[Diabetes-Talk] Letter to President Biden

[debbiewunder at charter.net]

I sent this to the list for information:

 

Dear President Biden:

 

My name is Debbie Wunder, and I am president of the Diabetes Action Network,
a division of the National Federation of the   Blind. I am a blind diabetic
who must test my blood sugar several times a day. Traditionally this has
meant doing many finger sticks a day and then using a test strip to retrieve
enough blood on the strip to get a blood sugar reading. Often it is very
difficult to get enough blood on the strip for the reading, thus wasting an
expensive strip as well as having to stick my finger again. 

 

Thankfully there are now systems that allow a person to test an unlimited
number of times over a two week period. Unfortunately the reader that works
with this system called the FreeStyle Libre Link has no speech output.
Fortunately there is an ap on the smart phone that allows me to scan the
sensor to get a reading. 

 

Recently this company has come up with a device  with functionality that may
save the life of a blind or low vision diabetic. The new system transmits
information that with an alarm will notify me that my blood sugar level is
too high or dangerously low. This is for many diabetics most likely to
happen while sleeping, not allowing them to be aware of any of the normal
warning signs. This very possibly may result in death. 

 

I am told that the company has submitted to the Food and Drug Administration
a request for approval of this phone app. I have reached out to the FDA for
information as to where they are in this process to no avail. Repeated calls
have gotten me no answers. I would like to ask you to please do anything you
can do to speed  along its approval and deployment. Again this can be a
matter of life or death for many diabetics.

 

Thankyou so very much for your service to America.

 

Debbie Wunder, President, Diabetes Action Network