Ardens Numbers Update

I just got an update from Brooke at the Alberta Diabetes Foundation.  You know their mail campaign that they launched less then two weeks ago?  The one with Arden’s little face all over it?  The one that generated $23,000 in donations in it’s first week? 

You know the one...  

The returns from week two are in and ‘Arden’s Numbers’raised another $29,000 this week- bringing the two week total to a whopping $52,000!

Insulin Pump Test Drive

Arden attended a class at CHOP last week to find out if an insulin pump might be a good choice for her.  After listening to the instructor we decided to give the OmniPod a try.  

It was difficult to get her to put on the demo unit at first so her brother Cole attached it to his stomach to show her it was okay.  Once she got it on she really liked the idea of wearing it.  The OmniPod attaches to Arden (pictured above on her abdomen) and is controlled with a Blackberry sized hand unit.

We have to take a second class and pass a test before Arden’s endo can sign off on us getting the pump.  I’ll be scheduling the class next week at Arden’s quarterly endo appointment. 

The pump will allow us to deliver a much smaller dose of insulin more frequent.  Hopefully, this will allow us to maintain tighter control of her blood glucose level.  

The pump will require Arden to be poked less then she is now.  Eliminating her daily injections but not the necessary finger sticks.  We are very excited at the prospect of eliminating some of the pain from Arden’s Day.

A Real Kindness

I am thrilled to be able to tell you that Arden will be receiving the remainder of her needed dental care soon and in the hospital under the care of an anesthesiologist.  Fantastic news!  

I want to thank everyone who tried so hard to help us with our recent insurance woes.  Our congressman’s office for contacting United Health Care on our behalf, Arden’s pediatrician for reaching out to people he knew in the industry, and the doctors who wrote letters begging UHC to help.  Sadly, none of these efforts ended up making the difference.

In the end United Health Care didn’t budge... Arden will be receiving the care she needs because Kelly’s employer stepped up in a huge way.  Her company, Novartis, agreed to pay for Arden’s care.  We are very grateful to Novartis and the people that work there for making such a kind and noble gesture!  

When Novartis found out about Arden’s situation they contacted UHC and told them that they would sign off on an exception for Arden’s procedure.  Then UHC called to say that they will be covering Arden’s needs 100%.  To be clear, UHC is only covering the procedure because they aren’t loosing a dime on it.  All they are doing is sending a bill to Novartis.  Novartis is the hero in this story!

This whole mess was quite an eye-opener for me.  In the past when I heard politicians talking about people going bankrupt paying for healthcare, I thought they were talking about someone else.  As it turns out we are all only one unfortunate moment away from being that person.   

I’m going to walk away from this experience having learned 

two very important lessons.  Healthcare is nothing to take for granted and being lucky enough to work for a company that cares is a Godsend.

Thank you once again to everyone that helped! 

Possible Cure Announced

JDRF Funded Research Shows Promise for Prevention, Reversal of Type 1 Diabetes

New York, NY, November 18, 2008 -- Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have reported that two common cancer drugs have been used to block and reverse type 1 diabetes in mice. The JDRF-funded study, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was led by Jeffrey Bluestone, Ph.D., director of the Diabetes Center at UCSF and an expert in the field of autoimmunity.

"The findings suggest that kinase inhibitors -- successfully used in cancer -- may provide an important new therapeutic approach for treatment of new onset type 1 diabetes and potentially other autoimmune disorders," said JDRF Director of Immunology Teodora Staeva, Ph.D.

The drugs -- Imatinib and Sunitnib, sold as Gleevec and Sutent, respectively -- are used to treat cancer by blocking tyrosine kinases, an enzyme that modify cells' signaling proteins through a simple biochemical change.  Kinases trigger cell growth, and it is widely believed that tyrosine kinases are a contributing factor to autoimmune diseases and cancer.  The researchers hypothesized that tyrosine kinases may also serve as a trigger to the body's attack on the immune system.

The researchers at the University of California, San Francisco treated non-diabetic mice prone to developing diabetes with imatinib or sunitinib, and found that the drugs prevented the onset of diabetes past the seven-week treatment.  Mice that already developed diabetes were treated with the drugs and results concluded that after two months of treatment, 80 percent no longer had diabetes.

The science was conducted as part of the Immune Tolerance Network, partially funded by JDRF.

Ardens Numbers

A few months ago I wrote, “Maybe this is the year that the words "Arden's Day" cease being a call for help and begin being a standard for helping”.  Today I think we may be well on our way to that goal!

If you watched our 2008 walk video you know that Arden has raised over $24,000 in the last three years for the JDRF.  We couldn’t more thrilled or more grateful to you for your support.  

Because of you our message has been transported all over the world.  We receive well wishes and encouragement from England, Australia, the United States and beyond.  One day a wonderful woman named Brooke sent me an email.  Brooke works at the Alberta Diabetes Foundation.  She was putting together a new fundraising campaign when she saw Arden on the internet.  

Brooke, motivated by our video Six Month’s Worth of Used Needles began to design a mailer called Arden’s Numbers.  Meanwhile, I worked on a 30 second video that would compliment the mailer.  Month’s later, the ADF sent over 40,000 of these mailers to residents in and around Alberta, Canada.  The first group of donations came into their office last Friday... not even one week after they were mailed. 

That mailer, Arden’s Numbers, generated $23,000 in donations in less then a week, instantly making it the ADF’s most successful mail campaign.  Amazing!  To date, Arden’s Day has generated over $48,000 to help find a cure for type I diabetes. 

There is nothing for me to say but “thank you”!

Choose the links below to see the mailer.

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