Fifty years ago, diabetes was a disease that ruled your life. Every meal, every outing, every night’s sleep came with the fear of dangerously low blood sugar or the long-term complications of the disease. For many, the diagnosis meant living with constant planning and uncertainty.
Then came the Edmonton Protocol.
Developed at the University of Alberta 25 years ago by Dr. James Shapiro and his team, the Edmonton Protocol changed the way the world treated Type 1 diabetes. By transplanting insulin-producing islet cells into patients, the protocol allowed people to reduce or even eliminate their need for insulin injections. It was a breakthrough that gave thousands of people around the world something they had almost forgotten how to imagine—freedom.
Jennifer’s Story: From Fear to Freedom
Jennifer Coleman was just 11 years old when she was diagnosed with diabetes. In the 1970s, management tools were primitive, urine tests and a chemistry set instead of the continuous monitors available today. Every bite of food, every bike ride, every night’s sleep had to be carefully calculated. “Nothing was spontaneous in my life. Everything was always planned,” she remembers.
By her forties, Jennifer’s blood sugar dropped so low at night that her husband had to wake her to drink juice, sometimes shaking her violently just to rouse her. “If your insulin gets too low, you can end up in big trouble,” she says.
That all changed in 2018, when Jennifer underwent an islet cell transplant through the Edmonton Protocol. “The scariest thing was when Dr. Shapiro told me I could stop taking insulin. That terrified me. But then I stopped, and it’s been smooth sailing.”
Today, Jennifer lives without the constant burden of insulin and she’s watching with excitement as research moves forward to make the treatment even safer and more effective.
Mary Anna’s Story: Living Fully Again
For Mary Anna Pokerznick, diagnosed at age 11 in 1985, diabetes was overwhelming. She remembers doctors telling her to lower her expectations for life, that she might not be able to hold a job or attend university. But she refused to accept that future.
By the late 1990s, Mary Anna’s hypoglycemic unawareness put her life in constant danger. She connected with Dr. Shapiro and became one of the early patients to receive the Edmonton Protocol. Within weeks of her transplant, she was off insulin.
“It was like night and day,” Mary Anna recalls. “The quality of life you get when you don’t have to take insulin is like an addiction. Once you’ve experienced it, you want more.” She’s had multiple transplants since then, each giving her back the freedom to live fully, from travelling abroad to swimming with dolphins with her daughter, something she says would have been impossible before.
The Next Chapter: A Cure Within Reach
The Edmonton Protocol, developed in 1999, became known around the world and is still used today. But the research didn’t stop there. Building on that foundation, Dr. Shapiro and his team are now pursuing the next bold step: the Autologous Stem Cell Islet Transplants for Diabetes protocol, supported by donors to the University Hospital Foundation.
This research takes the Edmonton Protocol one step further. Instead of relying on donor islet cells, stem cells are extracted from the patient, reprogrammed into insulin-producing cells, and then implanted back into the patient.
This breakthrough would mean two extraordinary things:
For Jennifer, Mary Anna and millions of others living with diabetes, what is an exciting scientific breakthrough to some, is the hope of a life without limits.
Why Donor Support Matters
While the original Edmonton Protocol was a world-changing achievement, today’s progress toward a cure is fuelled by donor generosity. With support from the University Hospital Foundation, Dr. Shapiro’s team is advancing the Autologous Stem Cell Islet Transplants for Diabetes protocol—research that could finally end the cycle of diabetes forever.
The Edmonton Protocol has saved countless lives. And thanks to donor support, the next chapter could change the future of diabetes for good.
