Jaden

Jaden is a sweet 7 year old boy who was diagnosed at age 4 with Type 1 diabetes.  He loves to play with trains, write stories, create art and play with Legos.  Jaden is raised by a single mother who receives little financial support from the Father.  As  a special education teacher, Jadens mother does not have a salary to brag about but it does meet their basic needs.  Unfortunately Jadens medication, with a large premium and high deductible health insurance, currently cost over $600 every three months minimum, not including his quarterly visits to the Endocrinologist.  Having diabetes Jaden goes through frequent highs and lows and just had a recent scare where he was taken to the ER.  Luckily with the grace of God everything was fine and Jaden continues to be the happy smart sweet boy that he is.  His highs are detrimental to the future health of his organs and this is a chronic life-long disease and his lows are frightening. 

Luckily for diabetics Modern medicine has created the Dexcom, a wearable device, which has been approved for children and is a continuous glucose monitor where Jadens mother and grandparents will be able to observe Jadens sugars throughout 24 hours. His blood glucose will be tracked every five minutes and will inform the monitor if he is sugar is on the rise or on the decline.  This will then inform care-givers and Jaden if he needs a snack, or insulin to keep his blood sugar in his target range.  The use of the Dexcom will also reduce the need for finger pricks, where he receives an average of 10 a day.  The Dexcom also alerts caregivers with an alarm if he is going into a danger zone.  This will allow his mother and grandparents to sleep peacefully and not have to wake up frequently to perform the 2. a.m blood sugar check.

Along with the Dexcom, a tubeless insulin pump, also a wearable device, called the Omnipod works really well for providing insulin.  The pump has to be changed every three days which will reduce the need for shots and rotating shot sites.  Currently Jaden receives a minimum of 5 shots a day as long as does not eat outside of his 3 calculated meals.   If sites are not rotated the fat cells and body tissues scar and are no longer a viable place to inject shots.  This scar tissue can last a life time.  Jaden has already had off limit sites due to scarring.  A seven year old body does not have much fat or shot sights to rotate through!  Giving Jaden an Omnipod will be like giving him an outside pancreas.  It is the closest thing to being typical.  He will be able to have a snack without having a shot!  With the combination of the Omnipod and Dexcom Jaden will be able to better track his sugars and keep them in a more normal range.  This will allow him to have a more typical, healthier lifestyle!

Please check out the sites for more information on the Dexcom and Omnipod. 

Below are the figure of the devices needed to improve Jadens quality of life.  Please remember this is an ongoing costly disease so anything that you contribute to help will go to use for his medications and devices and will be greatly appreciated.  Thank you and God Bless.

Ms. Curwoods annual deductible is $3,500 and after that is met she pays twenty percent of the costs with her coinsurance.  She has a maximum of $9,000 out of pocket for the year. 

G5 Dexcom transmitter and receiver, (automatic 24-7 BG reader transmitting to receiver and up to 5 cell phones with 4 starter sensors.  $1196.22

Replacement sensors monthly. Replace sensor every 7 days. Monthly cost.  $309.40

($61.98 per month after annual deductible is met in full)

Replacement transmitter every month $411.74

($82.35 when deductible is met in full)

 

OMNIPOD

Omnipod bolus insulin delivery start up unit:  $1750.00

Omnipod injector pod box of 10 to be changed every 3 days.

1 month supply $580.00 supply.       

                                                                                                                     

Initial costs for both devices: $2946

Monthly Supplies cost insulin pods and sensors and 6 month transmitter:   $1300