09/17/2026
💙Thank You Thursday 💙
This week’s thank you comes with a story we haven’t shared publicly yet.
Over the last several weeks, we have been working behind the scenes to get Addie approved to switch insulin pumps. We intentionally kept that process private because I never wanted Addie getting excited, or people asking her about it, until we knew for sure it was actually going to happen.
And I think this is also a really important opportunity to explain something most people outside of the Type One Diabetes world probably never see.
For families like ours, choosing a therapy is not always as simple as deciding what works best for your child.
Even when a parent has researched the options, talked with their child, spoken with their medical team, and found a device that may better fit their needs, there can still be layers of insurance approvals, paperwork, prescriptions, medical documentation, phone calls, faxes, follow-ups, and waiting. By the time Addie gets her pump I’d be willing to bet I’ll have 2 months and roughly a full time jobs worth of hours wrapped up in the approval process.
You can know what you want for your child’s care and still spend weeks or months trying to prove that you should be allowed access to it.
That can be incredibly frustrating because these decisions are not about convenience. They affect how a child manages Type One Diabetes every single hour of every single day.
During that process, I connected with AJ Goodwin, our new twiist representative/friend, and he immediately jumped in to help.
And that is something I will never forget.
It is so rare to find a company, and a person within that company, who genuinely cares about the family on the other side of the paperwork.
There was never a “sorry, you’re not approved.”
It was always, “I’m here. We’ll keep working through it. I’ll walk you through every step.” I mean.. this guy literally hand delivered paperwork for me at one point. 😂
That kind of support matters so much in the T1D world.
When so much of your child’s care can feel tied up in approvals, forms, policies, and decisions being made by people who have never met them, having someone who says “I’m staying with you through this” means more than people probably realize.
Then AJ learned about Addie’s Helping Hand, why this organization exists, and the work Addie is doing to help other kids living with Type One Diabetes.
And almost immediately, he wanted to know how he could help with that too.
Sequel Med Tech generously stepped up to help sponsor a portion of our event, simply because AJ took the time to listen to Addie’s story and believe in what she is trying to do for other kids living with Type One Diabetes.
So this Thank You Thursday goes to AJ and the team at Sequel Med Tech.
AJ, thank you for never making us feel like we were just another case or another piece of paperwork. Thank you for sticking with us, answering questions, walking us through every step, doing all of this with the uncertainty of whether she’d ever even be approved or not and caring about Addie beyond a piece of technology.
And thank you for believing in the mission behind Addie’s Helping Hand.
We are incredibly grateful to have you in our corner. 💙
Can’t wait to bring you guys along on Addie’s new pump journey in a few weeks!
