Jennifer Benton, a mother to 20-month-old Kalia has perfected a routine for testing Kalia's blood sugar. It's a routine repeated 10 times a day, that started on June 30, 2017 when Kalia was rushed to the emergency room at Children's Hospital in Seattle. Her blood sugar levels were above 600, almost six times the normal level. After days in the intensive care unit, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Jane Buckner, MD, who has been studying autoimmune diseases for more than 20 years says genetics play a part, but that is not the whole story. She says research has shown people of northern European decent have a higher rate of type 1 diabetes, and although there are no clear answers as to why, Dr. Buckner says people living in the northwest also have an increased risk of type 1 diabetes along with other autoimmune diseases. Environmental factors are also a key focus for research and how they contribute to autoimmune diseases.

Watch the whole story at Q13Fox.com.