The Schuh family of Minneapolis, MN, makes a difference for T1D

Jadah and Susie Schuh talk about what it means to participate in a research study

Travis Schuh was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) on September 8, 2009. He was 8 years old, and it was the first day of third grade. His mother Susie says, “It’s a life-changing event for the whole family. We had no idea. When he was admitted into the hospital his blood-sugar levels were so high he had DKA [diabetic ketoacidosis], which is extremely dangerous.”

In February, Travis and his family joined their first JDRF One Walk. There they learned that Travis’s relatives, including his sister Jadah, could be screened through TrialNet to detect their risk of developing T1D. They mulled it over, and when screening was offered at Travis’s diabetes camp a few summers later, 8-year-old Jadah had her blood drawn for testing.

“A short time later, we got the notice that Jadah was at high risk,” Susie recalls. She explained to Jadah that the blood test had determined she was at risk for developing T1D, and that there may be other studies she could take part in that might help prevent it. When that opportunity arose several years afterwards, “I wanted to be involved in the study right away,” says Jadah.

Now 13, Jadah is participating in a TrialNet prevention study. “As long as I’m participating in this study I really don’t care if I get placebo or the real drug, I just really want to make a difference,” she says.

“Jadah’s participation in this research and her feeling of being part of the cure are important,” Susie explains. “This has been an incredible experience. So even starting with raising the money and walking with JDRF to now being a participant in these TrialNet studies, you are seeing where that money that you raised, where it goes to. And the best part is making a difference.”

You can make a difference too! Find T1D studies that you can take part in, or learn more about TrialNet.