Stolen Insulin Pump Puts A Damper On Teenager’s Beach Trip
June 12, 2007 by Kendra James, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
I was reading through diabetes message boards and news sources today when I came upon a story about a teenage boy that had his insulin pump stolen while at the beach. You know what? Sometimes we take things for granted. First of all when I was 15 the only thing I worried about was where I played soccer that weekend and what friend was going to spend the night. Second, I am fortunate enough to deal with my type 2 diabetes with no injections.
In no way am I trying to say nanna-nanna-boo-boo about my diabetes treatment, just stating that so many have it much tougher than me! This poor kid decided to take a surf and came back to a missing bookbag worth about $10,000. What a shame.
Its loss meant Jeremy would have had to revert to blood tests and up to six needles a day a bit of a dampener on the life of a young bloke who loves surfing and cricket. And then there’s the cost.
Technology these days is amazing and is only going to get better. I am sure by the time my kids are parents, pumps will be like microchips. This story did have a happy ending though… The bookbag was found in the sand dunes and returned to the family, insulin pump and all.
“For a 14-year-old boy, Type 1 Diabetes is a big handbrake on your life and this allows him the freedom to hang with his mates. I’m just so happy he can have that level of control over his life again.”
