Fundraising Dilemma

Until recently, I was one of those people who only raised funds for JDRF. In my head, I justified it as they are doing important work to find a cure for diabetes, and also fund research for other important advancements in diabetes management.

When asked why I didn't fund-raise for Camp Nejeda, the diabetes camp I attended as a kid, my flip response was "it's just camp, JDRF is doing real work."  Yeah, cringe, I really thought that despite how connected I still am to camp and all of the people I met there, and how much I believe in their mission.  

Over the last 2 years, while working closely with the Camp Nejeda Foundation team on the adults with T1D boot-camp I started to realize how much camp needs fundraising support as well.  That they do real work.  Every summer the nurses, doctors, counselors, kitchen staff, and countless others give their heart and soul to make sure the campers are safe, have fun, and learn that diabetes doesn't have to stop you from being a kid.  You can swim, play soccer, go boating, and have diabetes.   

Last year I wrote about my diabetes camp story and to this day credit Nejeda with how I deal with the disease, social settings, and  how I deal with all the psycho-social associated with living with a chronic disease.  It's so much more than "just camp." 

I recently broke it down more simply:

JDRF works on research that helps all people with diabetes - in terms of better management tools, better insulin, supporting clinical trials, and reaching for that cure.

Camp Nejeda lets kids be kids, today  What they learn now at Camp lasts them for a lifetime, and is critical in my opinion, in providing the psychological tools they'll carry with them until the cure.

So my dilemma is this -- I want to raise $900 for Camp Nejeda for their 9/25 walk, and $2000 for the JDRF walk in Boston in October.  It's not easy, but I've never backed down from a challenge and not about to do so now.

If you would like to support either cause, I'd very greatly appreciate it:
Note: Camp Nejeda is not affiliated with JDRF or ADA, so they depend even more on individual donations and support.  

Camp Nejeda: https://goo.gl/DtF2QF

JDRF:   http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/helpcurep

Access Matters

Access to medication or management tools for any disease is important.
For me, a person with Type 1 diabetes my priorities are insulin, test strips, and a mode to do both. Meter, and either insulin pump or insulin pen/syringes.  The rest are important - insulin pump, continuous glucose monitor, but the first are critical.

Today I called Express Scripts about not being ableo to refill my test strips, and while I was on hold for half an hour due to them needeing to release it from a weird queue it was in, I asked about a  co-pay discount card I received at Friends for Life by the strip manufacturer.  Since my strips are not a preferred brand, I pay a higher co-pay than the preferred brand.  The preferred brand doesn't work well for me.  Unfortunately I was told that Express Scripts doesn't honor these discounts with mail order, only at the local pharmacy.  But, they won't approve that either. So, damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Grumble.

I previously wrote about my history with items not being covered: On Health Insurance