Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Interview with a TEDDY participant

Interview with Chelsea, 14 years old, a TEDDY participant who is soon to be a TEDDY Graduate

What is your earliest memory of the TEDDY study?

One of my earliest memories was sitting in the chair playing with a fan. I remember being in the room with my dad and playing with the fan to distract me. I remember it not being painful at all, according to my mom I haven’t cried at a TEDDY blood draw, so I feel that has been a great success. I remember the playroom a lot, it would distract me and would take away all of my nerves and chills. I was about 3 or 4 years old.

What was your favorite part of being in TEDDY?

My family would tell me being in TEDDY would help people and help myself, so I was super excited to be helping others and helping the study. I was also really excited for the prizes at the end of the visit.

What did you find most challenging?

The most challenging part was thinking about the needle going into my arm and being so nervous before they put the needle in but then it would be relaxing because I couldn’t feel anything. Each time I thought it was going to hurt but it doesn’t. The last few visits I had to come in more frequently, every 3 months instead of every 6 months, and I wasn’t use to feeling that anxiety as often so I was scared.

If someone asked you, “What is TEDDY?” what would you tell them?

I would tell them it is research that can help children who are at risk for getting type 1 diabetes, figuring out why people get type 1 diabetes.

What was the most important thing you learned from TEDDY?

The most important thing was getting to know more about myself, getting to know a part of me that I didn’t know before and learning about type 1 diabetes.

What do you hope TEDDY has learned from your participation?

I would hope that TEDDY learned new and interesting facts about type 1 diabetes, about the positives and negatives between my tests (blood draws) and how type 1 diabetes progresses.

How did you feel differently when you learned about your positive autoantibody result?

When we got results that I had my first positive it was pretty nerve racking. I immediately started freaking out and started over thinking it too much. I was pretty nervous until it was explained in depth about what it was and what it meant. That explanation took a giant weight off my back.

What would you tell other TEDDY kids about getting a positive test with TEDDY?

I would tell them don’t over think it, it doesn’t mean you are 100% prone to get type 1 diabetes. I thought about it so much and I created so much stress about that one autoantibody that wasn’t necessary.