Alexander Millican of Rockwall, Texas spoke at a Research Update Luncheon hosted by the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation last month.  Alexander was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 10 years old and is now 17. 

Millican told the audience of about 50 that for the past 7 years he has pricked his fingers about 11,860 times to test his blood sugar and has had about 14,600 insulin injections.  If he doesn't adhere to strict daily management he has a much great risk of serious complications.  Millican stated, "Diabetes involves a lot of testing, a lot of shots and a lot of worrying.  I have learned more about diabetes than I ever wanted to know."

He showed a picture of himself prior to diagnosis and spoke about how ill he was.  Also, he showed a picture of himself on his dirt bike doing what he likes to do best:  racing motocross.  Millican got his first dirt bike when he was 8 and began racing at 13.  He has quickly advanced to the intermediate level. "I've worked hard since I began and haven't let diabetes get me down," he said.

Millican also spoke about how difficult it is to balance his diabetes during races.  "All the exercise, stress, emotion and adrenaline make my blood sugar unpredictable," he said. 

Dr. Aaron Kowalski, Director of JDRF Research, spoke at the luncheon also.  He spoke about the latest research with the Artificial Pancreas Project.  The Artificial Pancreas is an insulin pump and a continuous glucose moniter that are both inserted in the hip area once every three days.  The moniter reads glucose levels every 5 seconds and the pump responds with the appropriate amount of insulin.  Those with diabetes are taken out of the loop with constant management of their diabetes.  With the Artificial Pancreas they manage their diabetes once every three days as opposed to 6 times per day.

"I have two dreams in my life," Millican said, "one is to be the best motocross racer I can be and the other is to have a cure for diabetes in my lifetime."

If you would like more information about the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or the Artificial Pancreas Project, call 214-373-9808 or got to www.jdrfdallas.org.