My name is Noelle Tuominen, I’m from Livermore, CA, and I’m a mom to two children with type 1 diabetes. My daughter and my son were each diagnosed at 1 year old  — they now are 4 and 1, respectively. We quickly realized that keeping people with type 1 functioning and healthy is incredibly expensive, especially because of the skyrocketing cost of my childrens’ insulin. 

My daughter’s Humalog insulin alone costs upwards of $300 per vial — and that doesn’t even include the cost of supplies, which are also incredibly pricey. These outrageous prices have a direct impact on my childrens’ future. We had a college fund when I was pregnant with my daughter and through her first year, but it quickly became an insulin fund in case of emergency as well.

And this isn’t the only way the prices of their medications could impact their dreams. When my kids turn 26, they will no longer be allowed to stay on my insurance, and they will face the high price of their insulin alone. Many parents of kids who need insulin have to caution their children from a young age to make life decisions based on affording their insulin including choosing their careers due to insurance coverage. This breaks my heart, that parents are literally telling their kids not to go after their dreams, all because they will be saddled with the unjust prices of insulin for the rest of their lives. 

The drug pricing system is so broken. It needs to change, so parents don’t have to tell their kids which dreams to pursue. I won’t tell my children they can’t follow their dreams. Instead, I’ll fight hard to lower drug prices, so the price of insulin won’t ever dictate their very bright futures.