When Julie Mourao turns 11 years old next month, she’ll receive the one thing she’s asked for since being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes three years ago: an insulin pump.
And Julie has her family and community to thank for granting her birthday wish.
The pump, which will replace multiple needle injections of insulin each day, was the only thing on Julie’s birthday wish list. Her mom, Irina Razumovsky, had planned to use her credit card to cover the $2,000 out-of-pocket cost of the pump.
But, at a co-worker’s urging, Razumovsky created an account on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe. The fundraising campaign spread on social media, and The Columbian shared Julie’s story on Oct. 6.
Razumovsky hoped donations would help ease the financial burden of buying the pump. Instead, they will completely cover the cost of the device.
In less than two weeks, the Vancouver family received $2,300 in donations.
“It is truly an amazing feeling to know that Julie will finally get her insulin pump and make her life a little brighter,” Razumovsky said.
Razumovsky and her fiance, Shane Tomlin, both work, and Julie is covered through an employer-provided insurance plan. But insurance only covers 80 percent of costs and the family was feeling the financial pinch as the holidays approach.
Now, they have the money to buy the pump without acquiring the credit card debt.
Razumovsky is also looking at purchasing a continuous monitor for Julie. The monitor uses a sensor inserted under the skin to record real-time blood-sugar levels.
The extra money raised through the GoFundMe campaign will go toward purchasing the monitor and Julie’s other diabetes supplies, Razumovsky said.
“We want to just thank everyone for helping make this possible,” she said. “Words just can’t describe what this means to our family.”
