im a diabetic hoarder

ever noticed how you manage to accumulate an awful lot of diabetes supplies, but half of them are never used? well i was looking through all my stuff today and managed to find:

• 5 glucose meters (i use one and have 1 backup one so thats 3 useless meters)
• 5 finger stabbers (i only use one and have one backup so yet again, 3 are useless)
• an unopened box of 100 lancets (plus the box that im currently using)
• 2 spare novopen 4's
• 1 spare novopen 3 demi
• my novopen echo (i do use that one)
• 3 insulin pen cases
• about 15-20 spare needles which i dont use anymore
• my box of needles which i do use (these are a different kind to the spare ones)
• 3 cartridges of insulatard (dont use this anymore)
• 4 cartridges of levemir (dont use this anymore)
• 5 cartridges of novorapid (i do use those)
• several boxes of test strips (glucose and blood ketone strips)

so it got me thinking.... there must be somewhere that i can send my spare supplies so they can be used rather than wasted or destroyed. 

after asking other diabetics on facebook i was directed to a site which takes in spare supplies and sends them to 3rd world countries so that people there can get the treatment they need for free. 

some of the information on this website really shocked me and made me realise just how much we take for granted in this country. the fact that paying for insulin can cost up to 50% of a families wages means that alot of children end up in DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis - a life threatening condition which can be fatal) because they cant afford the insulin they need to survive. 

one story which particularly got to me was that of a young girl who, after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, died because her father had stopped buying the insulin (knowing that it would be fatal for his child) due to the poverty which prevented him for paying for the continued cost of insulin.

but thats where this charity comes in, they collect spare supplies from diabetics around the world and supply them to families in poor countries for free, so that the children (and adults) can live a normal and healthy life. so thats what im going to do this weekend, im going to send off a load of spare injecting devices, insulin, lancets and meters so that these children have the same chance as people here. 

no one should have to choose between life and death simply due to poverty. 

if you would like further info, or would like to donate supplies here is the

website.