Izzy's Dexcom and diabetes supplies

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes over 10 years ago at the age of 10.  While for years diabetes had been a source of pain and struggles, the death of my dad last year really changed everything. After my dad passed away, I lost my insurance. I applied for state insurance, was approved, and quickly learned how to navigate the healthcare system on my own. Unfortauntely, the insurance company refuses to cover some of my most basic needs as a type 1 diabetic. For example, they claim that a continuous glucose monitor (which has saved my life a number of times by waking me up in the middle of the night when my sugar goes low) is a "luxury item".  While I have tried to appeal the insurance company, each time I have been denied with the explanation that I am not a "priority" because I am not under the age of 18.

Through this process I have had to learn how to advocate for myself, but unfortunately no matter how prepared I may be, despite how much my doctor acknowledges I need it, the insurance company still has all the power and they still say no. They don't understand all the things I have to go through by virtue of having diabetes--the finger sticks, the multiple injections a day, the waking up every 3 hours to drink a juice box because my blood sugar is low, etc. (and that is just the beginning...) They don't know about how many times a continuous glucose monitor has saved my life. They don't know what I've been through or anything about my story, and quite frankly none of that matters because I'm just a member ID number in their system.

So with all the denials from the insurance, it became clear that if I was going to get a continuous glucose monitor (Dexcom) I would have to pay for it on my own, without help from the insurance. So this past winter, my mom paid out of pocket for the first six months of Dexcom supplies, but we cannot afford to keep shelling out thousands of dollars every six months. So I am appealing to you, for donations to help me cover my Dexcom costs. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with CGMs, the way that a Dexcom works is every week I insert a sensor with a little wire under my skin. This wire then connects to a transmitter which reads my blood glucose level every 5 minutes. The transmitter then sends the readings to a receiver which tracks the numbers and creates a graph with the trend of my glucose readings. When my sugar peaks above a certain number, or drops below a certain number the receiver vibrates to inform me that my sugar is above or below an appropriate level. When I say this has saved my life numerous times, I mean the way in which when my blood sugar drops below 70 my Dexcom buzzes and beeps until I wake up, eat something, and turn off the notification. Without this function, I instead would just sleep through my low blood sugars and possibly go into diabetic shock (seizures) and ultimately a coma. This feature of my CGM is especially life saving as a college student living alone with no one to help me if I did go into diabetic shock. 

For this reason, it is really important to me and my health that I continue to have my Dexcom. Any donations that you can make to help me fund my Dexcom supplies for the next 12 months would be greatly appreciated.