DIABETES NEW ZEALAND

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Fleur: We can't come home to New Zealand without funding

I am a Kiwi living in Seattle. When I was home in NZ, I was a DJ on Kiwi FM and wrote for Rip it Up magazine as well as playing music around the country in a few bands. I was even the voice for the famous Calendar Girls radio ad (sorry).

My husband and my 8-year-old son are both Type 1 and it's a lot to keep track of!

We have talked endlessly about coming home to New Zealand to live. Our son has a Dexcom G6 that we are so grateful for. Our insurance covers it here and we wouldn't be able to afford it if we came home.

Being able to take care of our son, is heavily reliant on seeing his numbers.

We can treat him before his numbers drop to dangerous levels and we wouldn't feel comfortable sending him to school without it. Seeing his numbers when he's not with us on the app is paramount for our parental anxiety.

Our school nurse has his Dexcom Follow App on a school iPad and he has it on his phone, so between him, us and the nurse, we know someone is always getting alerts.

I am so glad to see folks back home are campaigning to have CGMs covered in NZ.

They're an integral part of keeping our little one healthy.

Type 1 isn't fair for our kiddos. They didn't ask for it. They can't turn it off, ever.

But the CGM technology is such a game changer. Knowing that our little one can live a full life and be able to have an instant glance at his blood sugar, without 8 (or more) fingersticks per day, is such a blessing.

We hope NZ will provide CGMs for all Kiwis with Type 1.

Keep up the good work!