Camping

Happy Fall!

                                                                http://tcastle.com/fall.html

Camp La-No-Che

We went camping this weekend at Camp La-No-Che camplanoche.com.   The camp was primitive, which made it more challenging and exciting.  It was lots of fun and there were many activities.  Gabriel's BGs were perfect all day, and at night he went a bit low.  He did lots of exercise throughout the day.  He was so proud to say that he did not even get one mosquito bite. He and his sister won the costume party at camp.

My Condiments

Anniversary Year of Gabriel's Autologous Stem Cell Transplant

I can't believe October 30th will be the anniversary year of my son's  "Autologous Stem Cell Transplant" (his own stem cells).

October test results, A1C= 6.8, it was 6.3 in June.  Antipancreatic Islet Cells are Negative.  The C-Peptide not done in October, but in June it came back with < 0.05.  There are a couple more follow up labs coming up.  He continues on Novolog insulin via pump therapy.   We were reducing his insulin requirements. However, this month we have increased it and the sensitivity ratio.  IAA=55.   I was told puberty or insulin resistance may be influencing his glucose control. 



  My mom's dream was to see her grandchild insulin "independent". 

In Loving Memory of Mom

October 20, 1937 - September 2, 2010 

We love you!

Celine Dion - Goodbye's(The Saddest Word)

Grandma's Prayer

Thank you Heavenly Father for this day.  Father, I ask you to heal my grandchild, Gabriel, from juvenile diabetes.  In my lifetime, I want to witness the cure.  Let me live long enough to watch my grandchild be insulin "independent".

In Jesus Name,

Amen

 

Diabetes type 1 and the Cure - What I feel Are the Most Promising

I first wanted to hear if from a child's perspective. Here it goes:

Mom: What do you feel is the cure for diabetes?        

Gabriel: What I had done.

Mom: What did you have done?

Gabriel: Stem Cells from my body.

Mom: How do you feel?

Gabriel: Good. I thank God. I just hope that my anteebuddies don't attack my new cells.

Mom: How about if one day your Endo gives you a sheet of paper and allowed you to choose one to cure you. Let's assume you were given these options. Which one would you choose?

1. Adult stem cell transplant (what you had done)

2. Artificial pancreas

3. Islet Cell Transplantation from a donor pancreas

4. Islet Sheet

5. Pig Islet Cell Transplant

6. Stem Cell Therapy Drug(from donor) via injections

I explained the above in child's terminology.

Gabriel: I like #1. What I had done. I know what to expect and it didn't hurt and it was safe. I am doing well.

Mom: Why not the others?

Gabriel: I don't know about pigs in my body. I may become one. I don't get it. I don't want # 2 because I already wear an insulin pump and I don't want more things on my body. I am full of holes and this is really not the cure. It's just something better than the pump. I don't know about the others.

Mom: How about #6.

Gabriel: It's something like #1, but it's from other people's body not my own. I want my own body to go back into my body. Why can't they do #6 with the person's own body? Oh, on #4.....I don't know if that sheet will melt or pop inside my body. Do I need to go back and get a new one? how do they get the sheet inside my body? Mommy, remember when we travel and we go through those bars at the airport and I take off my pump? Would the sheet inside my body make the security bar ring? and then I cannot take it off. How about when I go to the doctor and get X-rays will it explode the sheet? I don't think I like #4.

Mom: Good questions and I don't know the answers. I'm assuming it will be fine.

Mom: So, what are you going to do when you are cured?

Gabriel: I will close my eyes and look at the sky and raise my hands up really really high and thank God for no more insulin, no more counting carbs, no more backpack wherever I go! And then, and then, ummmm... I will have a bubble gum party. Yes! I will have a bubble gum party!

Mom: Who are you going to invite to the bubble gum party?

Gabriel: Everyone that wants to come.

Mom: Who will pay this big party?

Gabriel: hmmmmm..You and Dad. Maybe JDRF.

Research towards the cure for type 1 diabetes continues to advance.

I feel one of the most realistic promising one is the field of regenerative medicine, using adult stem cells.

This new field is rapidly evolving and is the next evolution of medical treatments. Regenerative medicine can: (1) regenerate damaged tissues and organs in vivo (in the living body) through reparative techniques that stimulate previously irreparable organs into healing themselves. (2) empower scientists to grow tissues and organs in vitro (in the laboratory) and safely implant them when the body is unable to be prompted into healing itself.

This revolutionary technology has developed therapies for previously untreatable diseases and conditions. Stem Cell therapy is one of which has recently evolved. There are several sources of stem cells that are being studied, such as adult stem cells, embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells.

1. Adult stem cells are obtained from living bone marrow, blood, brain tissue, skin, and body fat. Other sources rich in adult stem cells are umbilical-cord blood and the placenta.

2. Embryonic stem cells are derived from human embryos. In order to harvest embryonic stem cells, an embryo must be destroyed. The following are remarks from President Bush and President Obama towards federal funding on embryonic research.

Remarks from President Bush opposing Embryonic Stem Cell Research in 2001 and 2006.

Remarks from President Obama lifting the Embryonic Stem Cell research band in 2009.

Research on embryonic stem cells requires the destruction of a living human being. In contrast, research on adult stem cells does not require the loss of life. I believe that research on adult stem cells is a legitimate field of study, well within the will of God.

Just recently, "The National Institute of Health's (NIH) Advisory Committee recommended withholding federal research funding for embryonic stem cell lines on Wednesday that were thought to be eligible with Obama's policy."

3. Induced pluripotent stem cells

Adult Stem Cell Therapy (Transplant)

Studies have shown that stem cell transfusions using adult stem cells helped type 1 diabetes by reducing their disease severity, possibly re-setting the immune system and slowing the destruction of their insulin-producing cells. Below are various procedures on these studies.

1. Adult Stem Cell Therapy - Autologous Stem Cell Therapy Transplant- no immunosuppression

I’m most familiar with the Adult Stem Cell Therapy, also known as Autologous Stem Cell Therapy, which means originating from your own body. This therapy is used to restore the function of organs and tissues and has proven to be safe and has treated many patients. Stem Cells can be harvested from many areas of the body including the bone marrow, fat, and peripheral blood. Once the cells have been harvested, they are sent to the lab where they are purified and assessed for quality before reintroduced back in the patient. Since the stem cells come from the patient, there is no possibility for rejection. Studies have shown that stem cells isolated from the patient have the ability to become different cell types and are capable of repairing damaged tissues.

My son had this procedure and I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to be able to share my experience and his results in this blog. It was as easy as 1,2,3! (1.) Bone marrow extracted from patient’s iliac crest (hip bone) (2.) Using a centrifuge, stem cells are separated from the bone marrow (3.) Implanted into pancreatic artery

I have seen great improvement in his blood glucose control and continue to see excellent results as far as his control and his insulin dosages. This procedure is a natural self-repairing process.

2. Autologous Nonmyeloablative Stem Cell Therapy (Transplantation) using high-dose immunosuppression

This procedure requires high-dose immunosuppression followed by autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Some severe adverse effect has been documented.

3. Transfusion of Stored, Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood

This procedure showed potential benefits in a small pilot study.

4. Stem Cell Therapy using Drug

Adult stem cells have been studied for the past 10 to 15 years and large pharmaceutical companies are now wanting to get into this therapeutic area. I believe they are willing to put money in because they have realized there is enough safety and efficacy in this.

FDA has recently approved an orphan drug designation to Osiris therapeutics for a stem cell therapy. The product, Prochymal, is an intravenous formulation of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that are isolated from the bone marrow of healthy young adult donors, thereby avoiding the controversy associated with embryonic and fetal cell sources. Cell culture allows the large-scale production of thousands of doses from a single donation.

This study is ongoing.

How about the autoimmune disorder that attacks the beta cells?

Although the Adult Stem Cell Therapies for type1 diabetes have shown promising results in studies, these treatments do not eliminate the original autoimmune disorder that triggers type-1 diabetes, so eventually the body may attack the new beta cells. However, because the cells come from your own stem cells, you could receive periodic treatments.

This autoimmunity must be overcome if researchers hope to use transplanted cells to replace the damaged ones.

Currently, there are no approved treatments for altering the rate of destruction of these critical islet cells, called beta cells. Researchers are working on protecting transplanted beta cells from the immune system attacks.

I have listed some studies focused on the immune system attacks.

1. The BHT-3021

This is designed to turn off the immune attack via BHT-3021 injections by Bayhill Therapeutics.

2. Encapsulation of islet cells

Encapsulation technology involves wrapping healthy cells in a capsule allowing them to be safely implanted into patients without the need for immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection.

Below are some encapsulation studies:

a. Encapsulation of islet cells using pig cells implant using DiabeCell by Living Cells Technologies.
           Company Announcement on DiabeCell Trial
           JDRF Funding

b. Encapsulation of Islet Cells using PTFE

Researchers have found a way to protect transplanted beta cells from immune system attacks by wrapping the cells in polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE). PTFE allows the cells to produce and release insulin while protecting them from a hostile immune system.

3. The Islet Sheet

This removable bio-invisible sheet, a bio-artificial pancreas, is a development led by Scott King, founding President of Cerco Medical. It has the size and appearance of a transparent business card. This thin alginate sheet protects transplanted islets without immune suppression drugs. The sheet can use islets from stem cells or animals. The Islet Sheet responds to changing blood sugar levels with the release of insulin in real time, mimicking the normal function of pancreatic islets. The Islet Sheet consists of live, functional islets contained within an immunologically protective coating made from a hydrogel polymer called alginate derived from kelp. This has the potential to replace the artificial pancreas, a system that integrates two current technologies, the continuous glucose monitor and the insulin pump.

4. Diamyd Vaccine

In early clinical trials, the Diamyd® vaccine has been shown to slow the immune attack in recent-onset type 1 diabetes.

The Cure?

I feel the adult stem cell therapy is one of the most promising and safest. With advances in stem cell research, the cure will be a gradual process building over the years. The techniques will improve incrementally and will become more effective with fewer adverse effects.

I look forward to a day in the near future when the two procedures, adult stem cell therapy and an immune system protection technique are combined to create a lasting, effective solution that will relieve patients of the daily burden of type-1.

Besides adult stem cell therapies, there are other studies towards a cure for type1 diabetes that sound also promising and my friend Kathy, has done an excellent job in summarizing which ones she feels are the most promising. She has lots of information and has documented her own personal experience of having an islet cell transplant. She has quite an amazing story to share.

Diabetes Blog Week

This week I am participating in Diabetes Blog Week.  Karen of the Bitter-Sweet Diabetes blog organized it.  Today is day 3 "My Biggest Supporters".

               Here is a list of my biggest supporters!

My husband!  Jorge has always been there for me and is very understanding on how much diabetes consumes my time.  He understands why many nights Gabriel sleeps with us.  He understands why I sleep late at night.  When I yell "Help", he stops, drops everything and comes to my rescue.  I'm really blessed!
My daughter! Monica is a very sweet and understanding child.  She is very cautious and supportive towards her brother's diabetes.  She sometimes wants to play the role of "mom".  She understands why her brother sometimes sleeps with us, and she sleeps by herself.  We made Friday nights family night, so she hops in bed with us and we all sleep together.  Thank GOD for King beds!  She is like a deer, sweet and gentle. She understands why her brother takes up a lot of my time and prays everynight for his diabetes "to go away!".
My family!  My father for flying with us to El Salvador when Gabriel had his adult stem cell transplant. My dad was very supportive and I appreciate him coming with us.  My mom for giving Gabriel cookies when I tell her not to, for telling me to give him juice when he's high.....wait....is this really supportive?! opps.....but I love mom and I know she really doesn't mean it.  I just have to watch her like a hawk when she comes visit.   My brothers and sister-in-laws for understanding my son's eating schedules, and why we sometimes can't just take off and leave on vacation.  We always take longer to plan vacations, and have to make frequent stops.  My in-laws for always asking how Gabriel is doing.
The school nurse! Nurse Garrison thank you sooooooooooo  much!  Knowing you are there, gives me peace throughout the day!  Because of you, I don't worry about him when he's in school.  I really appreciate you SO MUCH!
My friends!  Alma for always being there for me.  She understands my busy schedule and is always there to listen to me when diabetes stresses me out.  Alma, thank you for your true friendship and for your invitations to breakfast.   Kathy for being there to support me and encourage me when my son had the transplant.  I don't know what I would have done without her.  My struggles with doctors and research were not easy and are still not easy, and even though she has a busy schedule, she has always been there to listen to me.  Thank you Kathy for not minding my long e-mails and for your true friendship.
My neighbor!  Mat....Thank you for always caring about my son.  Thank you for your Alkaline water and homeopathic remedies.  They have really helped!
Gabriel's drum instructor!  Drew, thank you for being such an excellent instructor, for making Gabriel feel confident and making him feel he can accomplish anything in life.....that his diabetes will not stop him from his dreams.

Adult Stem Cell Transplant: Bone Marrow Stem Cells

Everything continues to go well with The Adult Stem Cell Transplant.  I see many improvements.  He is making excellent eye contact and engaging well in conversations.  He has many new friends and is socializing well with children his age.  He also received the "Most Improved" certificate at school and has become more independent in doing his homework. He is enjoying reading like never before. His favorite "The Berenstain Bears".

His diabetes continues to be well controlled.   There has been days when I've had to disconnect his pump for 1/2 a day.  The new stemmys are working hard in their repair process.  I'm more appreciative of his insulin pump now more than ever.   I have been communicating with Dr. Vina and his team to discuss the post transplant lab results.

90 Post Transplant Lab Results
A1C 6.7. Before his transplant the A1C was 7.4. GAD65 Antibody 1.7. Insulin Total 7.1. The C-Peptide test will be done next week at a different lab because of issues we've had with the current lab we are using.

I've been busy responding to e-mail questions. Gabriel is also keeping me busy with his follow-up appointments, drum classes, swimming and his extreme energy. His sister, Monica, also keeps me quite busy with all her school involvement and extra-curricular activities. She is currently working on a Life Science Project and I've been driving her around buying the materials needed. She is mummifying 2 hot dogs. Interesting, but strange(her idea, not mine).

She is a very supportive sister and takes great care of her younger brother. She's always watching over him, and I sometimes have to remind her "I'm mom". She wants to always help her brother and every night she prays for her brother's diabetes to go away. They are like peanut butter & jelly. I'm blessed to have such great children!

              Peanut Butter & Jelly                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Psalm 127:3 (King James Version)

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

Stemmys On The Move

And they're off! Go,go,go. Stemmys the builders, can you fix it? Stemmys the builders, "Yes we can!"

It's been four months since my son had the procedure and I have suddenly seen significant changes. His diabetes and his focusing has improved a lot. I'm now, more than ever, monitoring him very closely. I've had many sleepless nights. It's great news when I have to reduce his insulin, and I'm very thankful he's wearing the insulin pump, because it is easy adjusting the basal and carb ratio.

I received some of his lab results(Fasting & Postprandial):

Insulin 7.1. Islet Cell antibody,negative. Anti-Gad65 is 1.7 at the threshold. C-Peptide was done incorrectly by the lab, and we have to redo the test. A1C was 7.0. CBC diff&plt Normal, ESR normal, PE/PTT/INR normal.

We have reduced his night basal and beginning to reduce his daytime. His Blood Sugars have been low during the daytime, and several times I've had to suspend his insulin pump and then resume later. The supplements recommended by his nutritional biochemist has helped in keeping his immune system strong and his blood glucose controlled.

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit"

Follow-Up - Autologous Stem Cell Transplant

It has been exciting how many people I've met within the last few months. Everyone is eager to find out about "adult stem cell therapy" and asking how my son is doing. I really do appreciate it, and I will keep answering questions and posting results. I am waiting for the 3 month lab to be completed. I have seen such an amazing improvement in his night time Blood Glucose readings and daytime as well. It feels as though he's back in his "honeymoon phase". Some of his highs have been because of site issues, but we are working on this with the endo and diabetes educators, and is going well.

I've met quite an amazing and inspiring person, Kathy. She had an islet cell transplant, and is insulin free, but her procedure was different than my son's. It is what is called the Edmonton Protocol. The Edmonton Protocol involves isolating islets from a cadaveric donor pancreas. Each recipient receives islets from one to as many as three donors. The donated cells are then kept from being destroyed by the recipient's immune system through the use of immunosuppressants. My son's implant involved his own stem cells. It is a therapy where we have to wait for the new stem cells to continue their repair process. I've linked Kathy's website to my blog list.

One more thing I wanted to mention. I purchased an incredible book for my son, "Super Stemmys: Doris and the Super Cells". It's an excellent book, not just for children,but for adults. My son loves the book and has learned a lot about cell's function.

He is also very excited because he's eaten pizza and cookies and his blood sugars are perfect. We bolused him, checked his BG 2 hours later, 4 hours later, and 6 hours later and his numbers were good. Yeepiiii! However, he knows this was just a treat. We still limit these foods and I try to convince him veggies are good. He dislikes anything green so I give him veggie suppliments. I am very thankful for all my new friends. I'll try my best to keep everyone informed.