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Julie Keeler, the creator of ACT on College Campuses, sent her then-freshman daughter Kate off to college only two months into her T1D diagnosis. When Julie contacted her daughter’s residence hall director to set up emergency protocols, she was told campus staff were not allowed to receive emergency hypoglycemic notifications or be trained in using glucagon, a life-saving emergency medicine that treats dangerously low blood sugar. (A glucagon sold under the brand name Baqsimi is extremely easy to administer intranasally, similar to Narcan.)

Julie was also told her daughter couldn’t ask a roommate or other student for assistance during hypoglycemic episodes. She was instead told to follow Kate’s blood sugars from home using the CGM, contact her in emergencies, and contact campus security for a well check if needed.

Just two months later, Connor Phillips, another freshman with T1D on Kate’s campus, wasn’t feeling well and died in his dorm room from a severe hypoglycemic event. Connor’s mother called campus security when she couldn’t reach her son. Connor died because his emergency medicine was not administered in time, though it was in reach. If someone on that campus had gotten the alert his mom was getting and been trained, Baqsimi could have been administered minutes before, making all the difference.

ACT on College Campuses was born out of this tragedy. Simple life-saving information and access to medication—similar to EpiPens used during severe allergic reactions or Narcan used during an opioid overdose—could have saved Connor’s life. All these medications can easily be administered by any non-medical professional.