He refused to let his diabetes hold him back from pitching a great last 2 innings.

Owen pitching in the final season, last inning and the team he was on won the championship.   He refused to let his diabetes hold him back from pitching a great last 2 innings.

Another Do-Rights Grantee

Our son, Owen was diagnosed with T1D on June 13, 2018, when he was three years old. Owen is the third of four sons.  One of his older brothers just started college, the other is a rising Senior in HS.  His younger brother is 16 months younger than him.

As you are aware diabetes is very difficult to manage in young children with small bodies and we experienced many, many challenges.  It always felt like there was absolutely zero margin of error and we feel like we are constantly getting it wrong.  After consultation with Owen’s Doctor, Brian and I decided to have him use a pump and a sensor to help us try to manage this disease. T he combination of continuous glucose monitoring and pump made a world of difference especially considering Owen’s age and the fact that he is incredibly active in sports.  But as you can imagine, there are other challenges that come with diabetes that you wouldn't normally think about.

When Owen started School, our plan was to send him to public school like most kids, but we quickly learned this would present new challenges.  The public school system in our area decided to cut costs by reducing school nurses.  This means that one nurse will float between multiple schools leaving many gaps in coverage.  This presented a big problem for us because of how much his blood sugar fluctuates during the course of the day and how reluctant the public school system was to deal with it.  In fact, we were told by the school that if he had issues, they would simply call 911.  We were very fortunate to find a small, affordable private school that has a full-time nursing staff, but it does come with an expense.

Before Owen’s diagnoses, Brian and I opened up an architecture firm in our community.  Our business survived Covid, and we have continued to grow slowly. However, with owning your own business there are health insurance challenges. Our monthly premium is currently $2,208.57 (Yearly $26,502.84) with a $13,000 out of pocket max deductible.  This is brutal for small businesses.  I have done the math for his medications (to stay the same) $8,604 per year.  His medications per month are as follows:  OmniPod Pods-$511, Dexcom G6 Transmitter-$76 (90 days), Dexcom G6 Sensor $160, Novolog- $69.

We are a hard-working middle class family that have tried to provide our children with good schools and after-school activities.  Any financial assistance that we can receive will be greatly appreciated.  

Thank you for your consideration.  Brian and Amanda

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