Chris Dunn got screened for her kids, turns out SHE has type 1 diabetes

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

Diabetes Connections | Type 1 Diabetes
Episode: Chris Dunn got screened for her kids, turns out SHE has type 1 diabetes
Host: Stacey Simms
Guest: Kris Dunn
Date: January 19, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode spotlights Kris Dunn’s extraordinary journey—intending to model proactive health by joining her daughter in Type 1 diabetes (T1D) screening, Kris unexpectedly discovered she herself tested positive for T1D autoantibodies. Already a diabetes mom, advocate, and now staff member at Breakthrough T1D, Kris shares her emotional and clinical journey through diagnosis, staging, and being treated with Tzield, a therapy shown to delay T1D onset. The conversation covers parental experiences, advances in screening and prevention, and what these developments mean for individuals and families affected by T1D.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Family Background and Commitment to Screening

• Kris is a mother of four; two children (Nolan, diagnosed at 2 in 2006; Patsy, diagnosed at 4 in 2012) have T1D, while her other two children, Ellie and Mary Kate, have not been diagnosed.
• Kris speaks candidly about the trauma of her son’s diagnosis and the early years before technological advances (CGMs, pumps) were available.
  • Quote: “There’s no sugar coating how terrible that was... trying to keep our son alive 24 hours a day.” (05:23, Kris Dunn)
• Their first JDRF event a year in provided profound hope and connected them to community.
• Kris emphasizes vigilance: ongoing regular screening for her children without T1D due to their elevated risk and family history.

2. The Unexpected Diagnosis

• Kris had screened negative for T1D autoantibodies as an adult in 2011 and believed she was in the clear.
• In spring 2025, while ordering an at-home screening kit for her youngest daughter Mary Kate, Kris ordered a kit for herself—partly to model behavior and promote adult screening publicly.
  • Quote: “I just ordered a test kit for myself, not thinking... I was just using it as an opportunity to educate people about the importance of screening.” (08:52, Kris Dunn)
• Shock followed when Kris received a call: she was positive for 4 out of 4 autoantibodies.
  • Quote: “It was just a surreal moment. I had to pull my chair over and sit down... She said, well, you were positive for 4 out of 4 autoantibodies.” (09:49, Kris Dunn)
• Kris immediately recognized the importance of timely intervention, especially regarding the disease-modifying therapy Tzield (Teplizumab).

3. Staging, Eligibility, and Tzield Therapy

• Kris underwent staging at the Barbara Davis Center, learning she was in Stage 2 T1D: multiple autoantibodies, dysglycemia, but not yet insulin-dependent.
  • Explanation: The “sweet spot”" for Tzield is the tail end of Stage 2, just before insulin dependency.
• Adults can remain in Stage 2 for years, but timely therapy eligibility is critical since Tzield is only FDA-approved once per lifetime.
• The Tzield infusion is a 14-day process; Kris opted for treatment at Barbara Davis given their expertise.

4. Family Reactions

• Reactions among Kris’s children varied and reflected each child’s temperament:
  • Nolan (with T1D): “Oh, gosh, that sucks.” (14:09, Kris Dunn)
  • Patsy (with T1D): More emotional and supportive.
  • Ellie (no T1D): Traveled to the infusion therapy, participating and supporting.
  • Mary Kate (no T1D): Understood the situation’s weight, but, being 15, perhaps didn’t fully process the enormity.

5. Tzield Infusion Experience

• Days 5 and 6 of treatment were the roughest: flu-like symptoms and rash, but the team made her as comfortable as possible.
  • Quote: “Days five and six felt a lot like a bad case of influenza... But then by the time we hit day seven, it just steadily got a little bit better every day.” (17:52, Kris Dunn)
• Emotional outcome: overwhelming gratitude for advocates, scientists, donors, and the therapy itself.
  • Quote: “I just felt so excited and grateful to have that opportunity... any delay that I get is a win in my book.” (20:06, Kris Dunn)

6. Follow-Up and Results

• Kris had her first follow-up on World Diabetes Day; all markers (A1C, fasting glucose, two-hour oral glucose tolerance test) looked excellent.
  • She continues to wear a CGM and monitor her response; so far, she appears to be a “good responder.”
  • Quote: “So far, it’s looking like I’m a good responder to this therapy. My A1C, fasting blood sugar... all looked phenomenal.” (20:47, Kris Dunn)

7. Reflections, Advocacy, and Screening Advice

• Kris addresses the emotional complexity: instead of wishing she could take her kids’ place, she now also shares the lived experience. However, she ultimately feels grateful for the time she’s gained.
• She uses her role at Breakthrough T1D to directly demonstrate the impact of advocacy and research funding.
  • Quote: “I am working for the organization that funded the development of a therapy that is hopefully changing my life for years to come.” (22:46, Kris Dunn)
• Kris recommends screening for everyone at risk and offers a breakdown of options:
  • TrialNet: for those with a direct family connection, some age limits.
  • ASK Study (Barbara Davis Center): for ages 1 to 99, no family history required; free and available by mail.
  • Through your physician: Possible, but insurance coverage is spotty.
• Kris emphasizes the benefit of delay—even a few years—whether for developmental, logistical, or quality-of-life reasons.
  • Quote: “The gift of time is always going to be a win in my book.” (27:00, Kris Dunn)
• Advocacy update: She’s heading to Capitol Hill to advocate for T1D screening as a covered preventive service.

8. Paying for Tzield

• Kris’s out-of-pocket cost was $0 due to insurance and the manufacturer’s (Sanofi) patient assistance program (Compass).
• Access to support programs is crucial for patients who may not have good insurance coverage.

9. Hope for the Future

• Kris shares research insights: different T1D genotypes respond differently to Tzield; future therapies may be tailored to genotype, offering more personalized and effective delays or prevention down the line.
  • Quote: “The ultimate goal then being that... we have a menu of therapies to choose from to pick the therapy that’s going to be the best and provide the most hope for that particular patient.” (29:00, Kris Dunn)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the shock of her diagnosis:
  "It was just a surreal moment. I had to pull my chair over and sit down..."
  —Kris Dunn, 09:49

• On screening as a parent:
  “I’m just using it as an opportunity to educate people about the importance of screening and about the fact that this is why we don’t call it juvenile diabetes anymore.”
  —Kris Dunn, 08:52

• On gratitude for new therapies:
  “Gratitude to breakthrough T1D supporters who trusted us... gratitude to advocates... gratitude to the researchers. Just so very grateful that this was an option for me.”
  —Kris Dunn, 17:52

• On the emotional reward after treatment:
  “I’m just walking out, hands in the air, like victory. Just felt so excited and grateful... any delay that I get is a win in my book.”
  —Kris Dunn, 20:06

• On the importance of screening and knowledge:
  “I’m always going to err on the side of knowledge is power. And as far as a delay... that gift of time. ...The gift of time is always going to be a win in my book.”
  —Kris Dunn, 27:00

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 05:23 — Kris describes family T1D history and diagnosis stories
• 08:52 — Why Kris got re-screened as an adult
• 09:49 — The call revealing her positive result for 4/4 autoantibodies
• 11:46 — Traveling to Barbara Davis Center for staging and staging details
• 14:09 — Family reactions to Kris' diagnosis
• 17:52 — Experiencing and coping with Tzield infusion
• 20:06 — Emotional impact and outlook post-infusion
• 20:47 — First follow-up results show success so far
• 22:46 — Reflections on working at Breakthrough T1D and being a recipient of Tzield
• 23:26 — How listeners can get screened and available screening methods
• 25:56 — Paying for Tzield and insurance issues
• 27:00 — Kris’s perspective on the value of delaying T1D
• 29:00 — Future directions: genotype-based therapies and personalized treatments

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Additional Resources Mentioned

• Screening Links:
  screenfortype1.com
  BreakthroughT1D.org - Early Detection
  [Ask Study - Barbara Davis Center]
• Tzield (Teplizumab): FDA-approved therapy for T1D delay
• Sanofi Compass Program: Patient assistance for Tzield cost

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Final Shout-Out

• Kris’s organizational shout-out:

  “I think I just have to shout out Breakthrough T1D in general... our introduction to this community completely changed our lives, changed the trajectory of how we handle this disease and is giving me the hope for a future without T1D.” (30:28, Kris Dunn)

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This episode is a must-listen for anyone impacted by T1D—parents, adults, and advocates—to understand the importance of screening, the realities of new therapies, and the rapidly changing landscape of diabetes prevention and care. Kris’s candid experience is both a warning and a beacon of hope.

Transcript

[Stacey Sims]

Support for this episode comes from Dexcom. A very smart doctor told us ages ago, probably close to 19 years ago, when Benny was first diagnosed with diabetes. The person with the most data wins along with the most data. You need good data, and the Dexcom G7 CGM systems are the most accurate sensors on the market, and accuracy is what builds confidence. Benny can make decisions about food and activity in real time, and we can easily follow his numbers remotely. The Dexcom Clarity app shows glucose trends and even a projected A1C in as little as two weeks. This isn't just about seeing numbers, it's about understanding them and living better because of it. Find out [e-mail]. This week on Diabetes Connections. Imagine getting your kids screened for T1D and agreeing to do it yourself, just to set a good example. And then your test is the one that comes back with type one. That's exactly what happened to Kris Dunn. She was positive for all of the autoantibodies and has since been treated with Tzield, the medication shown to delay the onset. We're talking to her about all of that, what the treatment is actually like, how she's doing since, and what her family thinks of the whole thing. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Welcome to another week of Diabetes Connections. I'm your host, Stacey Sims. We aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. If you're listening to this episode just as it goes live, love to have you join us for for a webinar happening tonight. And we're talking about camp. Yeah, I know it is January, but diabetes camps open for registration usually end of January, mid February, and some of them fill up very fast. So if you have questions, there's a link in the show notes. You can join me and Anna Sabino. She is with findingsmiles Coaching. We are both big proponents of camp. Me as a mom of a kid with Type one and Anna as somebody who has lived with Type one since she was a child and has had longtime experiences with camp as a camper and as staff. This is an entirely Q and A webinar. No stuffy presentation, no PDFs to look at.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Just come and bring your questions.

[Stacey Sims]

It's at 8 o' clock Eastern and you can really register right up to the last minute. It's zoom and you know how all of that works.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

I also want to let you know.

[Stacey Sims]

That I will be at the Breakthrough T1D Community Summit in Bethesda Maryland this Saturday. That's in Rockville, Maryland. I will also put a link in the show notes. I'm gonna be moderating a panel talking about the world's worst diabetes stuff and look forward to meeting a lot of you. And we'll be back in that area almost exactly a month later for our very first Mom's night out of 2026. Mom's Night Out, Washington, D.C. is really in Silver Spring, Maryland, and that is happening February 20th and 21st. Don't forget to use the promo code podcast when you register. That's gonna be good all year on all of our Mom's Night out events and Nashville is right behind it on March 6th and 7th. Just click on the Events tab on our website to learn more. All right, Wild story this week, my guest, I knew as soon as I heard this I had to have her on the show. She is Chris Dunn.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

She has two children who live with.

[Stacey Sims]

Type one, a son who was diagnosed in 2006, a daughter diagnosed in 2012.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

She has two other children who don't.

[Stacey Sims]

Have type one, and that's who the.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Screening was supposed to be for.

[Stacey Sims]

I will let Chris tell more of her story.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

She is also the executive director of.

[Stacey Sims]

Breakthrough T1D's Nebraska chapter, and she, along with many other people from Breakthrough 2.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

And are heading to Capitol Hill this week.

[Stacey Sims]

I'm going to link up more information about their trip, about what comes of it, if anything. I'll put that back in the show notes in a couple of days after this episode goes live and I will also be following it on social media. So between being a parent of two kids with Type 1 and volunteering for.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

A very long time and then being.

[Stacey Sims]

Staff for breakthrough T1D, she says the whole experience was just surreal. And you're gonna hear from Chris Dunn right after this. From the very beginning, they mean everything to you. And that means you do anything for them, especially if they're at risk. So when it comes to type 1 diabetes, screen it like you mean it. Even if just one person in your family has type one, you are up to 15 times more likely to get it, too. Screen it like you mean it, because one blood test could help you spot type 1 long before you need insulin. Talk to your doctor about how to screen for type 1 diabetes because the more you know, the more you can do.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

So don't wait.

[Stacey Sims]

Visit screenfortype1.com to learn more.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Again, that's screenfortype1.com Kristan, welcome to Diabetes Connections. It's great to have you here. I'm so happy to have people hear your story. Thanks for being here.

[Kris Dunn]

I welcome the opportunity. Thank you for having me.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

You got it. So you have a bit of an unusual story. I'll steal a little thunder. Here you are getting your kids screened for type one. Turns out, oh, no, you have type one. But let's back up a little bit. You have four kids, two of whom have type one. Tell me about their age as a diagnosis and what that experience was like.

[Kris Dunn]

Absolutely. So my son Nolan was diagnosed at age 2. Um, and that was back in 2006. And there's no sugar coating how terrible that was. You know, that was before we have all of the technology that we have that makes our lives easier and safer. Today, at the age of two, he couldn't articulate when he was feeling high or low, and it was just a pretty terrible experience. Um, he was also d diagnosed in dka, which as your listeners were probably aware, is a. A life threatening condition. So it was a very scary time. And we spent that first year of his diagnosis just feeling like we were living in a hole, trying to keep our son alive 24 hours a day, doing midnights and 3ams every single night. And then we went to our first. What was then JVRF event right about a year after he was diagnosed. And that day changed our lives. It was the first day where we felt hope, where we felt a sense of community with other people who were living the same life that we were living and that we. Where we felt empowered, where we could jump in and make a difference for our son. So it was just so great to be able to connect with other people, people who, who understood what this life was. And then our commitment to. To changing our son's future doubled just a few years later when our daughter Patsy was also diagnosed at the age of four in 2012. We have long valued screening in our family. My son's diagnosis really just cemented for me that I never wanted to live that again of having a child go through dka. So when Patsy was diagnosed, we actually had tried to have her screened through trialnet in 2011, and unfortunately, they just could not get the blood draw. So we did not actually complete the screening. But I was screened at that time and another child, Ellie, was also screened at that time. But, you know, we just had the heightened awareness of the signs and symptoms. We did actually catch her pretty early. So she was never in dka, never had to be hospitalized. So her diagnosis story was very different. And what's interesting today is I. We still see that she has an easier time managing her blood sugar. And the data supports this, that if you're not in DKA at diagnosis, you will have a lifetime of easier blood sugar management. We see that in our own household.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Nolan was diagnosed at 2 in 2006. When. What time of year?

[Kris Dunn]

He was diagnosed in August 2006.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Because Benny was diagnosed in December of 2006. 6. At 23 months. I didn't realize that. Yeah. So we were. We were right there with you at that really fun time of MDI and ketone, you know, checking cotton balls in the diaper and all that fun stuff.

[Kris Dunn]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

The good old days. You were also screened, right, you said with your family at that time or in. In 2011?

[Kris Dunn]

Yep. So I screened in 2011 and I screened negative for all of the auto antibodies. And my understanding at the time had been if you screen negative as an adult, you're good. You're not going to seroconvert as an adult. It's not necessary. So that's how I've been operating under that assumption that I was good. But we continued to get our other two kiddos who don't have T1D screened about every three years was just. I don't know if there's any science behind that, but that's just kind of the routine that we got in, that we would continue to screen them and just have continued to value that.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Right. And we're told that kids do change, that you should continue with the screening with the kids. So how did you find out that you were autoantibody positive? Why did you get screened again?

[Kris Dunn]

So my youngest daughter, Mary Kate, was due to be rescreened last spring, and I was online ordering the test kit to get her screened. And honestly, just as I was doing it, I was thinking, you know, I should just order a test kit for myself so that I could take a picture of the two of us screening. I can post it on LinkedIn, I can post it on Facebook how important screening is, and just trying to educate folks that it's not just for children, that, you know, more than 50% of diagnoses today are adults and that everybody should be screened. And so I was just using it as an opportunity to educate people about the importance of screening and about the fact that this is why we don't call it juvenile diabetes anymore. More than 50% of diagnoses are adults. So just ordered a test kit for myself, not thinking that I was going to see anything concerning on it. I just wanted to be able to promote screening.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Wow. Take me through the next steps. You sent it back. Someone called you. Did they email you?

[Kris Dunn]

Yep. So we sent in our test kit. We. I took my picture with Mary Kate. I posted it just like I planned on LinkedIn and Facebook and got all sorts of engagements. So I was like, all right, we. This is a win. We're promoting screening. And then a couple weeks later, I'm standing in my office at work, I got a standing desk and the phone rang, and obviously I don't. I don't even know why I answered it, because typically if it's a number I don't recognize, I just let it go to voicemail. But for whatever reason, I answered the phone and it was the nurse who worked with the clinical trial that we screened through. And she asked me why I screened. So I explained to her what I just explained to you and your listeners about why I chose to screen. And she said, well, you were positive for 4 out of 4 of the auto antibodies. And it was just a surreal moment. I had to pull my chair over and sit down and just, you know, try to take in what I had just heard. And she said, well, you know, have you heard of T shield? And I said, well, yes, I. I'm very familiar with Tzield. In fact, when the day that TZ yield was FDA approved, I was with some friends and we got champagne and we offered up a toast to the first ever FDA approved disease modifying therapy for type 1 diabetes. You know, in that moment, never imagining this could be something that I would take advantage of in the future. So because I was interested in Tzield, the typical procedure would be that they would send me a test kit to retest to confirm my autoantibody status. But because I was interested in Tzeal, they decided to forego sending that, have me go ahead and make an appointment to come into the clinic where they would confirm my autoantibody status, but also do the staging, because we just didn't know where I was at in the process. And there's a certain window for Tzield, and we didn't want to miss that window. So we went ahead and made that appointment for me to come out for staging.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Wow. I'm going to assume that you were at the proper place in the staging because I know the rest of the story, but did you have to go through the additional testing? I mean, what was that like?

[Kris Dunn]

Yeah, the Ask trial, which I screened through, is through the Barbara Davis center in Denver. I'm located in Omaha. So it's just about an Eight hour drive. So I did go ahead and schedule my appointment with their early T1D clinic and my dad and I drove out there and they just did a bunch of blood work. They confirmed phyto antibody status with the staging. They're basically looking at three things. One, they're looking at your A1C, your fasting blood sugar and then a two hour glucose tolerance test. And based off of those results, there are certain criteria that stage you and I hit every single marker that put me right in what we now call stage two, type one diabetes, which means I have multiple autoantibodies, I have dysglycemia, so I do not have normal blood sugar, but I don't yet need insulin. And that is really the sweet spot for the TZ old therapy. What we didn't know when I left there was where was I at in the process of stage two? There have been some things that I've really learned throughout this process. When we first made the appointment for me to go out for the staging, I think the nurse said, you know, something about part of your visit will be education. And I honestly think I may have rolled my eyes like, okay. I've been a T. Wendy mom for almost 20 years, but I have learned a lot because what I knew was stage three and stage four T. Wendy. I did not know stage two. And one of the things that I learned is that adults can live in stage two for a decade or more. So it can take a long time to progress through stage two for an adult. And the sweet spot for the tzeal infusion is right at the tail end of stage two. So we had to wait to find out my C peptide results, which would tell us exactly how much insulin I was actually producing to determine was I at the right timing for this therapy. Because FDA approval is one time, one time in your lifetime. So you don't wanna mess that up. You wanna make sure that you've got the sweet spot. So we had to wait a couple weeks for my C peptide results to come back and the doctor called and said know, yep, it does look like there's some significant beta cell damage. So if we're going to progress with this therapy, we should probably go ahead and get you scheduled so we don't miss your window.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

What were your kids talking about at this time? The kids with type one, the kids without type one. I imagine that they had some things to say to you or about this whole process. Everybody must have been surprised.

[Kris Dunn]

Oh, everybody was shocked. I will say it's pretty interesting. I feel like My kids that have T1D, their reaction was very similar to how they manage their own type 1 diabetes. So Nolan is very straightforward. Just, I'll do what I need to do. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to chat about it. I'll just, I'll do it. We take care of it. And that's been his reaction. His reaction was like, oh, gosh, that sucks. And then moved on with his day, where Patsy is much more emotional about type 1 diabetes. So she definitely have had a more emotional response to my diagnosis. My daughter Ellie, who has been screened multiple times, who does not have T1D, she actually traveled with me for the infusion, so she was a part of that whole experience.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

And what's your other child's name?

[Kris Dunn]

Mary Kate is my youngest and she's the one that I screened with. And, you know, she's younger, she's 15. So, you know, I think she. She recognizes the significance of this, but I don't think completely can wrap her mind around just how crazy this whole sequence of events has turned out to be.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

And her screening was negative when you screened together, correct?

[Kris Dunn]

Yes.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Yep. I do have to say one aside that made me laugh when you said it was just an eight hour drive. The implication there was that that was kind of reasonable and short, right?

[Kris Dunn]

Yes.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

That's Nebraska.

[Kris Dunn]

Yeah.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

My east coast listeners try to cross the whole speed. My Northeast listeners are like, oh, what? No, no, Ocelo, I can't take on little brain action. That's really funny. Okay, so your beta cells are going kaput. It's time to go. Were you able to have treatment locally because it's a 14 day infusion.

[Stacey Sims]

Right, Back to our conversation in just a minute. But first, a word from our community.

[Holly Widiman]

Hi, my name is Holly Widiman. I've lived with type 1 diabetes for over four decades now, and I'm a medical school professor in Quebec City. For listeners in Canada, I and a team of other experts, many who have Type 1 or are parents of children with Type 1, have created a new free program called Community 1D. We match up small groups of people whose lives are touched by type 1 diabetes. It could be their own, their child's, their spouses, you name it. To connect by zoom, once a month, we assemble groups based on things like when people are available, what languages they speak, and other things they tell us are important to them. It's free and open to any adult in Canada or Canadian citizens and permanent residents living abroad. You can learn [e-mail].

[Kris Dunn]

It is a 14 day infusion. So here locally in Nebraska Children's Nebraska does infuse children pediatric patients. There is a physician who is infusing adult patients here. However, I did choose to go back to the Barbara Davis center for my infusion just because they've done it dozens and dozens of times. They have one of the only early T1D clinics in the nation. They have providers on staff who are part of the initial study for topology mouth. So I did choose to go back there. Luckily, I have incredible support. There's actually a, a friend who was able to donate their Hilton points for me for the first week of my stay. And then my second week of my stay, I have a, a friend who has t Wendy who lives literally 10 minutes from the Barbara Davis Center. So I was able to stay there for the second week. Other than the gas to drive there, it didn't really cost me additional funds to go there.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Yeah, that's great again. And only an eight hour drive. So, you know, no big.

[Kris Dunn]

Only an eight hour drive.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

How do you feel during that? I've talked to one or two people who've had TZL infusions who said it was, you know, it was fine, it was boring. Was it an okay experience?

[Kris Dunn]

Yeah, I guess I'll back up to, like, how I was feeling going into the experience. Going out there, I felt like everybody was asking me, how are you feeling? You know, are you excited? Are you nervous? You know, how are you feeling going into this therapy? And, you know, I had to think about that at first. And then it really dawned on me that it really wasn't either of those things. It was gratitude. And just gratitude to breakthrough T1D supporters who trusted us, who invested their time, talent, treasure with us to make this therapy possible. Gratitude to advocates who lift their voices, to members of Congress who supported the special diabetes program, which also helped to fund the development of this therapy. Gratitude to the researchers. Just so very grateful that this was an option for me. And I think that gratitude carried over into my therapy. Like you were saying, most of the therapy days were just nothing too exciting. It was, you know, my dad went with me and my daughter went with me, and we would play cards or, you know, read books or, you know, listen to podcasts. Days five and six were the rough days for me. I don't know if you're familiar with how the infusion works, but they start off at a very low dose and then day two doubles your dosage from day one, day three, doubles your dosage from day two. And that doubling of your dosage continues until you hit day five. Day five is the first day that you receive the full dose of medication. Then you receive that for the rest of the infusion. So days five and six felt a lot like a bad case of influenza. Body aches and chills and headache and nausea. Something else that's very common with this therapy is a rash. And it seems like everything I hear, it manifests a little bit differently from patient to patient. Mine manifested on the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet, so just a really itchy rash. But they, you know, gave me Benadryl, put on hydrocortisone cream to try to make you a little more comfortable. But then by the time we hit day seven, it just steadily got a little bit better every day and just continued to feel better from there on out.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

What's it like walking out after that 14 day? You know, there's no switch that has been flipped that you can perceive. You don't feel that different, I would imagine. Did anything change for you either physically or, I assume mentally, you felt differently?

[Kris Dunn]

Oh, I mean, I've got this picture of myself walking out of the clinic. My dad was walking behind me and he took the, the picture. But, you know, I'm just walking out, just like hands in the air, like victory. Like, I just felt so excited and grateful to, to have that opportunity, honestly, like, of course, my hope is that I'm a good responder to this therapy and that it gives me a very long delay for my need to start insulin therapy. That after having a front row seat to this disease for nearly 20 years, any delay that I get is a win in my book. So I'm just very, very grateful.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Yeah, yeah. So how do you know what, what. Tell me about the, what happened. Since this is over the summer, we're Talking early in 2026, I have my.

[Kris Dunn]

First follow up appointment on World Diabetes Day. I have follow ups as of right now, every three months. And basically they repeat all of the blood work that I had during that initial staging appointment. And so my first follow up on World Diabetes Day. So far, it's looking like I'm a good responder to this therapy. My A1C fasting, blood sugar, 2 hour glucose tolerance test all looked phenomenal. So we shall see. I go back next month for my next three month follow up and we'll see what those results look like. But I do wear a cgm, so just anecdotally I can see what my blood sugar is doing and I think it looks Pretty good. So we. We shall see what happens when they make me drink that big sugary drink when I come in next month and how I'm continuing to respond. But so far, so good.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Wow, that's like the one you have to do when you're pregnant. The glucose tolerance test.

[Kris Dunn]

Correct. Yeah.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Because we're both moms of kids with type one. I mean, the. One of the things I would think would go through my head if it happened to me would be like, I like you, so grateful. But also like, ugh, why couldn't my kids have this? Right? Cause we all say the same thing. We all say, like, when our kids are diagnosed, I wish I could have this instead of you. Is there a little bit of guilt, a little bit of weirdness going through it this way for you?

[Kris Dunn]

I don't think so. I mean, I know exactly what you're saying. Like, the number of times that I said in my head, I wish it was me instead of you. Well, now it's like, okay, they still get it, but now I get it too. Like that. Gosh, that. That. That really sucks.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Yeah, that's not what I meant.

[Kris Dunn]

Yeah. When I first got the call, I mean, I think there was a little bit of a pity party. Like, I cannot believe this is happening. But now that I've had this therapy and had this opportunity to, you know, have this delay, it's just great gratitude.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Yeah. So tell me about what it's like to do something like this while you're working at Breakthrough T1D. Not just because this has been pretty public and I know you've been posting about it, but you're working at an organization that helped make this possible, that is part of the, you know, the education campaign in its own way. What is that like for you?

[Kris Dunn]

It's pretty crazy. I mean, I am working for the organization that funded the development of a therapy that is hopefully changing my life for. For years to come. And honestly, you know, I. I work on the front lines with our. With our donors and supporters, and I just use this as an opportunity to share with them what their impact is making possible this. Here's a real life story of what your support has done, and I just love that I get to share that with people.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

You said you were screened through a kit, through the mail. Can you talk a little bit about the options? Because I know there's some in person. If someone wants to learn more about screening, what can they do?

[Kris Dunn]

Yeah. So there are multiple ways that folks can screen and they can go to breakthrough21d.org and look at our early detection section of our website and it can walk them through the different options for screening. Basically, there's three options. Today, folks can screen through two clinical trials. One is called Trial Net. You do have to have a direct family connection to qualify for trialnet, and there's also some age limitations with that trial. The trial that I screened through and that my children are screening through currently is Ask, which is through the Barber Data Center. Ages 1 to 99 are eligible for this trial, and you do not have to have a direct family connection to qualify. And if that's something that folks are interested in, they can go to the Ask website. They can select the dropdown menu for test location and select the At Home test kit. And literally it just comes to your house. It comes with the FedEx return bag and label, so it could not be easier. And it's free right now. There are also options to screen through your personal physician. And again, on the Breakthrough T1D website, it outlines the four labs that need to be drawn along with associated diagnosis codes that should be used in order for insurance to cover any of that lab draw. However, because T1D screening is not recommended as a preventative service yet in the United States, insurance coverage of those labs is very hit and miss. Yeah. So until that is recommended as a preventative service, I guess my recommendation would probably be to use trialnet or Ask, unless you know what your insurance is going to cover, because that could be a healthy out of pocket cost. That being said, right now there is an application pending before the United States Preventative Service Task force to have T1D screening approved as a recommended preventative service in the United States. So I am hopeful that at some point that will happen relatively soon. In fact, I am going up to Capitol Hill next week to testify on the Hill about my experience. Maybe that'll inspire that, I don't know. But we are very hopeful that that will get approved at some point in the near future and then more people will have access to screening with insurance coverage.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Do you mind talking a little bit about or in general terms, how people are paying for tzeld? Is there more insurance coverage for it now? Has that changed? Is Sanofi still helping? Because I know this was a question when it was very first approved.

[Kris Dunn]

So as soon as I found out that I had qualified, I was doing two things. One, making contact with the HR department at my employer to see how much coverage this was going to have and applying for support through the Santa Fe Compass program, which is their patient assistance program. To help with coverage of the table physiotherapy and thankfully we had good coverage. I'm forced to work for breakthrough T1D, but also I did qualify for the patient assistance program. So my estimated out of pocket cost for this therapy will be $0.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Oh, that's great. I'm not sure that it makes sense to ask you this question, but I do get a lot of questions from parents about screening and maybe I should broaden that to say adults about screening who are in the diabetes community who, who say like, I, I'll know, right? Like, why would I need to screen if I know my child is going to have this? I, they won't be in dka. Or what is the point of delaying it by two or three years if they're still going to get it? What is your answer to that?

[Kris Dunn]

So, one, I'm not so sold on the fact that they're always going to recognize dka. I know of many families where they had a second child diagnosed and the signs weren't caught and the second child did go into dka. So I'm always going to err. On the side of knowledge is power. And as far as a delay, I mean, I just think about, you know, those years, no matter what stage of life you're in, that gift of time. You know, I think about when my child was initially diagnosed at the age of two, the difference between a two year old who cannot articulate when they're high or low, who doesn't understand that, why they need to eat their food that you just dosed for versus a 5 year old who can do all of those things. That's a big difference. Even if it's an adult, maybe it's a young adult that, you know, wants to have children, the delay that that may give them to be able to have a pregnancy without type 1 diabetes, a teenager who is going through so much life change, and to be able to not have to deal with T1D for a few years during that tumultuous time of those teenage years. The gift of time is always going to be a win in my book.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Yeah. And I don't know if this is just my layperson perception, but I thank you so much. And everyone who has decided to screen and take Tzield either or, because I do think it's an incredible step toward what will ultimately happen. Right. If we're delaying it for three years now, maybe five years, maybe this is a 10 year, or maybe this is something that will lead to an ultimate, the ultimate prevention.

[Kris Dunn]

Right.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

So I'm super optimistic about down the road. And I can't thank folks like you enough for being brave and doing this. So thank you for that. I think it's absolutely incredible.

[Kris Dunn]

Well, thank you. I appreciate that. And if I could actually just share one other thing that you made me think of when you said that. So when I was receiving my therapy, one of the physicians that I was seeing sat and visited with me about his research that he's conducting during my therapy. I thought, what an amazing get to just sit here and listen to this amazing research. So one of the things that he was explaining to me is that they've identified different genotypes of type 1. And what they're now recognizing is that specific genotypes of type 1 are better responders to T zold therapy than other genotypes of type 1. So what they're currently working on are other disease modifying therapies that would be more appropriate for these other genotypes that are not necessarily good responders to Tzield. So the ultimate goal then being that we have somebody that screens positive for autoantibodies. We do further testing, we figure out which genotype they are, and then we have a menu of therapies to choose from to pick the therapy that's going to be the best and provide the most hope for that particular patient. And like you're saying, eventually maybe we have additional therapies. You know, maybe living on another therapy that comes down the pipeline that I'm able to take that continues to delay or prevent me from developing Stage 3 and Stage 4 T1D. And again, this T zeal therapy gives me that option. If I didn't have this, I wouldn't have that option of that future therapy that's coming down the pipeline.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Before I let you go, something new I'm doing for the podcast this year is asking my guests to shout out, explain, mention a diabetes organization that has made a difference to them. Now, it's a little strange asking you, Chris, you're working at Breakthrough T1D. You were treated at Barbara Davis. You can give a shout out to your own chapter. I'm sorry I didn't give you advance warning, but if you've got something you'd like to share, go for it.

[Kris Dunn]

I think I just have to shout out breakthrough T1D in general. Like I mentioned at the beginning, we went to our first, what was then JDRF event right about a year after my son was diagnosed. And our introduction to this community completely changed our lives, changed the trajectory of how we handle this disease and is giving me the hope for a future without T1D. For both myself and for my children who have longstanding T1D love it.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

There is nothing like that first walk or that first summit.

[Kris Dunn]

Agreed.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

When you, when you realize you're not alone. Everybody's beeping. Everybody speaks the same language.

[Kris Dunn]

It's a cool, cool thing. Yes, exactly. Exactly.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Well, Kristin, thank you so much for sharing your story, for continuing to advocate. I wish you well in your trip.

[Stacey Sims]

To the Hill coming up, and I.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Appreciate you spending your time here. We will definitely follow up and get an update. Thanks for being here.

[Kris Dunn]

Yep. Thanks for the opportunity. I appreciate it, As always.

[Stacey Sims]

I'm going to link up more information in the show notes. And again, Chris and the team from Breakthrough T1D are heading to Capitol Hill this week to talk about treatments like T zield and other advocacy issues that Breakthrough T1D addresses. You can follow along on their social channels, of course, and I will, as I said, link back and put some stuff in the show notes here. I've shared before that I was screened through trialnet and came back negative. You know, it's really interesting to listen to Chris, though, because I was screened in my late 30s, kind of like she was. You know, we had a lot of parallels in our story and we're about the same age now. And I wonder, right? Didn't you wonder listening?

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Like, should I do it again?

[Stacey Sims]

So stay tuned on that. I hope to see some of you in Bethesda, Maryland this weekend at the Breakthrough T1D summit there Saturday morning. If you're there, please come say hi. I would love to meet you. Thank you to my editor, John Buchenis from Audio Editing Solutions. Thank you so much for listening. I'm Stacey Sims. I'll see you back here soon. Until then, be kind to yourself.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Diabetes Connections is a product production of Stacy Sims Media. All rights reserved.

[Kris Dunn]

All wrongs avenged.

[Stacey Sims]

Did you know all the sounds used to make that song come from a sight change with the Omnipod 5 automated insulin delivery system.

[Benny's Parent / Co-host]

Pretty cool, huh?

[Stacey Sims]

With Omnipod 5 pump site, changes are simple. The pod lasts up to three days, 72 hours. And to change it, you just fill up the pod with insulin, place it on your body, tap a few buttons in the Omnipod 5 app, and you're ready to go. There's no tubing to prime like with traditional insulin pumps, and it's virtually pain free, so you never have to see or handle the insertion needle. Want to try Omnipod 5 for yourself? Request. Request a free Omnipod 5 starter kit today by visiting omnipod.com diabetesconnections Terms and conditions apply. Eligibility may vary.

[Kris Dunn]

Did you hear the pod drop.