Dyan Faces Agonizing Choice Between Health and Rent: ‘I Don’t Want to Die Over Costs’

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Dyan Henry, an Australian mother battling type 2 diabetes, faces a heart-wrenching choice between affording life-saving medical devices and paying rent, highlighting the cost-of-living crisis gripping the nation. Her story exposes the failure of government policies to address soaring healthcare and housing costs, leaving vulnerable Australians struggling to survive.

Living with insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, Dyan, 33, relies on continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), wearable devices that track blood sugar levels in real-time, costing around $2,500 annually, per 9news.com.au. Without CGMs, she risks severe hypoglycaemic episodes, having nearly lost consciousness while driving, a potential tragedy for her and her child. “I don’t want to be hospitalised or die from a diabetes complication because of something unaffordable,” Dyan told 9news.com.au. Her trial of a CGM in 2024 transformed her life, stabilizing her blood sugar and alerting her to dangerous lows, but the cost remains out of reach. With one in 15 Australian adults living with diabetes, per the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Dyan’s plight reflects a broader crisis where essential healthcare is a luxury for many.

The Labor government’s inability to curb skyrocketing living costs exacerbates Dyan’s struggle. Rent and utilities consume much of her income, forcing her to prioritize housing over health. A 2024 Harvard study notes that renters paying over 50% of their income on housing cut back on essentials like healthcare, increasing mortality risks. Dyan’s story echoes this, as she skips CGM purchases to cover rent, risking her life. Critics argue Labor’s focus on short-term relief, like energy subsidies, fails to address systemic issues like housing shortages and healthcare access, leaving families like Dyan’s trapped.

Dyan’s fear of leaving her child motherless, as she lost her own mother to diabetes, drives her fight. Yet, without subsidies for CGMs for type 2 diabetes patients, she faces impossible choices. Coalition voices, like shadow health minister Anne Ruston, have called for broader medical subsidies, arguing that no Australian should die over unaffordable care. As costs soar, Dyan’s story underscores a national failure to prioritize health and housing security, leaving hardworking families to bear the burden of a broken system.