How did these practices of price gouging and profiting off of our daily struggle become principle in this country? How, in an age of such loud voices, did a population of over a million disenfranchised people become a boon to the billionaire Big Pharma executives without anyone really knowing about it?

With the help of my doctor and many people in my life, I hoarded supplies. I did not feel confident that I would be able to have access to the supplies I needed, because I would mysteriously get "dropped" from my insurance for whatever reason they had or I would get "lost" in the system. I never knew when it would happen or how long it would take to get resolved, if it ever did.

I do not know whether the over $300 bill I was now again facing as a college student with no stable employment was more astounding, or was it the fact I had also just been essentially told that it was only necessary for me to have an insulin vial on hand and forget actually knowing what my blood glucose was.

This family was fighting to keep their daughter safe and then forced to fight for what they were entitled to with a policy they had been paying on for years. Finding a pediatric endocrinologist — that was a problem we could solve with a single phone call. Getting the attention of Humana — that was also something we could accomplish — thanks to social media.

Beyond Type 1 is asking that Esme's appeal be approved and that Humana revamp their policies for Type 1 clients. We encourage you to use the letter below for inspiration or write your own. While the tragic reality is that Esme's story is one of many, we must begin somewhere, and so we ask for your help. The tools needed to manage this disease are necessities, not luxuries.