The Omnipod DASH® Insulin Management System simplifies life with diabetes for both children and their caregivers.
The magic of being a child is all about spontaneity and adventure. It’s about believing in fairytales, wonder, and the extraordinary. It’s building forts, jumping in puddles, climbing trees, and playing dress-up. Freedom, discovery, and following dreams — these are the special, joyful ingredients of childhood.
For children living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), it takes a little more care and effort to enable a life of fun and ease. Fortunately, the Omnipod DASH® Insulin Management System can help.
A challenging diagnosis
Oftentimes, receiving a T1D diagnosis is the hardest day of a family’s life. No one wants to hear that their precious, carefree child will be saddled with a chronic condition for the rest of their lives. The diagnosis itself can be scary — as it typically involves blood tests and sometimes hospitalization — and the prognosis is daunting, too. Parents look anxiously to a future that they expect will be burdened by constant monitoring of their child’s blood glucose levels, health care challenges, visits to the doctor, and uncomfortable treatments. And all children diagnosed with T1D start out with multiple daily insulin injections, which can be quite challenging.
Fortunately, other options are available. After approximately one year, families have the option of transitioning to an insulin pump.
Relieving the burden of multiple daily insulin injections
An insulin pump can simplify diabetes management for children and their families. It reduces the number of multiple daily insulin injections and provides more flexibility by allowing users to customize insulin amounts, based on their needs. And as the only tubeless insulin pump delivery system in Canada, Omnipod® offers freedom from tubes and multiple daily injections.
“Omnipod’s tubeless feature is the main reason I personally made the switch years ago,” says Alyssa Tangerine, Consumer and Community Marketing Manager at Insulet Canada (the markers of Omnipod), who also lives with T1D. “It’s also waterproof*, so you can jump in and out of the lake or the pool without interruptions. It’s one less thing to think about in a day filled with so many other diabetes-related decisions.”
Allowing kids to be kids
Omnipod is small** and lightweight and provides non-stop insulin delivery for up to 72 hours. It’s also wireless, connecting via Bluetooth to the Personal Diabetes Manager — a durable touchscreen device that makes delivering insulin a cinch.
“As a user myself, I can say that our system is really simple to use,” says Alyssa. “The hands-free insertion of the cannula made a big difference for me personally. It makes site changes really easy.”
Omnipod can be worn on the back of the arm, the abdomen, the upper outside of the leg, the lower back, and the upper buttocks area, giving plenty of choice for active kids. Kids can show it off if they want to, but they don’t have to either. Omnipod gives kids the choice to speak about their diabetes on their own terms.
Shining on the ice thanks to Omnipod
Remy was diagnosed with T1D shortly before his second birthday. “We have no history of T1D in either my family or my wife Anna’s side of the family, so it was a bit of a shock,” says his dad, Joe. “Luckily, we caught it pretty quickly.”
When he’s on the ice, having Omnipod allows us to make insulin adjustments from the stands †. It makes our lives so much easier.
Now 10 years old, Remy is an extraordinary hockey goaltender who’s defying the limitations imposed by T1D. His impressive performances in highly competitive AAA tournaments have earned him recognition and respect in the youth hockey community.
Remy is able to shine on the ice and to pursue his dreams thanks in part to his Omnipod. “Remy has always been a very active child, and I don’t think he could have any other kind of pump that has tubes hanging out,” says Joe. “He would be getting caught up all the time. Omnipod really suits him well.” “When he’s on the ice, having Omnipod allows us to make insulin adjustments from the stands†,” adds Anna. “It makes our lives so much easier.”
A game-changing device
For Romey, an active seven-year-old who loves to dance, play T-ball, and do gymnastics, Omnipod has similarly been a game-changer. “Romey’s a busy go-getter,” says her dad, Michael. “She hasn’t let T1D slow her down one bit.”
As soon as Romey could get an Omnipod, we wanted to switch as it fit her lifestyle and also ours.
Diagnosed at just 18 months old, Romey exhibited impressive resilience from the very beginning. “Sometimes her strength gave us strength, because it was so painful having to pin her down to give her injections,” says her mom, Jeminee.
“As soon as Romey could get an Omnipod, we wanted to switch as it fit her lifestyle and also ours,” says Michael. “It has made a significant improvement in our lives. She’s able to play and do what she wants, and we can give her insulin from afar.”
With Omnipod, kids can enjoy the special moments that define childhood — like going for sleepovers and eating birthday cake — and families can make memories that will last a lifetime. The freedom it affords families is simply priceless.
Start your journey with Omnipod DASH today by ordering a free Pod Experience Kit. Visit omnipod.com.
*The Pod has a waterproof IP28 rating of up to 7.6 metres (25 feet) for up to 60 minutes. The Personal Diabetes Manager (PDM) is not waterproof.
**Pod Dimensions: 3.9cm wide x 5.2cm long x 1.45cm high (1.53” wide x 2.05” long x 0.57” high)
†During normal operation: Within 1.5 metres (5 feet) of each other. Depending on the location, the communication distance may handle separations up to 15 metres (50 feet) away.
