In May of 2008 I was suddenly struck down with ill health, it turned out that I had organ failure of the Pancreas more commonly referred to as Type 1 Diabetes. Unfortunately Diabetes has a connotation to thinking of people who did not or do not care for their health. In reality just 5% of diabetics actually suffer from the complete organ failure I have endured; of those only 2% are insulin resistant and uncontrolled. Some people know that my wife and I are born on the same day, same year. To wake each day knowing I am projected to die 11 years before her is a gap I hope to close. My family has struggled to cover the costs of insurance premiums and medication costs and after losing insurance due to inability to make payments visiting new doctors and affording the insulin drifted away. Nationally 27% of Type 1 Diabetics cannot afford their life saving medications and must rely on the generosity of providers gifting manufacturers samples and friends or family with the illness overstating their needs to share their insurance covered insulin. Last year a young father named Shane died after a gofundme campaign to buy life saving insulin fell short $50. At $9,400 per gallon insulin is the 6th most expensive liquid on Earth. I am forced to pay this price to stay alive and the worst part is that my body has developed a resistance, now the drugs often do not work properly in my system. There have never been comprehensive studies to see the far reaching implications of life long insulin therapy, only profit projections. My wife works 3 jobs and I have lost many more due to this disease and the efforts we make to cover the costs have left us hopeless at age 27. Our lives feel on hold and unsustainable as we face mounting costs of living with a unspeakably high monthly medical cost; our dreams for stable living or even retirement seem far gone especially as over the last 6 years my wife has had to ignore caring for multiple health issues due to my health always taking center stage. If I could receive a Pancreas Transplant my life could begin to unfold in a way that could allow me to provide for my family and explore my own potential in ways that are currently out of reach but I am not currently healthy enough to be on the donor list. Pancreas Transplants are among the least expensive of organ transplants and over 5 years prove 91% effective in curing type 1 diabetes. I have had two near death complications and hospitalizations in the last 3 months due to inability to buy insulin. In both instances my 3 year old daughter Amilia and my wife Natolie have come home to find me in a coma state or near death. This is not the life I want for myself or my family and we deserve the chance to live a life without fearing what each day will bring all so that the insulin companies can continue to profit. Unfortunately I own over $25,000 of pumps and continuous glucose monitoring devices that could have helped me avoid the gurney but the astronomical costs of the infusion sets to link them to my body means for the last 5 years I have been manually injecting every dose by hand and using test strips 10+ times per day. There are programs that could help but with the cost of living in Austin the work my wife and I do to pay our rent and daycare costs alone restricts us from any state or federal medical aid. Not only do I beseech you all in helping to make a sustainable life our reality but to honor Type 1 Diabetes Awareness by sharing with friends, family, and loved ones so we can find viable cures for this costly and straining disease. So much money is poured into research each year for a cure yet so few are taking advantage of the available organ donations that could save lives and end the daily risk that so many uncontrolled type 1 diabetes face. This situation has become such a burden to my family that my wife feels like a failure that despite working multiple jobs she is still unable to afford even the basic care for my diabetes in conjunction with other living costs and has struggled with depression since she first had to take the reigns of caring for this illness with me at age 21. I do wish there was more distinction in labeling diabetes because if we called it Autoimmune Pancreatic Organ Failure it would seem access to the organ donor list would be more prevalent, but this is at least a place to start.  If your heart feels led, continuing to make payments for insulin, syringes, and test strips is a huge part of keeping me alive so that I can be there to walk my daughter down the aisle and enjoy every day of my life and beautiful wife without fear of an untimely premature death.  In honor of my wife's dear friend Blair, who has helped keep my alive by sponsoring insulin over the last year, I wanted to launch this campaign on this date to honor the memory of her partner Corey who tragically lost his life 1 year ago today due to complications of Type 1 Diabetes at age 31.  Many diabetes related deaths are not calculated properly but it is estimated that 12% of US annual deaths are due to diabetes, which would make it the 3rd leading cause of death in this nation only surpassed by cancer and heart disease. There are at least 2.2 million dying from Diabetes each year that may not even know or have been considered for this treatment so even if you cannot contribute to my case in particular maybe sharing this story could save the life of someone you love.   When I immigrated to the United States from South Africa at age 9 it was in hope that I could have a brighter future, but now I am facing no future at all.  Thank you all for your enduring support and for helping to raise awareness of Type 1 Diabetes Respectfully yours, Tyron Bester Father & Husband