I spotted the video by the Diabetes Hands Foundation on Twitter yesterday. First, I'd like to say, GREAT job. Catchy tune, interesting visuals (looking good, Manny!), simple but effective message. I can't help thinking, though, that it's missing one thing -- telling people how much insulin for a child actually costs. I know my friends and relatives were astonished when they heard how much I paid out of pocket for Eric's insulin when he was first diagnosed (when he wasn't on my insurance... what WAS I thinking???). For some reason, everyone who doesn't know first-hand thinks of insulin as a drug that's relatively cheap -- after all, a lot of the "oldies but goodies" like aspirin and acetominophen that have been around for ages are inexpensive, and insulin has been around ages, too, right? So it should be cheap as well... right??? Sadly, not so.
Insulin ain't cheap. Out of pocket, I think I was paying something like $240/month for Eric's Lantus and Humalog -- and that was 1 vial per month of each. ONE. VIAL. Less than that, actually -- drove me crazy at how much I wasted. He's only 3, and he still only uses 1 vial per month (having a pump means we can dispense with getting Lantus each month and only get Humulog). As he grows older, he'll surely start to use more. So I can't help thinking that a week's worth of insulin for a child in need -- that's a mighty big gift, monetarily, to get from one quick click. And the more all of us do to let people know how big a gift their teeny tiny investment of time will provide, the more people may be willing to click that mouse. I've put a note on my Facebook page and reiterated it to all my friends, asking / begging them to not just click, but also to share the link. I hope all of you will do likewise.