Packaged up my poop....

Okay, so this might seem like a weird post to begin with - but just hear me out! =)

So when my Little Guy was just born and we were in the hospital, someone came around and asked me if they could take a sample of his blood from his heel draw and test it for Type I Diabetes (which for those of you who don't know is the juvenile onset kind and different than what most people get as adults). I was kinda interested because my uncle has had it for about 55 years, so I said yes and then pretty much forgot about it. 

Two months later I got a call from them - The TEDDY Study people - and they told me that my Little Guy has a higher genetic risk for developing Type I Diabetes and they'd like to know if we'd be willing to join a study. They sent me out some paperwork and the Big Guy and I looked it over (okay... mostly I looked it over) and decided it was doable and signed up.

The TEDDY (The Environmental Determinates of Diabetes in the Young) Study follows kids ages newborn-15 years trying to determine if there is a link between an environmental factor(s) and a child with a higher genetic risk to develop diabetes. Obviously not all children with that risk actually develop it. They are studying children in Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, Gainesville and Germany, Finland and Sweeden.

What we do - we meet with them 4 times a year for a blood draw and so they can collect any paperwork, water samples, etc that we were supposed to do. Once a month I have to collect a poop sample from the Little Guy and mail it off. Haha - we get a $10 check in the mail every time we do this and my DH thinks its totally gross, but I think it's kinda funny!

What we get - We don't really get anything in return except that we're helping kids in the future - hopefully they will learn what triggers the onset of Type I Diabetes and be able to prevent it in the future. Yeah... we get a few bucks here and there, but it's not like we're going to get rich on it. Also, if the Little Guy starts to develop symptions, we'll know. Those blood draws 4 times a year are testing for antibodies that might be building up and that will show up first. Knowing that information ahead of time could prevent a hospital visit and a very sick little boy.

So.... I packaged my poop up today and I have to make it to the post office to drop it in the bin. =) It's kinda a hassle, but for a good cause.

Want more information? Visit the TEDDY study website.