#1787 Cured? Patient 9 Speaks
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Katie Beth Hand shares her journey as Patient Nine in the Eledon clinical trial, receiving donor islet cells and a targeted immunotherapy that may functionally cure her type 1 diabetes.
Key Takeaways
- Functional Cure Breakthrough: Katie Beth Hand shares her journey as "Patient Nine" in the Eledon clinical trial, exploring a functional cure for Type 1 diabetes using donor-derived islet cell transplants into the liver.
- The Tegoprubart Advantage: This trial utilizes Tegoprubart (Tego), a targeted anti-CD40 ligand that protects transplanted cells without the systemic toxicity or kidney damage associated with traditional drugs like Tacrolimus.
- Rapid Results: Only one week post-transplant, Katie was taken off basal insulin entirely and maintains stable glucose levels without injections.
- Natural Low Prevention: By transplanting both beta and alpha cells, Katie's body now handles blood sugar regulation automatically, effectively ending exercise-induced and nighttime hypoglycemia.
- Scalable Maintenance: While currently an hour-long IV infusion every 21 days, researchers are working toward a subcutaneous version for easier at-home use.
Resources Mentioned
- • Omnipod 5: Request a Free Starter Kit
- • US Med: Get a Free Benefits Check or call (888) 721-1514
- • Research Center: University of Chicago Medical Center (Dr. Piotr Witkowski)
- • The Trial: Eledon Clinical Trial (Tegoprubart)
- • Juice Cruise 2026: Details and Booking
- • Community: Join the Facebook Group
Here we are back together again, friends, for another episode of the Juice Box podcast.
Katie Beth HandMy name is Katie Beth Hand, and I am patient nine in the Eladon trial to cure type one diabetes. It is a functional cure using donor derived islet cells and a new investigational drug called tegaprobar.
Scott BennerI created the diabetes variable series because I know that in type one diabetes management, the little things aren't that little and they really add up. In this series, we'll break down everyday factors like stress, sleep, exercise, and those other variables that impact your day more than you might think. Jenny Smith and I are gonna get straight to the point with practical advice that you can trust. So check out the diabetes variable series in your podcast player or at juiceboxpodcast.com.
Scott BennerIf you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the juice box podcast private Facebook group, juice box podcast, type one diabetes. But everybody is welcome. Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. If you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort, or community, check out Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook. Nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan.
Scott BennerA huge thanks to my longest sponsor, Omnipod. Check out the Omnipod five now with my link, omnipod.com/juicebox. You may be eligible for a free starter kit, a free Omnipod five starter kit at my link. Go check it out. Omnipod.com/juicebox. Terms and conditions apply. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. US Med is sponsoring this episode of the Juice Box podcast, and we've been getting our diabetes supplies from US Med for years. You can as well. Usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514. Use the link or the number, get your free benefits check, and get started today with US Med.
Meet Patient Nine: Katie Beth Hand
Katie Beth HandMy name is Katie Beth Hand, and I am patient nine in the Eladon trial to cure type one diabetes. It is a functional cure using donor derived islet cells and a new investigational drug called tegaprobar. I am married. I live in Arkansas. I have four beautiful children at home, and I absolutely love to talk about my experience as a type one diabetic of thirteen years and now as a person going through this trial. And I'm so excited to be with you today.
Scott BennerWow. You've said that before, I imagine. That was awesome. Was, number nine not a movie? Like, an animated movie about a sandbag?
Scott BennerHold on a second. I know this is probably your—I didn't know this was gonna go this way. But yeah. If it was, I haven't seen it. 2,009 animated film called Nine.
Katie Beth HandI'll have to add that to my watch list.
Scott BennerI remember watching this with my kids in a theater. Alright. Alright, number 9. Let's get going.
Katie Beth HandThat's right. You can call me number 9 from here on out. Katie, don't trust me. Don't put me in that position because I might. So let's go back to the the beginning.
Katie Beth HandOkay.
Scott BennerI'm gonna start really, really beginning beginning. You, have parents, I imagine, because you're here and you're alive. Do you have siblings?
Katie Beth HandI do. I have so I have parents. They actually live like I said, I'm I am from Central Arkansas from Little Rock, and my parents actually live three doors down from us. And then I have one sibling, a brother. He is six years older than I am, and he lives in the house next door. So we created our own little family compound, and my kids—we have four kids—and they bebopped back and forth between my brother's house and my parents' house, and it's it's a great life.
Scott BennerTried to get my wife to move to Tennessee this summer, and she just ignored me. I had similar ideas. Okay. Anybody in your extended family have autoimmune issues besides you?
Katie Beth HandSo interestingly, no. Everybody always wants to be special. And in my case, this is not the type of special special you want to be, but no one in my family has any history of type one diabetes, of other autoimmune diseases, no Graves' disease, no celiac disease, none of these other things that typically go hand in hand. I am the one strange outlier with type one.
Scott BennerHow old were you when you were diagnosed?
Katie Beth HandI was 26 years old.
Scott BennerOh, okay. And now I'm sorry. You are?
Katie Beth HandAnd now I'm about to turn 40. So it's been about thirteen years since diagnosis.
The Diagnosis Story: From "Flu" to DKA
Scott BennerOkay. So just very quickly, what do you remember about your diagnosis? Let's think
Katie Beth HandDiagnosis was really, really traumatic. I went to my PCP's office because I thought I had the flu. I'm like a lifelong athlete, and I had just been so tired, too tired to work out. I remember sitting on my couch before I got diagnosed one night thinking, like, I can feel myself having to make the effort to breathe. That's how just physically exhausted I was. And I had all of the typical symptoms of t one. I just had not put them together yet.
I was exhausted. I went to the bathroom 15 times a day and was so so thirsty and hungry all the time. So I went to my doctor. It was actually March 13th. That was the day that I got my diagnosis. He actually came back in, and they had run my blood sugar. He was like, "So actually, plot twist, it's diabetes." We do have a couple of people in my family that have type two diabetes. And so that can be very genetic. And then I was older. I was 26. So even though, you know, I wasn't overweight, I didn't have some of those other things, he was like, "I'll put you on metformin. We'll take care of this thing."
So I got this tentative type two diabetes diagnosis and left the doctor's office. A couple of hours later I got the most frantic phone call from a nervous nurse. She was like, "Hey. And what do you what what are you doing? How are you feeling?" And I was like, "Well, you know, depressed, but but fine." And she was like, "Cool. So, actually, we think that you are in DKA. You need to drop everything that you're doing right now. Do not do anything else. Get your car keys. Have someone drive you to the ER. We have already called ahead there waiting for you right there."
Scott BennerKatie, she was like—she was so thrilled. You said just depressed. She was like, oh, she probably turned over her shoulder and looked at everybody in the room like, she's just depressed. It's gonna be fine. She's still alive. We didn't kill her.
Katie Beth HandShe genuinely liked the sigh of relief when I answered the phone. So I, ended up my parents drove me to the ER and was in DKA, got checked in, and, you know, it's the same story for everybody. Put me on IVs. I was so severely dehydrated. Blood sugar's through the roof. My a one c was 13.9. Ended up spending several days in the hospital, and that was really a dark time. It was a a time of grief. With type one, they just say, "Here's insulin pens. Here is a glucose meter. You'll need to use these every few hours, every single day, and all night for the entire rest of your life until you die." Alright. Hope you feel better.
Scott BennerOn your way.
Katie Beth HandSo that was our diagnosis day, and those few days after were really, really dark. A very, very hopeless time for me.
Scott BennerDid you fall back on your parents for help, or at 26, were you like, I'll do this on my own? Were you married, dating? Like, what was your structure at home like?
Katie Beth HandSo I wasn't married. I was still single. I had been—I was, like, a free spirit. I was actually working for a travel company, so I had been, like, taking tour groups overseas. I love to bike and hike and be outdoors. And so my support system was my parents. My parents were my support in, like, the emotional support getting through all of this. But really from day one of diagnosis, like, my diabetes has always been me. They've not you know, they don't help with insulin and insulin to carb ratios, and none of that was on them. That learning curve is one I took on and did myself.
Scott BennerThen what was that like? I mean, what would you tell me that from that moment until—well, maybe you'll tell me you never had it together. But, like, is there a moment where you're like, I know what I'm doing. This is going better? And how long did it take to get to that?
Katie Beth HandThere was eventually a point where I felt like I did have it as much as you can have it together with type one. Mhmm. I don't believe anybody really ever has it all together with type one. But at the beginning, I tell people getting a t one diagnosis—those first few months—the learning curve is so steep, and there's so much information. It feels like being sprayed in the face with a fire hose. After several years, I really did hit that point where it was just another part managing diabetes was just another part of my day. It wasn't all consuming. It didn't depress me. I learned how to make it as smaller part of my life as possible and keep moving. But that was multiple years before I feel like I really got to that point.
Weight Gain and the "Michael Phelps" Diet
Scott BennerTell me about your life in those multiple years. How would you describe your level of happiness? Were you active like you wanted to be? Did it hold you back in other ways?
Katie Beth HandThe impact was really severe, especially at the beginning. When I first started taking insulin, I'd been athletic, and then I'd gotten really skinny because of the diabetes. When I started taking insulin, I had been eating like Michael Phelps—probably three or 4,000 calories a day before I got diagnosed because I was hungry all the time. And it wasn't you know, I'd drink a milkshake before bed and wake up a pound lighter.
One of the things that happened that was really difficult for me as a 26 year old woman was I went through, like, a dark time physically after diagnosis because in getting my blood sugars under control, it was that constant yo yo of I would take my insulin and my blood sugar would go too low, so I'd have to eat and it'd go too high. That we had a lot of yo yoing. So I put on a lot of weight very quickly, like 30 pounds. And then on top of that, because of the weeks I had gone without really getting any nutrition, a whole bunch of my hair fell out. Not bald, but enough that for a woman, it was very significant. So I was, like, fat and bald, which was a real bummer. Fat and bald with a chronic illness. I wear these devices all day. I was scared to exercise because it kept sending me low. I felt for that first entire year for sure, like my body was not even my own. It felt so foreign and so out of control. And then eventually, I got better at it, got my first CGM, and rebuilt myself with this diagnosis in mind.
Scott BennerGot it. Hey. The weight gain was from a lot of lows, so you were eating a lot to stop lows. Was that the idea?
Katie Beth HandSo it was two—it was two factors. One was I had been eating a ton because I stayed hungry. Yeah. It didn't matter before. Right. I got it. It didn't matter before. It didn't stick. And then the other one was—so that was in combination with, I had gotten my body used to just eating all day long, eating and drinking all day long. And then on top of that, then, of course, was when I would go low, then I would have to eat something. Yeah. And I really hadn't figured out, like, a little bit of juice or glucose gummies or whatever. So those two things in combination made me put on weight very quickly those first few months after diagnosis.
Scott BennerHas that hunger stuck with you since then?
Katie Beth HandThe hunger from eating 4,000 calories a day has not. But, you know, t ones don't have the same hormones, proteins that make us feel satiated like other people do because we don't have those islet cells. Am I hungrier than other people? I don't really know how to answer that. Yeah. It's something that I watch, and it's not something that I obsess over. Once I really got back to a place where I felt confident, like, exercising, and then on top of that, figured out, like, what can I eat, making healthier choices overall, it kind of eased into a pattern.
The Eledon Clinical Trial: Functional Cure Mechanics
Scott BennerOkay. Alright. That's I appreciate you giving me that background. I'm gonna fast forward you a little bit. I'm gonna jump ahead to you telling me about the study. What is going on right now?
Scott BennerI have always disliked ordering diabetes supplies. I'm guessing you have as well. It hasn't been a problem for us for the last few years, though, because we began using US Med. You can too. Usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514 to get your free benefits check. US Med has served over one million people living with diabetes since 1996. They carry everything you need from CGMs to insulin pumps and diabetes testing supplies. Libre three, Dexcom g seven, and pumps like Omnipod five, Omnipod Dash, Tandem, and most recently, the Islet pump from Beta Bionics. Go to usmed.com/juicebox to get started now. Today's episode is also sponsored by Omnipod. Request your free starter kit today at omnipod.com/juicebox.
Katie Beth HandSo it's a clinical trial. I had had a really hard diabetes day, a lot of highs and lows, and ended up finding a clinical trial online and applied for it. And it was the Eladon clinical trial, which is the trial that I'm in. It runs through the University of Chicago Medical Center in Chicago. Mhmm. And it is a trial that is testing taking cadaver, dead donor islet cells, and transfer them into actually the liver, not the pancreas, and then use the trial drug tegaprobar instead of the traditional drug tacrolimus. Tegaprobar is an anti c d forty ligand. So it protects those islet cells in a very, very targeted way versus suppressing your entire immune system. The Tego is what really makes this study very unique and very exciting.
Scott BennerWhy are we more excited about how this is being done than how it's been done previously?
Katie Beth HandTacrolimus has been around for about thirty years. It is a full immunosuppressant used in all sorts of transplants. But the side effects are neurotoxicity, and it's really hard on your kidneys. Ironically, it can actually be toxic to islet cells. And so long term, it is harder to do an islet cell transplant and make that last because that toxicity builds up and actually damages the very islet cells we're trying to protect. That's why islet cell transplants with tacrolimus aren't like the standard of care for diabetes. The difference between the tacrolimus and the tegaprobar is tegaprobar, while it is an immunosuppressant kind of, it is a very targeted immunosuppressant. And the other thing that makes it absolutely beautiful, not only does it not suppress my entire immune system, it also has zero side effects. I don't feel bad. I don't have headaches. I don't have any of those side effects that separates the tegaprubart Tego from the traditional drugs.
Scott BennerIs the Tego it's an IV infusion?
Katie Beth HandIt is. Getting to trade MDI for an hour-long IV infusion every twenty one days. It's a complete radical lifestyle change from the day in, day out management. They are also working on a subcutaneous version. I was one out of the first 10 patients—number nine. Eventually, will that look like a subcutaneous injection that you pull out of your fridge once a week and take? I don't know the timeline, but that's where we are. The drug itself has been proven to be effective, so now they're working on making it more lifestyle friendly.
Scott BennerHow long would it take if you missed that infusion for the new liver beta cells to drop over dead?
Katie Beth HandThey actually think there's a much longer window than the every twenty one days—probably closer to two or three months. Twenty one days is what we're doing as part of this trial, but they don't think the data is showing that it actually has to be that often. Because I Asked what happens if I can't get here? And they were like, well, just get here as soon as you can. It's not like the clock runs out at twenty one days and one minute and then your islet cells die off. But I won't volunteer to be part of figuring that out.
Scott BennerHow aware are you of the other nine?
Katie Beth HandThe TikTok algorithm is really, really good at connecting people. When I started posting and announced that I was part of this trial, it actually ended up putting me in the same algorithm with a couple of the other people that were in this exact same trial. I know probably three or four people that are in my trial. I actually had the procedure, my islet cell transplant, on January twelfth of this year. We're recording this February 17th. For the first three weeks, every Tuesday, I flew up to Chicago, did my one hour infusion, and then flew home. A week after the transplant, when I went to check out of the hospital, they went ahead and took me off basal insulin completely. It takes about three months for those islet cells to really take root in your liver and become fully functioning. Every time I go, we're weaning me down off of my insulin till I reach the point where I just won't take any at all.
Scott BennerHas that been exciting?
Katie Beth HandYes. Yeah. To come home and take my basal insulin and just, like, toss that whole pen in the trash was a very cool moment. So yes. So I'm recovering. Because the little islet cells—we're trying to let them rest. Now if I went out and ate, like, a big cheeseburger and fries, my islet cells would absolutely kick in and I would spike and then they'd come correct to that. But what we're trying to do in these early months is I'm using kind of like a protective dose of insulin so we don't stress those islet cells. I'll take it, wait till my blood sugar starts dropping, and then eat. The reason is because we're trying to keep those cells from stressing and working quite so hard. Typically, three months is like the time until they're fully mature. I just did a mixed meal tolerance test exactly one month post transplant. You eat a certain number of carbs, and then they do a blood draw every fifteen minutes for four hours. It was really cool to watch my blood sugar go up to 170 ish, then leveled off, and my islet cells pulled that back down to 81 and just sat there. I cried.
Eligibility Criteria and Testing
Scott BennerDo you have any other autoimmune issues?
Katie Beth HandNope. I do not.
Scott BennerI was wondering if this TEGO works on other stuff. I was wondering if you had eczema or anything that was inflammatory.
Katie Beth HandI think that it does. They are talking about using it for kidney patients, kids, and maybe turn off the CD40 pathway for things like RA. I don't have any other autoimmune issues or seasonal allergies. As for finding out if I was a good candidate, with every clinical trial, there are very specific criteria that you have to meet. I filled out all of this information online and then ended up doing a long, detailed phone interview. They ask all of these medical questions—how much insulin do you take? I flew up to Chicago last May and spent five straight days in the hospital. They scanned every organ of my body—EKGs, stress tests, X-rays—creating a baseline. You can't have diabetic retinopathy and do this because the radical correction of blood sugar can make it worse. You can't take over a certain amount of insulin every day. There were very specific criteria that you had to meet before I got chosen.
Scott BennerHow long was that process?
Katie Beth HandIt was about a two year process for me. I went back up this past October. Before you can go on the transplant list, you have to have a medication called thymoglobulin. It is by far the worst part of this whole process. Not horrific, just not fun. Three or four twelve hour IV drips of thymoglobulin. It's super tough on your veins and a real immunosuppressant. I went on the transplant list the week of Thanksgiving in November 2025, and then I got the call in early January. Dr. Piotr Witkowski truly is a genius. He has my Dexcom on his phone and monitors my blood sugars. He's working all the time.
Scott BennerI just make a podcast about diabetes, and there are days when I look up and go, "did I eat today?" How has it changed your life? Is there a lot of anxiety that it's just gonna stop working?
Katie Beth HandI don't have anxiety that it's going to necessarily stop working. The first patient who went through the trial has been completely off insulin for eighteen months and her numbers are still great. The Tego does a really, really good job of protecting those islets. One of the craziest, most unexpected part that I had not thought through was not having lows anymore. In an islet cell transplant, you're getting beta cells and alpha cells. A nondiabetic body is constantly doing that checks and balances. For thirteen years, I was the one doing that. When Dr. Rakowski cleared me to start exercising, he said, "If it looks like you're going low, don't do anything. Don't drink juice. Your body will fix that." For years, you see those double arrows down and you panic. But he has been right—I worked out for an hour this morning and never went low. Not going low at night has been by far the best part of the trial for me so far.
Scott BennerIs there anything about having type one diabetes that you miss?
Katie Beth HandNothing specific I would miss. They said I could stop wearing my Dexcom once I'm fully off insulin, but I told them you can have my CGM when you pry it off my cold dead body. It gives me a sense of control. Diabetes turns you into a control freak. That will be interesting to try to unwind. These are cadaver donor islet cells. I was on the national donor registry waiting for a match. They mine the islet cells out in the lab at UChicago. We use islet cells from a known source for this trial because Tego is our one variable. I think I'll finally process "I don't have diabetes anymore" once they fully take me off insulin and I leave the house without insulin pens and a glucometer in my purse.
Community Response and Cynicism
Scott BennerAlso, please don't let anything happen to you, because I—I don't want it to be like one of those bad movies where, like, a truck is coming at you through an intersection, and you're like, oh, come on. I just got rid of my diabetes.
Katie Beth HandYes. Yes. So it's funny, you know, being on social media, there—you know, I will say this. The—the type one diabetic community, we're, like, the most, like, suspicious, cynical community on the planet. I respect the cynicism because we’ve been promised a cure for years and nothing happens. I have people messaging me saying big pharma is not going to like what you're talking about. I hope I don't go missing suspiciously because we will have two million diabetics calling the FBI.
Technically speaking, they didn't cure me—they shut off the immune system and jammed some new cells inside. This is what’s called a functional cure. I am trading diabetes for taking this Tegaprubart for the rest of my life. People say, "But you have to take a medication for the rest of your life." I’m like—right, I have diabetes, so I am already going to take a medication or two for the rest of my life. I would go outside and beat up an old lady to give this to my daughter. Just the targeted immune suppressant side of it is incredibly exciting.
Scott BennerI believe that GLP medication changes things. Watch it work in people with my daughter—it turns her sensitivity from one unit moving her 40 to one unit moving her 95. Her carb ratio goes from one to 4.5 to one to 10. Basal goes from 1.1 down to point six five.
Katie Beth HandI'm a huge fan of GLPs. I think it should be standard of care for all type ones. When I was on it, the results were phenomenal. The big issue was getting insurance coverage because I wasn't type two. Everyone gets scared first—they don't want to break a rule. Then nobody dies and everyone goes, "Oh, okay." I think there will be a time when you take the Tego less frequently, or move into the subcutaneous injection. You're looking at the beginning of something that normally you don't know about till it becomes public. I look at other trials as collaborators. Maybe the eventual functional cure is that people get islet cell transplants on a massive scale because one company perfects lab grown cells and we protect them with the Tego. Diabetics live without a sense of hope. If you had asked me three years ago, I've said no. And then here I sit post islet cell transplant feeling the best I've felt in a decade and a half.
Katie Beth HandWhen you have major surgery like this, you go on myfortic, which is a lower risk immunosuppressant. I'm on an antifungal, an antibiotic, and an antiviral for about three months. Because I am taking someone else's islet cells, piece of their organ, and transplanted that into my body. I do a pill in the morning, a pill at night, and my infusion every twenty one days. I take vitamin d every day. If your body doesn't have all the supplementation it needs and we can find a way to add it pharmaceutically, who cares? My life is completely different and all for the better. We are road-mapping out what works. Dr. Witkowski is amazing. Eventually, you're all good on your way again.
The "Cure Season" and Monologue Breakdown
Scott BennerLet me be a wet blanket, for a moment for everybody because I, abhor something that I call the diabetes cure season, which is when all of the doctors and the, you know, the researchers put out their articles and get interviewed so they can point a light on what they're doing, so they can raise more money to keep doing it. And then a lot of people who have diabetes get mad like, "oh, it's almost over." And then I—I get very afraid that people aren't gonna take good care of themselves because—Mhmm. Why take care of myself? You know, this is almost—next week.
Katie Beth HandRight.
Scott BennerRight. It's not gonna be next week. Right. I'm gonna tell you all that I interviewed a researcher—I interviewed a—a scientist so long ago. I didn't have a podcast. It was from my blog. And he was talking about encapsulation. A packet, a packet, a packet, a packet, a packet full of cells that they would slip under your—
Katie Beth HandWas CERNOVA?
Scott BennerI forget which one it was. Veritex, maybe. Here's the thing. Doesn't matter because he explained the—whole—
Katie Beth Handgo anywhere?
Scott BennerYeah. Well, are you using it right now? Because it was, like, fifteen years ago. Right? So, like, maybe some ideas from it have transferred to something else, and God bless. I—everybody should be trying as hard as they can. But my point is is that he explained how it worked. They were just trying to get it into testing. It got into testing eventually. I think one of the companies went out of business. Like, oh, I don't even know. Right? But what I'm—my point is is that he told me on that day, if we had it all worked out today, if it was FDA approved, if we knew exactly how to do it, it would still take us ten years to do it en masse. Don't get too excited right now. Like, you know who should be excited? Katie. Katie and her family, they are excited that you got into a time machine and you went into the future.
Katie Beth HandRight.
Scott BennerYou know what I mean?
Katie Beth HandRight.
Scott BennerAnd but for the rest of you, you're not getting tego next week. Calm down. Keep pre bolus in your meals.
Scott BennerOkay? Change your settings. Make sure you're okay.
Katie Beth HandGo ahead and reorder your insulin pumps from the pharmacy.
Scott BennerPut your glucagon in your bag when you leave. I don't want you having a problem while you're out. You don't have something to do. Keep telling your friends how to help you if you get low. Like, you—you're gonna have diabetes for a while, but this is the most complete idea I've heard so far. And that—that's exciting.
Katie Beth HandAnyone that's been tested, Scott, in more than, like, one or—
Scott Bennertwo people. Per people. Yeah. Like, I once had a lady on who did the, the implantable pouch.
Katie Beth HandMhmm.
Scott BennerShe didn't even know if she actually had the cells or if they just—if she was, like, a placebo, which, by the way, bummer because they still cut her open and stuck the pouch inside her.
Katie Beth HandYeah. I would—that that would make me absolutely furious. Like, if you're doing a major surgery like that, so help me. You better give me the cure, man.
Scott BennerWell, not only that, but she was getting benefit from it, and then they were—she only was allowed to keep it for a certain time, then they were gonna take it away from her. Oh gosh. I can't—I can't imagine that.
Scott BennerI told her I'd get on a plane, I'd leave the country.
Katie Beth HandA 100%.
Scott BennerBut yeah. But not the point. The point is is that I've heard a lot of these things over the years, and there's pieces of them that always sound like, "oh, that part makes sense." Or, you know, like, the idea of, like, "what we can encapsulate the cells that the—the"—and I was like, I don't know if that—I—I—okay. But I don't love it. You know? But now, suddenly, this is a—the—I mean, I'm—I'm gonna make a t shirt that says, "Tego, let's go." Cause I think—I think maybe that really is the key to this whole thing as far as it sounds from your story.
The "Eyeball" Islet Trial and Closing Thoughts
Katie Beth HandYeah. Yeah. For sure. And it's been interesting because since I've—I've been talking about this, there are people that are doing other really cool trials that message me. And there—so there was a lady that I met. She's in the trial. I don't know what company's doing it. She's in a trial where they're taking islet cells and implanting them into her eyeball because, you know, your eyeball runs on a different immune system from the rest of your body.
Scott BennerGet out of here.
Katie Beth HandPlanting islets into her eyeball, and then she will take immunosuppressant drops just in that one eyeball. And it's in, like, the early phases of testing. And I was like, you can pretty much count me out on any study that's gonna play with my eyeballs, but good for you. Thanks for doing it. And if that ends up being a cure for everyone, you know, you're my hero.
Scott BennerKatie, you have my email address. Please give it to her.
Katie Beth HandLet me know how that pans out. Yeah. Yeah. Pulling—I'm pulling for you. I talked to a lady who did the porcine islet cells. She did that. It's taking, like, typically six to ten months before there's any sign of, like, glucose change. It's definitely not in the cure phase yet, but there's a lot of really cool stuff out there. The Tego, obviously, is the—you know, I've researched all of these. The Tego is the one that I think is—is closest to the forefront of actually really being a widely available functional cure for everyone. But, you know, I'm happily wrong. If somebody invents a pill tomorrow, I will cry like a baby. Yeah.
Scott BennerIt's just wonderful story to hear, and I appreciate you sharing it with me. I mean, absolutely worth an hour of time to sit and chat about this. This is the Eldon study out of the University of Chicago.
Scott BennerOkay. And say Peter's name in case I say it wrong.
Katie Beth HandK. Piotr Wachowski.
Scott BennerAgain, I don't even know his first name. I am gladly and happily here hearing your story. Sorry for all of you who know more about it than I do and think I didn't answer the right questions. You can all go start your own podcast and make it popular. Good luck. I just—I did my best here. You've piqued my curiosity. I would like you to use the link I sent you and reschedule to come back on in six months if you're interested.
Katie Beth HandOkay.
Scott BennerI'd like to hear a follow-up about how you're doing. And if you know Patient Ten, please send them my way. Wanna hear from the eyeball lady. I am happy to have all these conversations. Would—I would love to hear more. The eyeball lady, especially, just because, wow. Let me hear about that. Yeah. I think what you just said about her makes such a good point that you don't know how this is gonna end up working the day it actually works. Right? Because, again, fifteen years ago, was we're gonna make a pouch, and we're gonna put it under your skin, and it's gonna be great. And you're doing what you're doing, and she's, you know, stem cells in my eyeballs. You have no idea what's gonna happen.
Scott BennerBut as these ideas are coming together, like, if you're not paying attention to peptides like GLPs, if you're not paying attention to new immunosuppressants like Tego—I'm assuming that these researchers are now using AI to crunch their data, and it's happening much quicker than it has in the past. Wait till they start talking to each other. You don't know where this is gonna end. But it's moving in the right direction, and it's moving a lot faster than it used to.
Katie Beth HandAbsolutely. For the first time ever, I really do look at this young generation of kids, and I—I do not believe that they are a generation that will have type one diabetes their whole lives.
Scott BennerCould happen for them. You—know?
Katie Beth HandLike, yeah. I think it's gonna—and I feel—I feel very confident about that. Can I tell you exactly what that looks like or when that will be or how much that will cost? No. I can't. But these young kids getting diagnosed, you know, kids like your daughter, they will not—I—I truly don believe they'll have diabetes their entire lives.
Scott BennerHeed what Katie told you. Keep your stuff together now because if you had any number of different issues—Right. They wouldn't have done this with you. Right. Yeah. So, you know, be careful. Take good care of yourself. Do your best. You know? I think the psychological part of diabetes is still ignored. We try really hard to talk about it here, but, you know, you gotta support your mental health as well along the way. Katie said there's a lot of—a lot of stuff that she used to have to do that she's not doing anymore.
Katie Beth HandRight.
Scott BennerWait till you see—like, I imagine you're gonna have a real catharsis at some point, like a moment of when you realize the depth of effort that is not being paid anymore to diabetes. Like, I—I wonder—yeah. I think it's gonna hit you pretty deeply, and I—I can't wait to find out how—exactly. I hope it doesn't crush you, like, because it could.
Katie Beth HandYeah. It's—it's interesting to unwind things that I have done and believed and become, like, part of the core of who I am. Walking through this process and unwinding some of those has been a very interesting and unexpected—the mental piece is a very unexpected piece of this process.
Scott Benner100%. I can't—I can't imagine that we're even a tiny percentage in understanding all the impacts this is gonna have on you. For sure. Okay. Katie, thank you very, very much. I can't—I can't thank you enough for doing this. I really do appreciate your time.
Katie Beth HandAbsolutely. Thanks so much, Scott. It was a pleasure.
Scott BennerThank you. Hold on one second for me. Okay? A huge thanks to my longest sponsor, Omnipod. Check out the Omnipod five now with my link, omnipod.com/juicebox. You may be eligible for a free starter kit, a free Omnipod five starter kit at my link. Go check it out. Omnipod.com/juicebox. Terms and conditions apply. Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. Arden has been getting her diabetes supplies from US Med for three years. You can as well. Usmed.com/juicebox or call (888) 721-1514.
My thanks to US for sponsoring this episode and for being longtime sponsors of the Juice Box Podcast. There are links in the show notes and links at juiceboxpodcast.com to US Med and all of the sponsors. Okay. Well, here we are at the end of the episode. You're still with me? Thank you. I really do appreciate that. What else could you do for me? Why don't you tell a friend about the show or leave a five star review? Maybe you could make sure you're following or subscribed in your podcast app, go to YouTube and follow me, or Instagram, TikTok.
Oh, gosh. Here's one. Make sure you're following the podcast in the private Facebook group as well as the public Facebook page. You don't wanna miss—please, do you not know about the private group? You have to join the private group. As of this recording, it has 74,000 members. They're active talking about diabetes. Whatever you need to know, there's a conversation happening in there right now. If you're looking to meet other people living with type one diabetes, head over to juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise because next June—that's right. 2026, June 21, the second juice cruise is happening on the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship. It's a seven night trip going to The Caribbean. We're gonna be visiting Miami, Coco Cay, Saint Thomas, and Saint Kitts. Yeah. The Virgin Islands. You're gonna love The Virgin Islands.
Sale with Scott and the Juice Box community on a week long voyage built for people and families living with type one diabetes. Enjoy tropical, luxury, practical education, and judgment free atmosphere. Perfect day at Coco Bay, Saint Kitts, Saint Thomas, five interactive workshops with me and surprise guests on type one hacks and tech, mental health, mindfulness, nutrition, exercise, personal growth, and professional development. Support groups and wellness discussions tailored for life with type one, and celebrities world class amenities, dining, entertainment. This is open from every age, you know, newborn to 99. I don't care how old you are. Come out. Check us out. You can view staterooms and prices at juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. The last juice cruise just happened a couple weeks ago. A 100 of you came. It was awesome. We're looking to make it even bigger this year. I hope you can check it out. If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. Listen. Truth be told, I'm, like, 20% smarter when Rob edits me. He takes out all the, like, gaps of time and when I go, "and" and stuff like that. And it just—I don't know, man. Like, I listen back and I'm like, "why do I sound smarter?" And then I remember because I did one smart thing. I hired Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.
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