My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2020 - when we were all in a big lockdown and hospitals were canceling research studies for new patients as they were overwhelmed. We spoke to Bee and stressed how much we wanted our son to participate in a new study with an auto-immune drug called teplizumab. Not only did Bee help explain the trial requirements, but she also liaised with the US company to allow us to participate (when they had temporarily stopped new participants in the US). Bee understood what we needed and went out of her way to get us in the trial!

Since then, we have visited Sheffield for regular checks and trial tests and Bee has treated our son like her own. We all look forward to catching up with her and she brings in board games for him to play whilst here. She is always attentive and goes out of her way to help our son feel at home. Bee also told us about a potential opportunity to highlight the benefits of research in “Balance”, the BDA magazine for diabetics. We were so happy with how our son’s trial experience was going that we were happy to share our experiences and our son was also happy to be interviewed (no mean feat for a 12-year-old pre-teen).

Bee’s happy and friendly demeanor has meant many more participants have joined the research study and, as we approach the end of our trial, we think we will miss Bee the most (we will of course stay in touch). Bee helped us greatly when we thought we would miss out on the trial (as it only accepted participants within 6 weeks of diagnosis) and then became a great friend. She has gone out of her way to make us feel relaxed and comfortable as our son gets used to his new life with diabetes. She is a star!