March 4, 2020
She was the youngest person in the room, and her presentation was met with resounding applause from the entire audience. Fourteen-year old Anne Pettigrew made an impressive and compelling presentation at last month’s Ontario pre-budget consultations in Scarborough.
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Anne presented JDRF’s #AccessforAll recommendation to the Minister of Finance Rod Philips, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Raymond Cho, and local Member of Provincial Parliament Aris Babikian by telling her story of how the continuous glucose monitor (CGM) has saved her life on more than one occasion.
“My family is able to make sacrifices to choose to afford this [device] for me. But not everybody has that luxury. Type 1’s who cannot make the sacrifices still need the technology, still need health security and still deserve life. And CGM’s save lives.”
What is the pre-budget submission process and why is it important?
Ahead of the Budget cycle each year, Ontarians are invited to submit their thoughts, ideas, and recommendations to inform the provincial budget. The government provides several opportunities where individuals, businesses, and organizations can engage in this process. Written submissions, oral presentations, survey responses, and general comments are accepted in late Fallearly Winter, before the official Budget is released in the Spring. This is an important opportunity to tell the government directly about what matters most to the over 96,000 people who live with T1D in the province.
Recognizing this as an opportunity to have our collective voice heard, JDRF also submitted a written recommendation to ensure our request is considered.
Anne’s remarks not only indicated the importance of how advanced glucose monitors help people live better, but how this investment makes financial sense for the government as well. Severe hypoglycemia alone costs our Ontario health care system more than $5 million annually, adding to the hallway health care problem. Funding these technologies addresses an unmet medical need and is crucial to ending hallway medicine by reducing the economic burden that diabetes imposes on our healthcare system.
Anne’s full presentation below.
Now it’s your turn. Tell your representative how provincial funding for CGM and FGM devices will help people with type 1 diabetes live healthier, easier, safer lives. Click here to send them a message now – and join the movement.
