Geelong to Adelaide for an ultrasound

This is Hamish from Geelong. He is 8 years old and participates in our study (ENDIA) into the triggers of the early stages of type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where, for reasons unknown to us presently, the body attacks pancreas cells that produce insulin. Without insulin, our bodies cannot get the energy needed to function. Dangerously high blood sugars accumulate in the blood, called ketoacidosis, and untreated with insulin therapy, this can lead to serious illness and eventually death.
Hamish, and other children like him with first-degree relatives diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, are helping us by providing samples (blood, poop, wee, swabs), questionnaire data and now ultrasound imagery of the pancreas. This ultrasound study is only happening in Adelaide at the Women's and Children's Hospital, so many of our participants have to travel from across the country to participate! We think this deserves a box of LEGO to say thank you for these efforts, don't you?
We are thankful to Good360 and LEGO Australia for their generous contribution to our program
We will recruit about 40 children from our ENDIA cohort for this ultrasound study and take images of their pancreas once every year for three years. These pieces of the puzzle will hopefully unlock the answer to the question "What causes type 1 diabetes?" so we can then find ways to prevent it in future generations.