I am 11 years old and live on the Gold Coast. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after a normal weekend. On the Sunday I had a really good thickshake with ice cream and all the toppings, but then sort of passed out on the couch, like I was super tired.

That night Mum and Dad noticed I’d lost some weight and on reflection thought about how much water I’d been drinking lately. The next day we saw a GP who tried two finger testers but got no number, so we were sent to the Emergency Department at Tweed Hospital and I was diagnosed there. My blood glucose was 44 and my ketones were high. I was in DKA. It was really difficult to get a line into my veins because I was really weak and so skinny. 

Since diagnosis, after a great week in hospital with heaps of training, I haven’t really looked back! I play Rugby League for Tugun Seahawks, I play kit drums in three bands at school and I have a very active social life!  

I have been using a pump for nearly three years. Using a pump means I don’t have to give myself a needle every time I want to eat. It also means I can be more independent from my parents. Now I know a bit more about how to use my pump I can spend time at friends’ houses and go on school camps, all without having to worry about the needles, safety of needles, and the injections.

At the moment I can have a pump because of Mum and Dad’s health insurance (which is in excess of $600 per month). Sometimes I worry about what kind of job I will get because if I don’t get a good job I won’t be able to afford the insurance I need for a pump.

If the government make accessing a pump more affordable I can grow up confident that I will have the option to choose the best care for myself, the care I want, whether it be needles or pump therapy. I also know lots of DiaBuddies who can’t afford insurance and don’t have a pump. It would be nice if they got access to one too.