Your Used Strips are Needed for an Art Project!

1

Hi everyone,

I write at thegirlsguidetodiabetes.com and my sister Ana and I have type 1 diabetes. Ana illustrates the site.

Ana needs our help for a diabetes related art project for school (she's a studio art major at James Madison University). She determines that she needs thousands of strips for this project. We are asking for donations of your used strips (don’t worry she’ll be working with gloves!)

Please, please, please start saving your strips and mail them to her by March 1st. Please include the amount of time that it took you to use the number of strips you are sending (a week, a month, etc).

This will be SO appreciated and can’t be done without your help. When you’re ready to mail email me at sysy@thegirlsguidetodiabetes.com and I’ll send you her mailing address.

Once Ana receives your strips we’ll be entering you into a running for a special prize that one lucky winner will get mailed to them :D

Thanks so much in advance! Hopefully Ana will get enough donations and will be able to do the project. I’ll be sure to post it when she’s done!

Thanks for your help and please spread the word, the more strips she gets, the better the project can be!

2

Hmm, I just threw out about a hundred of them, but I'm sure I can build up a new stash and can help in that way.

Are you looking for any particular brand, or mix of brands, of strips?

3

Even though you sister will work with gloves, I still feel squeemish about this. I consider used test strips as biological waste and I try to throw them in with my sharps. Some cities and states actually have laws classifying them as biological waste and impose rules on how they can be disposed of. In Virginia, unfortunately, human blood is listed as a regulated medical waste.

Wouldn't it be better to try and get some expired strips?

ps. JMU is a great school, I visited it with my daughter.

4

Dear Sysy,
I am not the blood police, I assure you. BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SENDING MEDICAL WASTE THROUGH THE MAIL NOR DO YOU WANT TO BE HANDLING STRIPS FROM OTHERS. do you?
Have you noticed how in hospitals when someone takes a reading, they're wearing gloves? How about doing facsimile strips? They would be easy to fake! and the fakes would be a marvelous art project!
Medical waste is called that for a very good reason: it may contain something infectious. Best wishes on the idea. Now be creative with new strips!

5

In the UK strips are classed as biological waste and have strict handling and disposal procedures.

Might be easier and more hygienic to try and source a suitable alternative.

I have seen a art project where syringes have been used, with new syringes just being clipped at attached to the art project.

6

I would like to message you for address information - and so requested to be your 'friend' here. Thanks. : D

7

I think this is a bad idea from a hazardous waist standpoint, but I must have a thousand or so in a two liter bottle. If you want them, I'll see what I can do.