Our reason
Marley Stoneman
Marley should still be here. We are fighting so that no other family ever hears the words we heard — and so no other child dies from a condition a 30-second test could catch.
The Advocacy Heart of Our Movement
A 30-second test could have changed everything.
Type 1 diabetes screening is not part of standard pediatric care in the United States. It needs to be.
The numbers every parent should know.
These aren't abstractions. Every percentage is a child, a family, a moment that could have gone differently.
40%
of American children are in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) by the time Type 1 diabetes is finally diagnosed.
Source: SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study, CDC-funded
19%
the rate in Canada. The U.S. is more than double. This is preventable.
Source: TRIGR Study, JAMA Pediatrics
16%
of children with Type 1 are initially misdiagnosed — most often as the flu, a stomach bug, or a virus.
Source: Clinical Diabetes Journal, 2019
68%
of children whose Type 1 diabetes was initially missed went on to develop DKA — a life-threatening medical emergency.
Source: Clinical Diabetes Journal, 2019
90%
of children who develop Type 1 diabetes have NO family history. Screening only 'at-risk' families misses almost everyone.
Under 5
the age group with the highest rate of DKA at diagnosis. The youngest kids — like Marley — are the most vulnerable.
What's the test?
It is almost insultingly simple. That is what makes this preventable.
Under 30 seconds
A finger-prick blood glucose test is faster than taking a temperature.
Costs pennies
The strips and lancets are inexpensive and already in most pediatric offices.
Not currently routine
It is NOT part of standard well-child visits in the United States.
Autoantibody screening exists
A more comprehensive screening for high-risk identification before symptoms is also available — and free.
Free at-home test kits are mailed nationwide through ASK, TrialNet, and Screen for Type 1. No insurance, no clinic visit, no family history required.
We are not the first family. We refuse to be the last.
Marley's story stands alongside the stories of other children lost to undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes — and the families who turned their grief into action. This is a movement built on their shoulders.
Before us
Reegan Oxendine
16 months old
Reegan died of undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes in 2013. Her family's advocacy led to Reegan's Rule in North Carolina (2015) — the first state law in the country to address pediatric Type 1 diabetes awareness. The bill was originally written to require routine screening at well-child visits; the final version was weakened to only require parent education. The fight her family started is the fight we are continuing.
After us
More families to honor
Too many children have been lost to undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes. As Marley's Movement grows, this space will hold their names and stories. If you have lost a child this way and want them remembered here, we will hold their memory with you.
What we're fighting for.
SCREENING
A simple test, every visit.
Require a routine blood glucose check at well-child visits — the same way we check height, weight, and blood pressure.
EDUCATION
Knowledge in every parent's hand.
Every pediatrician's office should hand parents a one-page "Know the Signs" sheet at every visit — like they do for car seats and safe sleep.
AWARENESS
The Four T's.
Every parent should know the warning signs: Thirsty, Tired, Thinner, Toilet (using the bathroom more often).
No child should die from this.
Every dollar funds awareness, education materials for pediatricians' offices, and the fight to make Type 1 screening standard care.