<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>Exclusive:</span></strong><span> Dyan Henry, 45, was about to do the school pickup run when an alarm sounded.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It was her continuous glucose monitor (CGM) alerting her that her blood sugar was dangerously low.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Henry lives with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes but doesn't show typical hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) symptoms until it's too late, at which point she can lose coordination or pass out.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/first-guardian-master-trust-superannuation-lost-asic-investigation-exclusive/7a944ee1-faa0-40c0-8972-011f056c9fee" target="_blank"><strong><span>Christian, JC and Johanna are missing a combined $319k in super. They're not alone</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If not for her CGM alarm, that afternoon could have turned into a tragedy.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I was about to get in the car to go to a school with kids everywhere, with the chance that I could have just gone unconscious behind the wheel," Henry told 9news.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But she's had to live without that safeguard for decades because she can't afford it.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/continuous-glucose-monitor-subsidy-type-2-diabetes-exclusive/6ef11a04-9a0f-4e1a-bf88-fefb90101259" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>Have you got a story? Contact</span></strong></em><span> </span><strong><em><span>reporter Maddison Leach at</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="mailto:mleach@nine.com.au" target="_blank" title="mleach@nine.com.au"><strong><em><span>mleach@nine.com.au</span></em></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Who gets subsidised CGMs?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>CGMs are wearable tech that allow people with diabetes to track their blood sugar levels in real-time without finger-prick tests.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One lasts about 14 days and costs around $100, adding up to more than $2500 per year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Research has shown that they can dramatically reduce the risk of life-threatening diabetes-related complications for people living with type 2 diabetes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But under the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS), CGMs are only subsidised for Australians with type 1 diabetes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That leaves more than 310,000 people with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes to pay out of pocket in a cost-of-living crisis or go without.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Henry falls into the second category.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I work, my husband works, but we can't even say we're getting by," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We spend every day worrying about, 'Can we pay our rent? Can we keep our lights on?'</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I can't pay $200 a month, that's half a week's rent. It's ridiculous." </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As a result, her health has suffered.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Living with type 2 diabetes</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Primarily caused by a combination of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors, type 2 diabetes affects almost 1.2 million people in Australia.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Individuals with a family history are at higher risk of developing the condition so Henry, whose mother and father both had diabetes, "stood no chance".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It was really a matter of when, not if I got diabetes," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Diagnosed at 23 despite having "no symptoms", Henry spent years struggling to manage her diabetes with traditional blood glucose meters which require finger-prick tests.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-warana-stabbing-entrepreneur-pays-tribute-to-husband-dead-outside-luxury-home/65278dbf-2242-4566-86bb-1dae583d2a57" target="_blank"><strong><span>Two teenagers charged with murder over deadly stabbing</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which made it difficult for her to keep track of her blood sugar and injections.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Trying to remember to take insulin two, three times a day, checking my blood sugar levels and getting used to needles is hard," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"A lot of that early time, my diabetes was not controlled at all. It was terrible."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Henry regularly experienced severe lows without warning because she didn't experience typical hypoglycaemia symptoms, leaving her confused and barely conscious.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She also suffered multiple devastating pregnancy losses that she said were linked to her uncontrolled diabetes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>'Life-changing' wearable tech</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In late 2024, Henry was given the chance to trial a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) free of charge and had her life "transformed" almost overnight.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>With it, she was able to consistently keep her blood sugar levels within a safe range for the first time in years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It also woke her in the night when her levels dropped dangerously low, something she previously would have slept through due to a lack of symptoms.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/trump-says-cocacola-will-use-real-sugar-in-its-us-flagship-drink-the-company-isnt-confirming-that/c4c1a407-ce6e-4900-8872-8103946ff702" target="_blank"><strong><span>Trump announces Coca-Cola will change its recipe at his request</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"To have that visual of where [your blood sugar levels] are, where it's headed, having an alarm with that attached ... it was life-changing," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Henry claimed her health was better in the two weeks she trialled that CGM than it has been in decades.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But without an NDSS subsidy, she can't afford to pay for them long-term and she fears her health will decline again.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Sometimes it comes down to: we can afford a monitor, or we can afford the insulin. You can't fight over that when you really need both."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Barely getting by, physically and financially</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This National Diabetes Week (July 13–19), Henry is calling for the NDSS to change the existing CGM subsidy to include Australians living with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Many Australians living with type 2 diabetes experience stigma and feel shamed for "bringing the disease upon themselves".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Henry feels this stigma is part of the reason why people living with type 2 diabetes are not yet eligible for subsidised CGMs.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>With so many people already struggling to make ends meet in the cost-of-living crisis, they shouldn't be made to choose between their health and paying rent.</span></div></div><div class="player__video-container"><img alt="" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/CwAXhWsDJrMN4WcTxkj0Gz9gzVM=/750x0/https%3A%2F%2Fvms-network-images-prod.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com%2F2024%2F11%2F646783%2Fpickerimage.jpg"/></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I don't see why it can't be subsidised for both groups," Henry said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"A lot of people who make the decisions have never experienced it, but [CGMs] saved my life and I know they could save so many other lives."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>About one in 15 Australian adults currently lives with diabetes, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, and the number requiring insulin is expected to rise.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Henry was 33 when she lost her mother, who also suffered from diabetes, and doesn't want her own child to go through the same thing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I don't want to be hospitalised for a diabetes complication or, heaven forbid, die from one because of something that was unaffordable."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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