Hi! My name is Danielle and I am fundraising for my amazing and brave friend Ellyn Hamp.

Ellyn is a 13 year old from Canada and lives with her mother, father, younger brother and uncle. I have known Ellyn her whole life and although we are not related by blood, I call her family. She's that dear to me!

Since the day Ellyn was born, she has seized any challenge put before her. She sees a big tree and figures out how to climb it. She has tackled so many new skills at her young age (like cross-stitch, rock climbing, basketball, and trombone, just to name a few) that I am very confident Ellyn will face her new circumstances with the same determination and resilience. Oh, did I mention that Ellyn has lived in Thailand for the last 10 years with her family and she speaks Thai?

At the end of May of this year, Ellyn was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile onset diabetes mellitus).

Thankfully, international medical insurance covered the cost of Ellyn’s hospitalization (2 days in ICU and 3 more in hospital). However, on June 10, the family was informed that their medical insurance will only provide coverage of medical equipment up to a one-time amount of $1000 USD. Annually, insurance will contribute $3000 USD toward the cost of medication (i.e. insulin) and routine medical visits related to Type 1 diabetes. Though these funds will help to offset the cost of maintaining Ellyn's health, they pale in comparison to the real cost of managing this illness. Monitoring devices are are also essential and make up the bulk of the total cost for treating this disease.

Thanks to modern medicine, the gold standard for monitoring diabetes has advanced tremendously with the introduction of the automated insulin pump and the continuous glucose monitor . These two electrical devices will work together to continuously monitor Ellyn's glucose and insulin levels to deliver insulin when needed. This will allow Ellyn to continue her journey into adolescence without having to take several blood tests daily to figure out how much insulin to deliver throughout the day. She will wear them both 24 hours a day and they do all the work. In fact, these devices can greatly reduce diabetes complications like diabetic ketoacidosis, reduce the risk of long-term complications, give her more flexibility with meals and exercise, and give Ellyn the best possible health protection. Ellyn's pump is scheduled to be installed on August 4th and her set-up process (adjusting the rates, ratios, correction factor and target range) will then begin.

So why not move back to Canada where the majority of these medical costs would be covered? For the moment, Ellyn's family feel it is best to stay were they are until Ellyn finishes her secondary school education. They have faith that God's plan, the one that sent them to Thailand in the first place, is still unfolding and remains the plan for the time being. The anticipation is that Ellyn's family will continue to serve in the very important role of providing mental health care for Christian cross-cultural workers (those engaged in development work, crisis response, education, literacy, etc.) in Thailand and that Ellyn will return to Canada after graduation in 2030. Following this, she will gain access to Canadian medical coverage after a several-month waiting period. So, in the meantime, Ellyn needs our support for the next 5.5 years (65 months).

It is possible to provide Ellyn with the equivalent Canadian standard of care in Thailand. The upfront cost of the insulin pump and connected continuous glucose monitor in Thailand is comparable to accessing it privately in Canada or the USA (when including the cost of airfare back to Canada). The initial purchase cost is $10,500 CAD and the maintenance cost of these devices is $700 CAD per month. Based on this projection and associated health needs, Ellyn’s personal medical costs over the next 65 months are estimated to total $99,500 CAD. Here is a quick breakdown in CAD:

Insulin pump: $10,500

Maintenance of pump and monitoring devices for 5.5 years: $45,500

Insulin and routine medical visits: $24,000

Estimated associated medical expenses (such as medical supplies, specialist care, blood tests, and dietary maintenance): $19,500

Total expenses: $99,500

Estimated insurance coverage: $24,000

*Bonus from Kevin's (Ellyn's dad) employer: $5,000

Personal donations already received: $12,000

Total projected and received funds towards expenses: $41,000

Total funds that still need to be raised: $58,500

*This bonus was provided to acknowledge the value of her dad's work in Thailand. Her parents are grateful they could choose to contribute it towards Ellyn's medical expenses.

If you are a current supporter of Kevin through YFC, the family is very thankful. If you would rather go through YFC to support Ellyn in order to get a tax receipt, please contact them directly or send me a message (see link below) and I will send you Kevin's contact information. Note: these donations via YFC are not for Ellyn's medical costs but rather to cover the costs of the Kevin's ministry in Thailand (these costs include salary and benefit expenses).

This fundraiser offers an opportunity to help Ellyn on this journey. If you wish to make a automated monthly donation as well or instead, please reach out to me and I will provide the dedicated bank account information. All contributions will be kept in a separate, dedicated bank account for this fund only and all gifts received will be used only for the disclosed designated purpose of treating Ellyn's diabetes. Accounting records will be kept in case of any enquiry. Under Canadian income tax law, no income tax receipt can be issued for GoFundMe donations. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me (see link below).

I have so much faith that Ellyn has abundant support from her many loved ones. She truly is a remarkable young person and I know her community will show up and love her through this. Stay tuned for updates on Ellyn's progress, as we journey alongside her. On behalf of Ellyn and her family, thank you!

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1