Being Part of the Diabetes Solution

Nicole Johnson, Miss America 1999 and her daughter – Part of the Diabetes Solution

Inevitably, every parent who has type 1 diabetes thinks, "Will my child develop this disease?" just as every parent with a child who has type 1 diabetes wonders, "Will my other children develop this disease?"

Former Miss America Nicole Johnson, MA, MPH, is one of those parents.  Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 19, Nicole's passion to help find a cure for diabetes expanded even more when she became a mother.  Her dedication has led her to participate in clinical research through Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet.

The incidence of type 1 diabetes is increasing, especially in children younger than five, and because some of the risk factors for type 1 diabetes are genetic, Nicole's concern about her daughter's future is well-founded.  Approximately 15,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the United States each year.  Nicole's daughter has a 1 in 25 chance of inheriting her mother's type 1 diabetes.

When Nicole's daughter was two, she had her screened through TrialNet, an international research effort that is exploring ways to prevent and delay type 1 diabetes. This screening consists of a simple blood test that could reveal an increased risk for type 1 diabetes up to 10 years before symptoms occur. People who are identified as potentially developing the disease may be eligible to enroll in clinical studies that are looking at ways to prevent and delay type 1 diabetes.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and sponsored by the American Diabetes Association, TrialNet researchers at more than 200 locations are offering this screening to eligible family members of people with type 1 diabetes. By detecting the disease early, participants may be able to avoid some of the serious diabetes complications before the development of clinical symptoms. TrialNet also provides researchers with valuable information about the causes and mechanisms for type 1 diabetes that may be useful in learning how to prevent it.

"Right now, I don't know what the future holds. I do know my daughter has at least some of my genes that could predispose her to diabetes," said Johnson.  "If her future test results come back positive, I will do everything I can to prevent or delay this disease and preserve her body's function."

If diabetes can be delayed, even for a few years, those at risk may be able to postpone the difficult challenges of trying to control their glucose levels and the potential development of complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney damage and lower-limb amputations.

"My daughter and I are committed to being a part of the discovery process for type 1 diabetes," commented Johnson. "We want to be part of the diabetes solution, not just the problem."