My family’s Type-1 journey began in 2003 when my oldest son Ronan was diagnosed at the age of 18months. Like most people who find out their kid has Type-1, my wife and I had no idea what it was. One of the first things were told was “don’t worry, there will be a cure in 5 years”! Well we all know that hasn’t happened. We were also told the chance of having a second child contract the disease was almost unheard of. Our second son Cormac contracted Type-1 at the age of 2 in 2005. We were very supportive of the JDRF in Australia to help find a cure while we lived there, but became to question why there wasn’t more focus on an “artificial pancreas” solution to help kids control their blood/sugar levels much easier than was the norm. 

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Fortunately for us while still in Australia we were able to get both our boys onto insulin Pumps which they are still using today. While these have been great for both of them, they still had to ensure they stayed on top of the checking of their blood/sugars by finger pricking many times a day and putting the info into their pumps. The game changer for anyone with Type-1 was the introduction of the CGM’s, but that has came with a hefty cost and even though we have been fortunate to be able to purchase them, many people cannot which is just plainly wrong and unacceptable. Just living with Type-1 on a daily basis is a massive challenge, but seeing and knowing there are things available that can make it easier and safer for those dealing with the disease, yet they can’t have it because of $$ - that is just negligent, if not criminal, especially in a country such as NZ. The irony is, better overall management of Type-1 on a more consistent basis means less complications in the long run and therefore less cost to the health system. There doesn’t seem to be a cure in sight, Type-1 is a life sentence, but it can easily be managed successfully with readily available tools. Someone’s social demographic shouldn’t be the determining factor on how this disease affects your quality of life. 

Please support funding for CGM’s for everyone that needs them.