October 26, 2020
Prince Edward Island resident and JDRF advocate Brooks Roche is getting vocal about #AccessForAll.
The 23-year-old young man has taken it upon himself to create an online petition asking Canadians to lobby against the government of P.E.I’s age restrictions when it comes to diabetes technology coverage.
A strong advocate for the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community, Brooks is also one of 18 members of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council — a non-partisan initiative run by the federal government.
After living with type 1 diabetes for almost two decades, he recognizes the struggles that come with the disease, and the importance of diabetes technology when managing it.
“The benefits of this are, frankly, enormous,” he said, adding that technology like insulin pumps give him peace of mind when managing his disease – taking the burden of manual injections away from him.
An insulin pump, combined with diabetes supplies can cost up to $10,000 per patient – a significant fee considering the role it plays in keeping him, and others in the T1D community alive.
“This is a chance for Prince Edward Island to lead on health policy and for us to set a standard for our neighbours to follow, rather than the other way around.” – Brooks Roche
In P.E.I, funding for insulin pumps was only available for people up to 18 years of age until recently, when the government increased funding for those up to 25 years old. Like Brooks, JDRF believes the age restriction should be lifted entirely.
Over 300,000 Canadians live with T1D, and 85% of people living with the disease are adults. Brooks believes that these age restrictions simply don’t make sense, considering the general population of those who live with T1D, and the role that diabetes technology plays in helping them manage their disease.
“This is a chance for Prince Edward Island to lead on health policy and for us to set a standard for our neighbours to follow, rather than the other way around.”
To read more about what JDRF is doing to demand #AccessForAll, click here.
People like Brooks need your help. And YOU can take action today.
