Over the past 2 months I have become even more involved with children
and Type 1 diabetes.
I have had the good fortune to work with 6 new pump patients aged 8
to 14. As President-elect of the Tampa Bay Chapter of JDRF I recently
spent 4 days at the International Board meeting in Dallas.
In fact as you read this article I will be at the Children with Diabetes
“Friends for Life” 2003 Annual Conference in Orlando. All
this has led me to look for companies that are focused on children.
While conducting my search I found a company that not only develops
and markets products for children but actually gives 50% of their profits
to fund efforts to find a cure.
Because of the enormous rise in Type 2 diabetes, it seems that most
medical product manufacturers continue to gear design choices toward
adult users (shades of gray, beige or black). I found that FIFTY 50
Pharmacy has taken the lead in finding ways to make existing products
more user-friendly for young diabetics, even creating special eye-catching
lifestyle items especially for children with diabetes. They are constantly
adding items they feel will appeal to children and youth. Parents and
medical professionals looking for ways to make self care more palatable
for their children and patients should rely on FIFTY 50 Pharmacy as
a ready source of these products.
FIFTY 50 Pharmacy is so named because half of its profits are donated
to fund efforts to find a cure for diabetes. This mission to find a
cure also includes supporting diabetes education programs and constantly
seeking out the very best products on the market, helping those with
diabetes improve their lives through the best possible management of
the disease until a cure is found. Since the company was establish in
1994, FIFTY 50 has been able to contribute more than $8 million to leading
organizations, researchers, projects and programs. FIFTY 50 looks forward
to a day in the not-so-distant future when a cure is found and their
services are no longer needed, or as their president, Rick Lynch told
me. “We’re hoping for something that will put us out of
business...The Cure”.
I think a quick visit to FIFTY 50’s “Kids’ Corner”
will give you a good overview of why I like their company and website.
This week’s “Kids Corner” (http://www.fifty50pharmacy.com/kidscorner.html)
shows colorfully designed Neoprene “skins” (covers) for
two of the market’s top glucose meters, One Touch® Ultra®
and TheraSense FreeStyle. Alongside are crystal bead medical I.D. bracelets
in seven glistening color combinations, and pump and supply cases in
a multitude of fun prints geared toward their young customers’
likes. These items, along with the other offerings, move diabetes care
items out of the austere adult world and into the arena of “if
we have to be kids who have diabetes and deal with daily care issues,
we might as well make the things we use fit our lifestyles as kids
If you have never worked with a child with diabetes then you may not
know of their desire to be “just like the other kids”. With
Meter Skin covering the standard-issue glucose meter you might mistake
it for a handheld game. Supply Cases and Medical ID bracelets get the
same type of youthful update. That means rocket ships, race cars, dance
themes and faux fur, all in cool colors and trendy materials. Most lifestyle
items are made of long-wearing, water-resistant materials like Neoprene
and sport suede. And besides that, they’re much more fun than
items designed for adults!
FIFTY 50 Pharmacy also carries noteworthy children’s books on
living with diabetes such as “Princess Shayna’s Gift”,
“Even Little Kids Get Diabetes”, “Taming the Diabetes
Dragon” and “Taking Diabetes to School”.
I would certainly recommend that you visit http://www.fifty50pharmacy.com/kidscorner.html
and find out why they are one of the premier companies for kids with
diabetes.
If you know of a company or location that would
be of benefit to our readers please send me an email at editor@diabetesincontrol.com,
please include your contact information and the website location for
review.
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