Type 1 Diabetes, Islet Cell Transplants & Insulin Independence
What if living with Type 1 diabetes didn’t have to mean a lifetime of insulin injections, glucose monitoring, and constantly planning around blood sugar?
This week on The Well Known Podcast, Shannon Conklin sits down with Katie Beth Hand, a Type 1 diabetes advocate who became insulin independent following an experimental islet cell transplant, and Patricia Silverstein, co-founder of the Silverstein Dream Foundation.
After 13 years of managing Type 1 diabetes, Katie Beth participated in a University of Chicago clinical trial involving islet cell transplantation and an investigational immunomodulatory medication. She shares what life was like before the procedure, how she found the trial, and what it feels like to live without daily insulin.
Patricia shares the personal story behind her foundation, her sister’s experience with Type 1 diabetes complications, and why funding clinical research is so important to making emerging treatments accessible to more people.
Together, they explore the science, the challenges, and the possibility of a very different future for people living with Type 1 diabetes.
What You’ll Learn
Why Type 1 diabetes can develop in adulthood and why managing it involves much more than insulin.
How an islet cell transplant helped Katie Beth become insulin independent.
Why immunosuppressive medications have historically limited transplantation options.
How the Silverstein Dream Foundation is helping expand access to clinical research.
The financial, regulatory, and scientific barriers between promising clinical trials and widely available treatment.
Connect with Katie Beth Hand and Patricia Silverstein: SilversteinDreamFoundation.com
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Chapters:
00:00 Meet Katie Beth Hand and Patricia Silverstein
01:00 Katie Beth’s unexpected Type 1 diabetes diagnosis
03:00 The daily reality of managing blood sugar
06:30 Patricia’s sister and the origins of her advocacy
12:45 How Katie Beth found the clinical trial
15:00 Life after insulin: what changed?
16:00 The science behind islet cell transplantation
19:00 Expanding the trial through the Silverstein Dream Foundation
21:00 Why clinical research needs funding
26:00 Could this treatment help other transplant patients?
29:00 What stands between research and accessibility?
32:00 Raising $420,000 for diabetes research
37:00 A new approach to long-term treatment
40:00 The surprising changes in Katie Beth’s health
42:00 What freedom from daily diabetes management feels like
43:00 How patients and supporters can get involved
45:00 What wellness means to Patricia and Katie Beth
46:30 Living with purpose and looking toward the future
Patricia Silverstein
Board Chair & CEO of Silverstein Dream Foundation
Patricia Silverstein is the Board Chair and CEO of the Silverstein Dream Foundation, where she leads efforts to advance diabetes research, prevention, and access to emerging therapies. Originally from Barcelona, she built an international career in sales leadership, executive coaching, and human-centered development before relocating to New York.
Her work in diabetes advocacy became deeply personal after her younger sister experienced life-threatening complications from the disease. That experience led Patricia to launch the Hamptons Garden Gala in 2021, which has raised more than $1 million to support medical research and innovation.
Under her leadership, the Silverstein Dream Foundation funds academic research, early-stage health technology, and programs focused on diabetes prevention, nutrition, and metabolic health. Patricia also serves on the Board of The Cure Alliance and has been recognized for her leadership in advancing diabetes research and prevention.
Katie Beth Hand
Ambassador Diabetes Health
Katie Beth Hand is a passionate advocate for the type 1 diabetes community, using her personal experience to raise awareness, build connections, and inspire hope for others living with the disease. As a participant in the Eledon clinical trial, she has become a powerful voice for the future of T1D research — helping shed light on the promise of emerging therapies and the patients whose lives stand to be transformed by them. Through her ongoing advocacy work, Katie Beth champions expanded access to clinical trials, broader public understanding of T1D, and a stronger, more supported community for those affected by the disease.
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