See that? That is just a small sampling of the donated boxes of diabetic supplies that was sent to my mom's house. What you can't see are the boxes in the closet, the boxes under the bed, and the boxes that haven't yet been handed over to me.
It took hours -- many, many hours -- for me to sort through the boxes and repackage everything so that I could transport it back to Ghana in a couple of suitcases. And just when I thought I had it all done, we went to Virginia where we met some of the CWD parents who proceeded to hand me another half dozen huge boxes of stuff for donation. In truth, it was much more than I could haul to Ghana in my limited luggage allotment so some of it has been put in storage to be sent on a ship sometime later (when I raise the money to do that).
Anyway, let me give you an idea of what was in those boxes...
Glucose meters: About 70 meters, most of them brand new, and many including glucose strips and pokers. Most of the major brands and models were represented -- OneTouch, AccuChek, Contour, Freestyle, etc.
Syringes: Boxes upon boxes of insulin syringes (totaling about 2,000 syringes), including those with 1/2 unit markings which are great for smaller children (and which are NOT available here in Ghana).
Lancets: More than 50 boxes of lancets, each with 100 lancets inside (and if the Ghanaian parents of CWDs are anything like me then a single box will last for years - ouch!).
Insulin Pens and Pen Needle Caps: Including the ones that I got from Children's Hospital in D.C., there are a handful of brand new 1/2 unit dosing insulin pens with several hundred pen needle caps.
Books and Log Books: A half dozen books on caring for a CWD, including some brand new versions of the Pink Panther book (which, by the way, is available online here, just click on the online books and slides to the left and you can view each chapter individually). There are also nearly a hundred log books to track glucose and insulin. And I would be remiss if I didn't say that there was also a ton of pumping supplies for my own sweet girl, but that's a blog post in itself.
From those donated supplies, I created 25 goody (ziploc) bags which include a brand new glucose meter (OneTouch or Accu-Chek brands only) with glucose strips, poker with a box of 100 lancets, 50 syringes, a half box of alcohol swabs and a log book.
I had to limit the number of goody bags for two reasons: First, only OneTouch and Accu-Chek are locally sold, so at least I know glucose strips will also be available here; second, I only had so much luggage space to offer. As it was, I carried 100 lbs worth of donated diabetic supplies in my two suitcases (sacrificing, according to Sean, significant space for the things he wanted to buy!). Those two bags, however, raised a red flag among the TSA people who searched both at the airport (naturally, I didn't find out till after the fact by the TSA notice found among the supplies), but they came through relatively unscathed thanks to some foresight on my part (I included a letter from our Ghanaian doctor stating that it was all for donation to impoverished families).
These goody bags will be going to the Children's Unit of Korle-Bu Hospital, to be distributed freely to needy families by Alexandra's doctor, Dr. Lorna Renner. What she will also be getting is another 25 (give or take) glucose meters and glucose strips for brands not locally available; I could not see letting these go to waste, and I am sure she can put these to use at least in the wards, and then when the strips are done, they can be tossed away (a shame, I know, but what can we do if Freestyle and Bayer do not want to come to Ghana!).
All of these items were freely donated from parents and caregivers of children with diabetes who live in the United States, and lest you think "what's the big deal since they were (probably) covered by insurance anyway?" Trust me, it is a big deal. Parents understand that these supplies are their child's lifeline and they stockpile (when they can) these lifesaving items for their own child's use. It is only because we understand how difficult it is to manage this disease -- under the best of circumstances -- that we can sympathize with the plight of parents who have so very little that they can offer their children.
To us, the cost of that diabetes goody bag is trifling; maybe it was covered by insurance, or maybe it was provided as a sample by the doctor or endocrinologist, or maybe its a tiny percentage of the diabetic supplies stockpile. To a Ghanaian parent, however, it is the difference between feeding their family for the next six months and keeping one diabetic child alive. These items in the goody bag, if bought here in Ghana, would cost a very dear 180 GHC (or about $125). The parents who take their child to Korle-Bu -- a very good hospital in its own right, but with significant funding problems -- are among the poorest in the area.
I can't wait to see the smile on Dr. Renner's face when she sees what we've brought her, courtesy of the generosity of friends.
