I have had type1 diabetes since I was 14 years old, far longer than I would care to remember at this point in my life.

People who know me will tell you that I am focused and driven in all that I do. I do not know whether that is a result of having diabetes and the focus it demands, or if I would have been this way regardless. But I have certainly tackled living with diabetes with a passion.

Before the days of CGMs and pumps, I was a serial blood sugar tester – 8, 10, 12 times per day. When pumps came along, I was an earlier adopter. The same with CGMs – I’ve tried three models in just the few years they have been available.  As a result of all that focus, I’ve been able to have some pretty great HbA1c numbers over the years, down in the 5’s for much of my adult life.  I’m not bragging, because I know how hard it is for people to live with this disease.  I’m grateful that my effort shave paid off so far.

So with those results, and a personal outlook on life that I want to grasp as much control of my diabetes as possible, my friends and doctors were not surprised to learn that I had enrolled in the first U.S.-based clinical trials for an artificial pancreas.

I was enrolled in the JDRF-funded trial that is taking place at the University of Virginia.  I’ll get into some specifics of what the trial entailed, and what I experienced, in future blog reports.  But I can’t tell you enough how absolutely life changing the few days I spent in the hospital on an artificial pancreas were.  Despite all I’ve done to take care of myself and manage my diabetes to date, the time I spent on a prototype device were unbelievable – liberating, stress-free, and feeling terrific.

I like nothing better than talking about my experience to date with the APP trial.  I’ve done it for large and small groups, and one-on-one meetings with people with type 1, with parents, with grandparents and anyone who will listen!  In all the years I have been advocating for a cure for type 1 and talking with people impacted by the disease, I have never seen the kind of response I get when talking about an artificial pancreas.

I’m looking forward to talking with people through this blog about my experience with the APP trials, in giving you my opinions on progress on the path towards the development of a working artificial pancreas, and answering any questions people might have.