Esmé was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 6 years old. Today she is 11 and still going strong. Being a Type 1 diabetic means twice daily insulin injections (2 different injections long and short acting) and testing her sugar at least 6 times per day. On a bad day, this can go up to 10 times a day. Finger pricks and the smell of Insulin is our daily routine. On bad days or nights, she is still prone to having seizures, but we’ve managed to not have an incident in a few months.
Being a single mom, it has been a struggle to ensure she has the proper essential items required daily to keep her healthy and strong. With the support of family and friends, we’ve been able to get through some really tough times. I have a steady full time job for 6 years now, and trying my very best to give her everything she needs. Between my debt, rent and school fees alone, there is hardly much else left for groceries and weekly fresh foods. I manage the basics, but it’s not always enough. I can’t afford to have a medical aid (Medical aid schemes tend to be even more costly for diabetics due to all sort of loopholes etc as well), which means our only support is from our Government Hospital. They help as much as they are able to, but are limited in the types of insulin they can provide and the amount of test strips etc they can hand out on a monthly basis. It’s never enough to last an entire month, so we end up having to buy extras. These strips alone are very expensive and the insulin, even worse.
The ideal solution to our problem, would be to get an insulin pump. But these are very costly and the monthly cost for the consumables is extreme.
My ultimate goal here is to gain a support system to enable me to provide Esmé with the correct meals on a daily basis, for school especially. Being surrounded by children eating junk and sweets every day is extremely hard for a diabetic child. But having their own special treats and nutritional snacks, helps her push through those moments. And being able to buy the extra insulin or strips she might need, every month, will be a blessing in itself.
Monthly financial support for the items required and perhaps saving up so we can also buy a vehicle of some sort, is our goal. If anything happens, I have to run around and ask for help from anyone who might be available, should we have to rush to hospital. So having some form of transport is very important, especially when we have to drive to see the specialist in Durban for her check-ups. And knowing that we have an emergency fund, should she have to be hospitalized, would be a blessing.
Any assistance would be highly appreciated and I thank you for taking the time to read our story.
Thank you in advance for your support and generosity.