Cary was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 10 years old, 24 years ago. He used needles to administer insulin for years, frequently testing his blood sugars with finger pricks, until he was 15 and got his first Medtronic insulin pump, the closest thing to having a working pancreas at the time. Over the years pumps have evolved, ever-improving the control a diabetic can hope to have over their blood sugars, and subsequently, moods and body pains. At the age of 31 Cary got his first-ever continuous glucose monitor (CGM), a sensor that inserts into his skin and tests his blood sugars continuously throughout the day to communicate to his pump. This magical device allows him to look at his pump at any given moment to view his current blood sugar levels. Amazing, right?
As I said before, pump technology is constantly improving, and with improvements, flaws in past devices become crystal clear.
Even with a CGM, Cary pricks his fingers many times a day to test his sugars. His current Medtronic pump requires calibrations with a finger prick test every 12 hours... in a perfect day. Until calibration, he cannot easily view his blood sugars. We have also found that many times the pump readings vary greatly from the finger prick tests, leading us to wonder how far off the pump is throughout each day? There is a list of specific items with his current pump that leaves Cary frustrated and feeling helpless.
While chatting with a man running a booth at an Overlanding expo this past February, I noticed a tube coming out of his pocket. "Sir, do you have diabetes?" I asked, and he brought out his pump to share. "T:Slim" they call it: smooth, small, shiny, and touch screen. It looks like a sleek new phone compared to Cary's clunky dell computer he carries around in his pocket. When we shared that Cary is also Type 1, the man started showing us how the T: slim works. "Here, I'll show you what a bolus(dose of insulin) looks like," and he tap, tap, tapped his way right to the bolus screen. Cary's eyes went wide. "What you just did would take me 5 minutes to accomplish on mine, and then I get distracted between buttons and forget entirely what I was doing!" From this moment on, Cary was sold. His clunky, slow-to-load desktop in a pocket has been a godsend, but even it slows him down.
Living life as a diabetic is... a hassle, I'll say. You can't always eat your food right when it's ready. You or your loved ones perform "diabetic math" at every meal. Exercise can be deadly. Plans can be changed in an instant. All your fingers are decorated with tiny dots, black with scabs. Getting ready for trips requires more supplies than all your friends. Not to mention, diabetes is absolutely, ridiculously expensive; products are not entirely covered by insurance, but even if a portion is covered, there is still a large bill to pay each month. Getting the best insurance for this disease is a grand expense on its own!
The fact of the matter is, I adore Cary very much. I see what he lives with every single day, and my hope is to make it much easier. With this new pump, his fingers can finally heal because it requires no finger pricks - it's that accurate! The monthly supplies are about $300 cheaper. There are numerous intelligent settings that will correct insulin doses when he forgets to bolus for a stem of grapes, that will stop delivering insulin when he's going low so he doesn't die, or that will put him in different "modes" appropriate to his activity.
The short and long-term benefit of this new pump is better control over diabetes. This will improve Cary's overall health - he'll feel better day-to-day, reduce his risk for all diabetes-related ailments like retinopathy and limb amputation, extend his potential life span, and relieve a little bit more of the daily stresses of living with a deadly disease.
Cary is prepared to pay for this pump entirely by himself. I say this man deserves a financial break when it comes to having to pay for a disease he was born with and he's been carrying the financial burden for many years already. The startup cost of switching to this pump, including the pump and 1st month's supplies, is only $6,000, and unfortunately, his high-deductible insurance plan won't cover a lick of it. He doesn't have this cash on hand, and would therefore have to put 35% down and start a payment plan. Another diabetic-related monthly payment is not what Cary needs. What he needs is the opportunity to live as carefree a life as possible, and I believe this pump will be another step towards that freedom.
Would you please consider donating a few of your extra bucks to help us pay for this pump by March 28th this year?