The Variety Show of Hearts telethon will return to the airwaves on Saturday, Feb. 9 for its 54th year of raising money for children in need. In the past decade, Variety has provided more than $33 million to families and communities across the province.
Parksville’s 10-year-old Coraline Maliteare is one of those children. Coraline was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age two. Variety recently provided her with a CGM– a Continuous Glucose Monitor – that tracks her blood sugar levels 24/7.
Coraline’s mom, Shannon Maliteare says the device has been a game-changer for the family. It’s not something that’s covered by provincial healthcare, and Shannon says the family wouldn’t have been able to afford one on their own.
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“It’s changed our lives forever. Receiving a CGM has been life-saving, and life-changing for us,” said Shannon.
“Before we had the CGM, we had to do finger pokes, anywhere from eight to 15 times a day. Which if you can imagine, that’s a lot of finger pokes.”
The CGM allows Shannon to monitor Coraline’s blood sugar levels while she’s sleeping, or away at school. It also keeps track of Coraline’s levels over time, so doctors can see patterns in her levels and adjust dosages of insulin accordingly.
“It will alarm during the night if she’s in danger, and we can make sure she’s okay. I can actually sleep at night for the first time in seven years,” said Shannon.
“I talk about it – I get teared up, because I’m just so grateful to Variety for providing this for our family. Unfortunately, the province’s pharmacare doesn’t cover CGMs, and it can cost over $5,000 a year to have that. I just can’t imagine a family not having this device. It keeps her safe – it keeps Coraline safe, and I have peace of mind knowing that she’s going to be OK.”
Shannon says that Coraline is a “brave little girl,” and has adjusted to wearing the monitor full-time.
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“She was a little bit apprehensive about it at first, but she’s quite an outgoing little girl. She’s never known anything different, she’s always had to wear some sort of device on her arm,” said Shannon.
“She’s gotten used to using it, she knows how to put one on herself, she knows how to put an insulin pod on herself, she’s very independent. She’s rolling with the punches. She’s a determined kid.”
Variety’s mission is to step in to provide support to fill gaps in provincial funding.
The 2019 Variety event raised $5,765,594 for children in need. This year’s event will be hosted by a variety of journalists, including Global B.C.’s Chris Gailus and Sophie Lui. There will be live music by Juno-award winning indie band Said the Whale, singer-songwriter Shawn Austin, Canadian blues rockers Wide Mouth Mason, country artist Todd Richard and special guests The Tenors.
The event will air from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Global B.C., and can also be streamed online during that time at www.globalnews.ca/bc