onset of T1D by 2-3 years. That doesn’t sound like much, but since new treatments are always coming out that make better health outcomes, and the fact that having a child get diabetes at 10 yrs old rather than 7 yrs old is a huge difference for the child as their abilities to handle the disease mentally is much greater at the older age.
Diabetes is genetic in my family. My dad was the first, then me and two out of three younger brothers, then my eldest of three sons and most recently, my eldest son’s daughter.
My sister was screened as part of the TrialNet study about 5-10 years after my diagnosis. Negative thank goodness. My parents were not screened based on their age. However, my mother was diagnosed with T1D later at the age of 57. Due to her age, she was initially presumed to have T2D. When the oral meds were not bringing down her blood sugars, we convinced her primary care doctor to test her autoantibodies. Clearly positive. I’ve always wondered if we had tested if we would have detected it earlier. I can also understand the hesitation by some to be tested. Testing positive for the antibodies does not guarantee that you will get T1D, or if you do, when. It would be a bummer to dread something unnecessarily.
I don’t know what the exact requirements are for screening, but my family has shown no interest in doing this.
My daughter had gestational diabetes so might have been screened, my wife was also T1D, my son might be interested.
Never had children and my brothers kids are grown and their children are older and show no signs of getting it. Hopefully, T1D began and will end with me.
I have 4 grandkids and after 1 got T1, the other 3 were screened. One showed a likelihood of getting T1 and sure enough, he got it 6-9 months later. I feel bad passing that gene down but who knew??
I have been screened but not other family members. Cost is the issue here.
My daughter was screened and she had no antibodies. She is 21 and has no problems with diabetes so far.
After my brother was diagnosed at 7 months old, I was watched closely until I became T1D in Jan. 1982; when our youngest brother was born he, too, was watched closely, he became T2D 10 or 15 years ago. My Mother became T2D a year or so after the youngest of us 3 was born. My Dad has been diagnosed as T2D, but denies it. smh After my T1D brother’s oldest daughter was diagnosed at 23 month’s old, her 2 younger sister’s had their cord blood tested at birth. The middle one is antibody negative but the youngest is antibody positive.
I know my family members would have been screened but we were all agreed out when they started the testing.
I do not even know what this screening is …
Kids were screened, but my sister has not. I don’t think she plans to, and I’m ok with her personal decision.
My children have both been screened. I don’t know if any of my siblings have been or not.
My daughter absolutely refused for herself and her three kids to be tested.
My children are adopted so it doesn’t make sense for them to be tested. My brother and his adult children have absolutely no interest in ever being tested.
N/A, we ALL had it before screening!