Mo Money

Diabetes is not easy. but I often wonder how much easier this would be if something like money is not one of the balls you have to juggle on a daily basis. I am lucky enough to have a job, in These Troubled Times (drink!) I am well aware that that is nothing to scoff at. No matter how miserable my commute to work is (and it is quite miserable) and despite my frequent issues with my insurance company I know that I am fortunate to have these battles to engage in. As far as Diabetics go, I don’t have it that bad. Sometimes I need to remember that. Not to brag or boast, but to keep my issues in perspective.

Last week I noticed an advertisement in the middle of the NBA Playoffs featuring Boston Celtics Guard Ray Allen, his wife and his son who has Type 1 Diabetes. The ad was simple, plugging the efforts of the Joslin Diabetes Center. More power to him for using his celebrity to promote a great cause. He is a very prominent athlete as one of the leagues all-time 3 point shooters. Any attention he can bring to finding a cure for Diabetes is definitely appreciated. Joslin is equally aboard the “He-Got-Game” Bandwagon as they have appointed Allen to the Board of Trustees. Good stuff.

I do wonder though, I wonder how much easier (relatively speaking) Ray Allen’s son’s life will be with Diabetes because of who his father is. I can’t speak to the insurance offered by the Boston Celtics and the NBA as a business, so who knows what is and isn’t covered. I’m sure professional athletes have insurance issues just like the rest of us in the real world. But simply based on the fact that he is a multi-million dollar athlete, you can be sure that money is not, and will not be a primary concern when it comes to managing prescriptions and paying for medication. I’ve read so many stories about issues with trying to get different prescriptions covered for this or that or trying to find a way to manage a budget with so many different medications taking priority. I wonder what it is like to know that virtually whatever care this child needs, he will receive. It’s not exactly throwing money at a problem, but when money isn’t a barrier to entry it certainly doesn’t suck.

Now do not get my ponderings confused with anger or jealousy…maybe a bit of envy though. I hope Allen’s son lives a long and healthy life. Maybe we’ll both be lucky enough to see a cure for Diabetes in our lifetime. I just find it interesting to think about how Diabetes might have a slightly different impact on someone based on differing socioeconomic factors. Simply put: the fact that his father is Ray Allen will not make living with Diabetes any more difficult than it already is.