In August (2005) I flew to VA (from CA) to visit my mother who is battling bravely against a vicious and aggressive cancer.  I traveled alone with four minor children, including my six-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, who has type 1 diabetes.  The trip was hard both emotionally and logistically and we were all eager to get back home.  Unfortunately, late on our last Sunday night my daughter's insulin pump "drowned" in a swimming pool due to a hairline crack in the pump case.  We were due to fly home the following afternoon and were now faced with a serious crisis.  Elizabeth is on a pump because she has a rare allergy to many long-acting insulin and can only use Novalog.  Because it was late Sunday night, there were no pharmacies open nearby to even purchase extra syringes (I only brought 5 for an emergency I never believed would happen) or insulin.

          I called Animas about 9 pm and left a message.  Ann Levitz returned my call within minutes.  After hearing about my situation, she gave me advice on how to get through the night on shots (including how to reuse syringes and use insulin from the pump cartridge because my spare vial had been damaged on the plane).  She immediately began trying to contact other Animas reps in the area to see if she could locate a spare pump in time for our flight.  The idea of putting Elizabeth on an airplane with only short-acting insulin was scary at best and I decided we could not safely go home without a pump. Ann really came through for us when she managed to locate a spare pump by the following morning so that we could return home as planned.  She got in touch with Rick Philbin, in Falls Church, VA, who drove out to our hotel first thing in the morning and brought me his own spare pump.  Ann also sent a replacement spare pump that arrived only one day after our return and she placed follow-up calls to make sure everything was okay.

          I cannot praise Animas enough, specifically Ann and Rick for rescuing us.  Without their support and dedication and genuine concern our family would have suffered.  As it was, Elizabeth required shots nearly every hour through the night, something she was most unhappy about!

          It is this kind of support that I have received repeatedly from Animas during the past year that makes me such a loyal and happy client.  I am quick to encourage others considering pumps to go with Animas.  I tell them, sure, different pumps have different selling points, but nobody can come close to Animas when it comes to customer support.  I really feel as though their reps care about people and not just making a dollar for Animas.

          Ann and Rick deserve recognition for their tremendous act of compassion and personal sacrifice to keep my daughter safe.  They both deserve a "job well done."  I only wish they could have seen my daughter's face light up when I hooked her up to Rick's pump:  she knew she was going home, and she knew that she would be safe.  What more could a mother ask for?

                                                                                                   Lahle Wolfe, IOH Founder

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