A chance to live without constant pain

Vadym is a cheerful, lively, and active boy. He loves going to judo and building LEGO. When he was 4 years old, he was hospitalized with bronchitis. It was then that his mother noticed minor changes in his behavior. The doctor advised having a glycated hemoglobin test done, and the family was later referred for further examination. After numerous tests, a diagnosis was announced – type 1 diabetes.

At that moment, life seemed to stop. It felt like a terrible dream from which one desperately wants to wake up. But unfortunately, this became the family's new reality. Accepting such a diagnosis was extraordinarily difficult. Everything had to be learned from scratch: measuring blood sugar, counting carbohydrates, selecting the right insulin doses, and monitoring every meal.

The most painful thing for Vadym – then and now – is the constant finger pricks. From a very young age he was very afraid of having blood drawn even during routine tests, and now his fingers have to be pricked 10–15 times every day. Childhood diabetes is very unstable: sudden blood sugar spikes followed by dangerous drops. The boy's fingers simply do not have time to heal.

His parents have gradually learned to live with this diagnosis, but for Vadym himself it is very hard to accept. There are often tears and tantrums, because the child simply wants to eat like all other children – not wait while his mother counts out the portion, calculates the carbohydrates, administers an insulin injection, or waits for his blood sugar to come down.

The family learned about the existence of continuous glucose monitoring sensors. To make life at least a little easier for their son, they purchased a few sensors and understood just how important they are: fewer painful pricks, continuous blood sugar monitoring, and the ability to see readings on a screen in real time. But the cost of sensors is beyond the family's means.

Vadym's father works temporary jobs, and his mother also works a few hours a day to try to improve the family's financial situation. The boy has an older sister who helps care for her brother, checks his blood sugar, and stays by his side.

This year Vadym is due to start school. And sensors, for this family, are the hope for peace of mind and their child's safety – the ability to see his blood sugar readings even from a distance. Because Vadym, like all children, dreams of being independent, learning, playing, and living an ordinary childhood life.

The family is reaching out for help in purchasing continuous glucose monitoring sensors. In addition to these, syringes for insulin injections, test strips, and other essential consumables must be purchased every month. For the family, this is a very heavy financial burden that is becoming increasingly difficult to manage on their own.