An Unexpected Path

Karen Drexler

Diabetes.

The disease fills me with dread. It ended my childhood and set the direction for my career. And I don’t even have it – yet.

Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who was sick. I lost two grandparents before I could remember them, but the other two were healthy. When my father suddenly became ill while I was in high school, I was devastated. He was a Depression-era baby who always thought the sky was about to fall, but he and I were close, and the thought of losing him made high school proms and graduation activities seem trivial.

My father was diagnosed with diabetes. He was fifty years old and slightly obese. Based on his age, it was assumed he had Type 2 – what used to be called adult-onset – diabetes. He was sent home from the hospital with orders to stick to a specific diet at rigid intervals, use urine dipsticks to measure sugar levels, and inject himself with insulin multiple times a day. It was clear right away that this regimen wasn’t working. A few short years later, after descending into a coma more than once, he died of a massive heart attack – a complication of his diabetes. I learned later that my father probably had late-onset Type 1 – what used to be called juvenile-onset – diabetes. He was prescribed far too much insulin due to this misdiagnosis, which caused the repeated comas and ultimately damaged his heart beyond repair.

His struggles with diabetes caused me to shift my focus from energy to health care. I came to the GSB to put my engineering studies behind me and gain the credentials to work on health-related problems. Early in my first year, I learned about LifeScan, a start-up in the diabetes space. I networked my way in (fortunately, the company was in Mountain View, a short drive away) and did a project for Professor Wheelwright’s class that spring. That led to a summer job, a full-time position, and eventually, a whole career.

LifeScan was the first company to develop home blood glucose monitoring that was actually designed for home use. If you have diabetes and you know your blood glucose level, you can be more flexible with what you eat and when. You can also optimize your insulin injections accordingly. You can’t do any of these things if you’re using urine dipsticks – the only tool my father had. I was fortunate to join the company early, and during my eleven-year tenure, I helped grow the business from zero to a billion dollars in revenue, selling its products to Johnson & Johnson along the way.

While I was at LifeScan, diabetes struck my family again. During her first pregnancy, my sister was diagnosed with gestational diabetes – elevated glucose levels that can harm the baby. My sister really struggled with fingersticks and didn’t manage her diabetes well. She had a difficult pregnancy and a baby who landed in the NICU for a while. I was driven to work on better solutions for people with diabetes.

I left LifeScan because I had new ideas the company didn’t want to pursue. Innovation was becoming harder as LifeScan approached the billion-dollar mark and its contributions to Johnson & Johnson became more significant. I started another company in the diabetes space, focused on reducing the pain and inconvenience of blood glucose testing. Once, while observing a focus group of people with diabetes discuss their needs, a little old lady came up to the window she knew we sat behind. She held up her fingers, which were black and scarred from fingerstick sampling. She had just tried our new product and mouthed the words “thank you” into the glass as tears ran down her face. Wow. I can still picture that moment.

When my sister got pregnant for the second time (this time with twins), I had something new to offer her. Once again, she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I was able to cajole her into using my new product regularly by first trying it on her then five-year-old. When he didn’t cry, she figured it was safe and was willing to use it. Her pregnancy was much healthier; her blood glucose levels were well controlled, and she delivered healthy twins, each weighing over six pounds and requiring no special care. Making that kind of impact on people – including my own family – is what has driven me to invent new things and find solutions to real problems in the healthcare world.

Throughout my career, I have continually been involved in, on the board of, or advising companies working to improve life for people with diabetes. Losing my father was a terrible blow, but I am grateful that it set me on the path to the GSB and to helping people with diabetes.