I was watching CTV news and this story came on:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070410/diabetes_stem_070410/20070410?hub=TopStories
They have a new treatment that has put the Type 1 diabetes of some newly diagnosed people back into remission! Although this doesn't help people like me who have had the disease for years, this is incredibly exciting news!
The treatment involves giving people chemotherapy to weaken their immune system, then giving them stem cells that were harvested from their own bodies prior to chemo to strengthen their immune system. Afterwards, the patients required no medication of any kind - no insulin, no immune suppressants, nothing! This is incredibly exciting news for people with Type 1 everywhere - it may lead to future developments that can help us all!
I want to add a complaint about the way the story was reported though: the lady reporting it (I didn't get her name) made a pretty nervy comment "Why would people want to subject themselves to such a drastic treatment when this is a managable disease." Yes, insulin does help people with Type 1 diabetes manage the disease. But it is far from perfect, and everyone with Type 1 has to worry that down the road they will develop one of many serious and sometimes deadly complications. If I were given the chance to live without taking insulin or other medications (like the immunosuppressants) I'd definately consider "subjecting myself to such a drastic treatment."
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