Jack – Age 9

My name is Jack Christensen and I am nine years old. When I was four years old, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes or T1D. Type 1 diabetes often gets confused with type 2 diabetes but they are not the same. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease. It is not caused by eating too much sugar. You cannot catch it from me. You cannot grow out of it and there is no cure. While I got T1D when I was four years old, you can get it at any age. For unknown reasons, my body attacked my beta cells, the cells that produce insulin, rendering my pancreas pretty useless which is why I wear this pump.

In February of 2013, I started going to the bathroom a lot and was constantly drinking water. My mom and dad googled my symptoms and determined that I had type 1 diabetes but when my mom called to get me into the doctor’s office they kind of blew her off. As the week progressed, it got worse so my dad called and got me an appointment for later in the week. On Valentine’s Day, my mom picked me up from my preschool party and brought me in to the doctor where they quickly determined that my parents were correct: I had type one diabetes. My mom was told to take me to the Children’s Hospital in Connecticut where we lived at the time. It was there that I got my first dose of insulin. I was very lucky my parents caught it early because most kids aren’t so lucky. The next day we spent the whole day with the diabetes educator learning all about diabetes. I learned how to check my blood sugar, give myself shots, and count carbs all before I even learned how to ride a bike!

Diabetes is exhausting! I get poked a lot which is no fun, but the worst part is that I can’t just eat. Everything has to be carb counted and entered into my pump and not every carb is the same. Depending on how much fat or protein something has, it will hit my blood stream differently. That coupled with the fact that everything effects blood sugar—growing, exercise, emotions, sleep, weather, altitude, and stress just to name a few—makes this disease a 24/7 job. It is frustrating, nerve-wracking, and unrelenting. There are no days off and if you make a mistake it could be fatal.

That is why I am so grateful to JDRF for working so hard to find a cure for me and the millions of others that are living with this disease. While JDRF hasn’t found a cure yet they have already made my life easier by funding research and advocating for FDA approval of products that I use daily. Just after I was diagnosed, I was able to get a CGM or continuous glucose monitor. My CGM allows my parents to see and keep track of my blood sugar which keeps me safe, especially at night. Last summer, I was lucky enough to get an Artificial Pancreas (AP) system which is an insulin pump that talks to my CGM making my blood sugars much easier to manage. It gives me insulin when I am high and shuts off the insulin when I am going low. I still have to treat out of range numbers but not nearly as often. Most recently, I was fortunate to be able to get FIASP, a new faster acting insulin. This insulin has made it so that I no longer have to pre-bolus (giving the insulin you need for your meal a certain number of minutes before eating to better matching your insulin’s peak action time with your meal’s digestion). Pre-bolusing was tricky for many reasons but the one I disliked the most was when I would pre-bolus at a restaurant and then my food took longer than normal to arrive causing my blood sugar to plummet to a dangerous low making me feel horrible. Now, when I go out to eat I don’t have to worry about when my food will arrive. 

Because my family has seen the difference that JDRF has made in my life over the past five years, we are VERY involved. We donate, fundraise, advocate, volunteer, and mentor. The summer after my diagnosis, we threw a Backyard Benefit that raised more than $60,000. In 2014, we were asked to be Connecticut’s Fund A Cure Family at the Gala, an event that generated over $1.3 million. We have continued to fundraise via JDRF Ride to a Cure as well as donate. In 2016, I was the Wisconsin delegate for JDRF’s Children’s Congress where I lobbied to get funding for the Special Diabetes Program. Since, then I have continued to advocate for JDRF’s initiatives locally. My whole family volunteers at the JDRF One Walk where we welcome new families. My mom is part of the Speaker’s Bureau and is a Research Information Volunteer and my dad is on the JDRF Board of Directors. Both of my parents are involved on a national leadership level as well, attending every Mission Summit. As you can see, we believe in JDRF and its mission to make Type One Type None.

I hope after hearing my story you will want to get involved too.  There are many ways that you can help.  You can become a Corporate Partner, donate, fundraise, volunteer, or advocate.  Help me turn Type 1 into Type None!

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Thank you to Jack sharing his story and setting a great example for the T1D community! If you want to submit a story about your diabetes journey like Jack, please contact Jen Allen!