Janice Clinthorne is a mother and a fighter, She became the head of her household after the loss of her husband in 2018, partially due to complications related to diabetes. Clinthorne's struggle with diabetes began in 1992 when she was pregnant with her first son. The disease, initially intermittent, evolved into a full case of type 2 diabetes with the pregnancy of her second son in 1995. The disease and its complications have caused constant strife between she and the insurance companies attempting to deny her coverage. As the cost of insulin rose, her sensitivity to insulin decreased, requiring greater personal contributions to her healthcare, and more struggles to keep her insurance coverage, Diabetes took her husband, her security, and her peace of mind. "I'm hoarding insulin and infusion supplies so I have a safety net when we lose our insurance,"
"When," not "if."
Clinthorne sitting in her home, watches the news, and catches up with recent updates regarding SARS CoV 2.
Clinthorne memorializes her husband, whose passing was in part brought on by complications related to Diabetes.
Clinthorne sits in bed after taking her blood sugar, and sets her pump with her furry companion, Grace.
Clinthorne lays out her test kit, taking great care to keep the environment clean to allow for uncontaminated testing, as too much insulin can lead to a diabetic coma.
Clinthorne pulls one vial of insulin out of her fridge which contains dozens of stockpiled bottles. “This little bottle costs nearly $400 [$378]. I always keep a stockpile. I know we’ll lose our insurance, it’s just a matter of when.”
Clinthorne lays out her test strips to show how small they are. “One prescription of these is about $1,800. The insurance company tried to force me to get more expensive strips. Those would cost $3,600 over the counter.”