Hello everybody!
My name is Eric Hehr, and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on March 27, 2009. I was filled with mixed emotions when my doctor told me my blood test results. My best friend’s dad had recently past away from cancer and his symptoms were the same as mine… That really scared me, so when I found out it was diabetes I was relieved that it was something that I could “manage”. It all started with flu like symptoms, then I lost 22 lbs in 10 days… Like a “dumb” guy, I thought I could just kick it and it was not a big deal. My doctor called me at like 9 p.m. on the day that I had my blood drawn, so I knew the news wasn’t going to be good. He told me my blood sugar level was 950 and I had to start on insulin right away. He did not know how I was still walking around and being active. He recommended an endocrinologist by the name of Dr. Daniel Weis of Mentor. I saw him and his staff on that Monday. I met with my doctor, a teaching nurse, a dietitian, and a couple of nurses that told me about a study that I might have been qualified for…
This turned out to be the Defend study by Tolerx. This study is for newly diagnosed type 1 diabetics. From what I have learned about type 1 diabetics is that we lose all of our beta cells after 90 days of having of being diagnosed… This study tries to save the beta cells before they are all dead. This allows for some of the insulin producing cells to stay alive. I had to have a lot of blood drawn, my blood infused for 8 straight days, but it will all be worth it if they were able to save that 10% of cells that are still alive. I recommend this study to any newly diagnosed type 1 diabetics and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask.
Now a little about me… I am 27 years old from a small town about 45 mins east of Cleveland. I went to Eastern Michigan University then Kent State University where I studied Marketing. I played college baseball at EMU and then transferred to KSU. I enjoy going on vacation, playing golf whenever possible, playing poker, and used to enjoy throwing back a few cocktails. I think I have taken the news about being a type 1 pretty well, but still ask myself why did this happen. I would really enjoy meeting people that go through the same things I do on a daily basis, so don’t hesitate to add me as a friend or message me 