Samantha lost her first pregnancy due to undiagnosed diabetes.

Samantha, Southern California

I lost my unborn daughter due to high blood glucose levels in early pregnancy.

In April 2018, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes by accident when I was twenty-two years old and three months pregnant.

At four months pregnant, we learned that our would-be first born had severe hydrocephalus due to my high blood glucose levels when I was undiagnosed during the first three months of pregnancy. Although I was given access to the insulin I needed after diagnosis and was able to get my blood glucose levels into normal range, my body was without insulin for too long and the damage to our daughter was already done. At five months pregnant, we made the decision to end the pregnancy rather than continue on with a fetus that had a very low chance of survival outside the womb. Her name was Elena Ann and she will be a part of our family, always.

Flash forward to 2021, I am now mother to the most perfect little boy who is about to turn one year old. My biggest worry is whether or not he will get diagnosed with diabetes and if we will be able to sustain two diabetics in the same household. Even with “good” insurance my out-of-pocket costs are $5000.00 plus a year and that only accounts for things that my medical insurance covers- I cannot imagine having to figure out how to afford double that cost.

To delay ordering more supplies (and save money) I’ve worn my pump sites for far too long, I’ve reused needles, I’ve restarted my Dexcom sensors in order to extend its life and I’ve used syringes to take the remaining insulin from used pods, cartridges and insulin pens. When I do hit my out-of-pocket maximum (always when, never if) I have my endocrinologist write an insulin prescription for the most amount possible, that way I can stock up and delay buying some when my insurance resets at the beginning of each year. I also ignore expiration dates on all my supplies, because I would rather use them and chance them failing than to throw out anything and have to buy replacements. It hasn’t even been three years since I was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes and I am already exhausted from juggling taking adequate care of myself and being cost effective.

Some people are not as lucky as I am. Many people have inadequate insurance or have no insurance at all. With over 25% of diabetics rationing their insulin, the government needs to step in and take action. No one should be living in poverty or struggling to buy their life sustaining medication in the “richest” and “greatest” country in the world. Other than having socialized medicine in the USA, a federal list price cap on insulin is the best way to ensure that no insulin-dependent person is forced to choose between buying their insulin and affording other life essentials like food, housing, clothing, education, etc. I am hopeful that through The Insulin Initiative, we can help pass legislation that will impact the lives of all insulin-dependent people living in the USA.

I have experienced first hand what a lack of insulin in the body can do: kill. That is why I am fighting for Insulin4Alll. No one should be forced to suffer the effects of not having the insulin they need to stay alive.