Jennings couple starts Childhood Diabetes Expense Relief Fund

Published 10:15 am Tuesday, November 17, 2015

JENNINGS — A Jennings couple is using their own struggles to raise awareness about Type I Diabetes and help others pay for costly diabetes-related medicines and supplies.

Casey and Monique Doucet, who’s 5-year-old son Wyatt was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes in 2014 at the age of 3, founded the Childhood Diabetes Expense Relief Fund to help families bear the financial burdens associated with the disorder.

“The Childhood Diabetes Expense Relief Fund is a non-profit organization to help families with children who have Type I Diabetes to pay for their insulin, insulin pumps, glucose monitors and other supplies, many families cannot afford,” Casey Doucet said.

The fund was created out of the Doucets’ struggles to pay for diabetes medicines and supplies after their son’s diagnosis.

“Wyatt stayed in the hospital for four or five days, then they gave me a prescription to fill before he came home,” Casey Doucet said. “It was $1,800-something. That was kind of a wake-up call.”

Over the next few months, the couple continued to receive medical bills from doctors, the hospital and a local ambulance service who helped care for their son.

“It was something we dealt with for a while,” Doucet said of the mounting medical bills.

The family had insurance, but not all cost were covered, he said.

Wyatt’s first year of insulin cost nearly $1,900. Out-of-pocket expenses now run about $400 a month for insulin and $600 for other supplies.

“Not everyone can afford that, even with insurance,” he said. “For some, it’s like paying a monthly mortgage.”

The family, which includes three other young children, also struggled emotionally to the life-changing diagnosis.

“The first couple of months we really struggled and I don’t remember sleeping for the first couple of months,” Doucet said. “It was stressful for the whole family learning to adjust to it and monitoring his blood sugar. Our biggest struggle was the daily doses of insulin and learning to be careful with his food.”

Once the family learned to accept the disease and settle into its new routine, the focus turned to helping others.

“We talked about it for several months and just felt like there was something more we should be doing to help others because we understood the financial and emotional struggles and all the things people go through,” he said.

CDERF was established in July and has been helping other families with diabetes-related expenses through donations and fundraisers.

The fund offers financial assistance for insulin, diabetes testing supplies, monitoring devices, insulin pumps and other medical expenses to families with Type 1 children, ages 18 and under. All funds are paid directly to the pharmacy, hospital, doctor or diabetes supply company.

To qualify for assistance, a family must complete an application, provide a proof of employment, or show they are actively seeking employment, and demonstrate a genuine need for help. Application forms can be found online at www.cderf.org.

“We have been getting a lot of feedback since we started the fund,” Doucet said. “We knew there were several families in the area going through the same thing. Since then we have met over a dozen people going through the same thing.”

The couple hopes to raise awareness about Type I Diabetes and help raise funds during an inaugural 5K Glow Run.

The event will be held 6-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Louisiana Oil and Gas Park in Jennings.

Entry fees are $25 for adults; $20 for children, 12-18 and $15 for children, 6-11.

Fifty percent of the proceeds will benefit the Lions Club’s annual Children Diabetes Camp, with the remaining funds going to CDERF.

For more information on CDERF or Glow Run: www.cderf.org

(MGNonline)