Saw a movie, lost a PDM

This blog entry starts with a movie, moves on to digging through garbage and finishes with me feeling like quite a failure... but it has a happy ending and we don’t get too many of those in Diabetesland so they are extra special when they happen.

Valentine’s Day was going to end with us seeing ‘The Lightening Thief’ but instead it ended with me rummaging through the garbage at our local theater.  I don’t know how but I lost Arden’s bag that holds her OmniPod PDM, lancet and test strips, I just didn’t pick it up when we left the theater.  I realized it almost as soon as we got home, I called immediately but it was already gone. I drove back to the theater and dug through maybe 30 trash cans but I just couldn’t find it.  

Arden and I went back again to check the theater after the last show ended but still no sign.  She was so sweet, she walked up and down every isle in the theater and stood next to me peering into the garbage, finally after her nose couldn’t take it anymore she said, “it’s okay Dad, it’s not here, we can just buy another one”.  What Arden didn’t know is that a new PDM costs $500.  

I am, as most of you are aware, a stay-at-home dad.  I haven’t earned $500 combined in the last decade which makes loosing something that valuable much more painful.  First, loosing Arden’s PDM, the thing that literally keeps her alive, made my heart hurt.  It was like it was my job to remind her to breath and I just forgot to.  Second, the cost is a bit oppressive and as I said, that failure is compounded by the guilt I feel of not having an income.  So sufficed to say I wasn’t having a great night.  Though one bright spot (for my midsection) is that I don’t think I’ll be getting a popcorn the next time we see a movie. While I’m commentating on theater food, note to theater owners: no one drinks their entire soda - smaller cups wouldn’t hurt.  I woke up this morning every bit as dejected as I went to bed.

But I feel better now, want to know why?

I made the call this morning to Insulet, the company that manufactures Arden’s OmniPod insulin pump to order a new PDM.  I spoke with a wonderful woman named ‘Audrey’ (Hi Audrey, I hope I spelled your name correctly) and I told her just what I told you.  I said as plainly and honestly as I could, “I lost my daughter’s PDM and it’s going to be difficult to raise $500 to replace it”.  We spoke for a few minutes and I shared with Audrey how horrible I felt for losing the PDM and not being able to generate the funds to replace it.  She put me on hold and when she came back she said the nicest thing that maybe anyone has ever said to me, “Arden’s new PDM will arrive on Wednesday”.

Audrey worked it out with her manager as a one time courtesy to replace Arden’s PDM at no cost.  Not many good things happen in my day, most days are full of type I diabetes stress and pressure. The stress is so palatable sometimes that it permeates to the people around us.  Some days the poor nurses at Arden’s school sound exhausted after caring for her, our family and friends can’t comfortably have Arden over to play and even as I write this my mind is busy worrying if Arden’s BG is stable as she sleeps in today.  Thankfully, today has a bright spot to chase away those shadows.

I want to tell all of you and anyone that will listen that the OmniPod made our lives indescribably better on February 11, 2009 and it continues to, nearly one year to the day later.  Not many companies have a heart but I can say without reservation that, in a life that most days feels full of shadows Insulet and the OmniPod are one of our bright lights.

Insulet is online at - http://www.myomnipod.com/ and if you are a type I diabetic or love someone who is, I can’t recommend enough that you check them out.

Thank you to Audrey and Insulet!  You saved us today and I won’t forget what you did or how it made me feel.

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

chris cooper

That really is great news. I am so on the fence as to a medtronic or an omnipod. My CDE was just saying they dont recommend many kids use the omnipod because they are so active and they see them get pulled out.

Your experience seems quite different. And the support for Omnipod sounds really good. You really sound like an awesome dad, doing all you can for your sweet little girl.

I probably wont remember to come back and see if you have any thing to add about your omnipod and your posts, so if you get a chance email at clcooper@gmail.com.

thanks!