Its Diabetes Blog week once again and I am so excited to be able to participate once again! Today’s topic comes for Kim of Texting my Pancreas and asks us to discuss diabetes issues that get us really fired up!
Since I began my website
many years ago, the issues that I have been passionate about have grown
but have always retained one common thread–improving the lives of
people living with diabetes. There have been some successes and there
is still a long way to go but watching the diabetes community come
together and create change has been the best part of the journey.
The first issue that got my dander up was the inequity I saw years
ago in the way people with diabetes were treated when it came to the Disability Tax Credit.
As I worked on this issue, I saw that those who were approved for the
credit were people who were able to stand up to the government and were
willing to fight for this issue. If you were uncertain or did not know
how to take on this battle, you would be denied the credit while your
neighbor was approved. There seemed to be no other logic behind how
this credit was applied to people living with diabetes.
With a lot of help from other people living with diabetes and a
fabulous mentor, I was able to see this issue change dramatically.
Fairness was obtained and change happened to the legislation surrounding
this issue. I was very proud of all the works that was done here but
there were still more issues to tackle.
As I learned about diabetes and became more involved in the world of
advocacy, I came to realize how difficult it was to get an insulin pump
if you didn’t have the very best insurance coverage. Once again I was
outraged. Why should it matter what sort of job you have or where you
work to get the best possible care for your diabetes?
Since I first began dealing with this issue, things have changed.
Most provinces in Canada now offer provincial health care coverage for
insulin pumps and supplies for all children under the age of 18. That
was great but what about older children who are just starting out in the
workforce? Some provinces decided to give these young adults until age
25 to get better insurance…some provinces didn’t. Today, I continue to
work with others to see that all people living with diabetes have access
to the best devices available to manage their diabetes care regardless
of age. This means that I would like all governments to cover insulin
pumps, supplies and Continuous Glucose Monitors for people with diabetes
regardless of age. This will happen in time. I am confident.
No matter what your age or where you live, you deserve access to the
very best in medical care. It is important for governments (and
insurance companies) to understand the broad sweeping benefits that come
from best care practices. If a person with diabetes is able to maintain
their bg control to a close to normal range and they are able to
anticipate highs and lows with the aid of CGM technology they are better
able to perform at work (which means less down time and more money paid
to the government in terms of personal tax), they are less likely to be
in the hospital (costing the government money), and more likely to have
a better overall life satisfaction which in turn further leads to
increased productivity and once again an increase in taxes paid to
governments. The cost outlay is far outweighed by the benefits to the
system as a whole.
At the moment, I live in a province that covers insulin pumps for
people with Type 1 diabetes until they reach the age of 25. It does not
cover CGM technology. I have less than 9 years to advocate for
increased funding to cover all people with diabetes regardless of age.
In 9 years my own son will be in the position of having to make very
serious and real choices about his diabetes care. We will see this
change–for him and for all of the other adults struggling to maintain
their health despite the heavy financial costs.
Because my son is still in school and has had diabetes since before
he went to school, the third issue that I am passionate about is that of
children with diabetes in schools.
This issue has seen major changes since I first began talking about it
over 10 years ago. In BC, we have seen the power of grassroots parent
organizations who have pressured the government into changing its policy
on children with diabetes in schools. I have seen many more individual
boards and provinces begin to seriously look at the issue of protecting
the rights of children with diabetes in schools.
Once again, this is an issue that many parents and children are not
able to stand up and voice their concerns about themselves. I felt that
it was therefore my job to help them. I would (and do) speak to parents
on how best to tackle their schools and their issues.
I work with boards to help them understand what needs to be done to
create change that is fair and just to all parties involved. This is a
very complex issue here in Canada. Our children are not protected by a
disabilities act. They are protected by the voices of their parents and
other concerned adults…but these voices are powerful and making a
difference.
Advocacy has always been something that I am very passionate about. I
have felt a strong need to stand up for those who may not be able to
stand up for themselves. I have worked for the past 14 years to ensure
that people living with diabetes are all treated fairly with equal
access to education, medical devices and supplies. This is a long
road. It has seen many battles won and I am proud to be able to
continue fighting the war along side many incredible people.
But we still get a chance to spend time together and share care when we can.
