I’d spent a month getting so excited for and fundraising for the JDRF One Walk in Manhattan on Sunday, September 28. I was looking forward to experiencing my first One Walk event day, and was enjoying the friendly fundraising competition my colleagues and I have been having. Growing up, I participated in countless JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes events, so I was ready for something new and different—One Walk. There was nothing that would dissuade me from going to the One Walk…or so I thought.

Last week my phone rang with a Connecticut area code. I used to go to Yale Pediatric Endocrinology for my diabetes care, so I answered the phone not knowing what or who to expect. Not only was it someone from the Yale team, but that person was asking me to be a part of a closed loop artificial pancreas trial (!!!!!!!). I’d applied to several of these trials with no luck, and now I couldn’t believe that this was just falling into my lap! The only thing was that the trial started Sunday—the same day as One Walk. While I’d be there in spirit, I wouldn’t be able to walk, but I can’t think of a better reason not to go than participating in this JDRF-funded study!!!

This isn’t my first experience participating in a “closed loop” trial. I was in a trial in 2007 and again in 2010, both at Yale University Hospital. During these trials, I stayed in my hospital bed for 3 days, getting my blood drawn every half hour. I was connected to a pump and to a continuous glucose sensor that talked to two computers at the side of my bed. The computers then sent back a signal that enabled the pump to give me insulin based on the sensor reading saying I was going high or to stop the pump if I was going low.

This upcoming trial will be different for a number of reasons. The advancements in research over the past 4 years since my last trial are AMAZING. On Sunday, I’ll head to New Haven to spend 5 days doing as I please all day—eating, drinking, exercising—and sleeping in a hotel at night. I only have to sleep at the hotel so that the staff can be close to monitor my overnight sugar levels via Bluetooth. Last time I participated in a trial I had to be in the hospital because I needed to be close to the 2 computers that acted as a connection between my pump and glucose sensor, and they had to use my blood to calibrate the machine every half hour. This time, I can do what I want because that technology is all housed in a smartphone that I will carry with me! I will enter carb counts into it when I have a big meal, but beyond that I won’t have to worry about highs or lows or anything diabetes-related because the “artificial pancreas”, aka the smartphone, will do all of the thinking for me and keep my sugar levels in an incredibly close range.

My mom will be testing out a remote monitor for the artificial pancreas system, which is a wireless device that displays my sugar levels at all times. This will be HUGE help for caretakers and loved ones of people with T1D.

What am I expecting to get out of this trial? First and foremost, I’m excited to see this new technology and test it out before it is even approved for commercial distribution. I am expecting to have a great night’s sleep for 4 nights in a row. No being unable to fall asleep because my legs are still jittery even though I treated the high or low that’s causing my jitters earlier. Before I go to bed, I won’t have to worry about what my sugar levels will do when I’m asleep. Even more exciting is that (hopefully) I will also feel a major lift in my worry during the daytime as well. The artificial pancreas will help me avoid those “crazy” highs and “out of nowhere” lows. If I don’t calculate my carbs absolutely perfectly, the artificial pancreas system has my back by automatically dosing insulin if my sugar levels start to climb. I can’t imagine how free I am going to feel by not obsessively going over what I think my sugar levels are going to do in my mind each day.

I’ve been following all of the information that JDRF puts out about the Artificial Pancreas project and I’ve been waiting for it to become a reality. I’m bummed I’ll have to miss JDRF One Walk, but it’s my turn to test drive the AP, and I can hardly wait!

JDRF’s Clinical Trials Connection provides people affected by type 1 diabetes (T1D) and its complications with up-to-date information on clinical trial participation opportunities.

Clinical Trials Connection is an online service that allows you to “opt-in” to get information about trials, and access to them. It contains information about all currently active diabetes trials in the U.S and U.K. Based on the criteria you choose, the connection provides you with information about selected trials and how to contact the researchers conducting them. You can also choose to receive regular updates so that you’ll know when new trials that meet your criteria become available. If you find a trial that interests you, you can discuss it with your doctor and also contact the trial’s primary investigator with any questions or concerns.