We recently spoke with Josh, father of Finnegan, an 8-year-old boy with Type 1 diabetes, about their journey and their experience with Livongo. Finn (wearing the red shirt, in the middle of the family picture, below) loves to ride his bike, skate, and swim at the nearby beach with his brother. This is the story of Finn and his family.
Livongo: Can you tell us more about the story of Finn’s diagnosis?
Josh: It was about 3.5 years ago. We were taking our younger son for a checkup. We had noticed that Finn was drinking a lot of water and peeing a lot — we thought it was strange. My wife, Kerry, asked the doctor about it, and he said we should go to the hospital right away. Finn had low-to-moderate ketones: He had Type 1 diabetes. I vividly remember looking the doctor in the eye and saying, “Don’t sugarcoat it: What do I need to do to win?” That was the start of our journey with T1D.
Livongo: As a parent, what is the hardest thing about life with Type 1 diabetes?
Josh: The one thing that worries me the most is not letting him be a kid. I would love for him to be able to just run and run and run. We let him go for 15-20 minutes, but we need to then pull him out and check his blood glucose. I look forward to the day in the future when we have a fully closed loop.
Livongo: How did you find out about Livongo? What caught your attention about the program?
Josh: I work for an on-site restaurant company that is part of a large food service group. I learned that Livongo was available as a benefit to group employees and dependents. We signed up for Livongo about 6 months into our journey with T1D.
A little over a year ago, we started on an insulin pump. It has helped us better manage his diabetes. Also, about 2 months ago we started using a continuous glucose monitor. We continue to use the Livongo meter to check Finn’s blood glucose before he goes to bed, first thing out of bed, and the nurse at school also uses it to check him.
While free test strips are all well and good, that was really not the deciding factor for me. Having the meter with its own cellular service is awesome: If we are at the beach with Finn and we check his BG, my wife gets his reading — we all can keep an eye on him and support him if he is running low.
It was also pretty big for me to read about Livongo’s founder, Glen Tullman. Seeing an entrepreneur with a child with Type 1 diabetes start a company like Livongo is very inspiring. You guys don’t have jobs: You are on a mission! I am thankful for you guys. Thanks for being the type of company you are.
Livongo: How’s life today? How does the future look?
Josh: Life’s great. Everyone is healthy, happy, growing, doing well. We are so incredibly lucky. Certainly, diabetes wasn’t a choice. We were on a different path, but I tell Finn, “This didn’t change who you are. Don’t let this get in the way. You are young enough, you are smart enough to not let this get in the way. Do not let it swallow you.”
Today, Finn is 8. I don’t want him to worry about diabetes: I want him to live his life at 110%. We are his pancreas, until he is a little older.
The testimonials, statements, and opinions presented are applicable to the individuals depicted or quoted. Each member’s exact results and experience will be unique and individual to each member. The testimonials are voluntarily provided and are not paid.
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