Desperately Seeking THIS Case

Or one very much like it.




It's falling apart, and that's a problem.

Since Joseph started pumping at the end of January, he's gone through two of the leather pump cases Animas provides (the velcro would always wear out, thus allowing the pump to fly free whenever Joseph was especially active). Next he tried a zippered pouch I had ordered from Pump Wear, Inc. It was a bit too big and "floppy" for Joseph's taste. I've had folks recommend a pump "harness," but Joseph is one of those kids who doesn't like to feel the pump on his body.

Sooooo, for quite some time we were on the hunt for alternatives. And that's when Ryan, who was visiting a friend down in Florida a few months ago, stumbled upon this cell phone case at a flea market. It was the only one, and it was a perfect fit.



The case has a clip that swivels (Joseph likes to wear it horizontally), a plastic clasp for a closure (Ryan is convinced that the ubiquitous magnetic closures won't hold when Joseph is really active), and it literally seems made for the Animas IR 1200.



So what's our problem, then? Well, the damn thing just fell apart. The back of the case has torn away at the seams. I've done a bit of makeshift repair-- using basting tape, and a tricky bit of sewing. But, alas, I think I'm in way over my head with this project. There's simply not much left on the back of this case to work with.

Now, some might say: "Come on. Just get the kid another case and be done with it."

It's not that simple.

Joseph is very attached (no pun, really, no pun intended) to this cell phone case. And because of this, Ryan's friend down in Florida has been scouring flea markets for the past few months, in search of more of these cases (yes, he is a very sweet man). He did have some luck-- he just sent us two cases that were very close, but (and for Joseph, this is one big but) not really right. The clip doesn't swivel, so he has to always wear it the long way down. The clip is also larger, wider, and an uncovered metal-- thus it's not as comfortable. And worst of all, it can easily slip off of his pants. Dang!

Last night, after Joseph had been wearing one of these new cases for several hours, he got really upset, nearly throwing the thing on the floor.

"I just want to wear my old case. I hate this thing! It just doesn't feel right!"

Then he stood there and cried-- with his old case cradled in his hands, holding it to his chest.

Now, I'm sure that many of you -- maybe those who don't wear an insulin pump or have a child who does -- might view this as an overreaction. But please imagine for a moment that you own some piece of equipment, one that has a bit of weight to it, and you have to wear it every day, all day-- and all night. There is never a break.

You'd want that thing to feel comfortable on, yes?

Now imagine that you've been wearing it for, oh, six months, and have experienced amazing amounts of frustration because every time you wear it, and try to do anything active, it either falls out or gets in the way. But then, almost magically, you've found that perfect container. One that makes wearing this thing almost effortless. You don't even think about what a drag it is to attach it, because it clips on easily and in just the right position. You can access it easily when you need to, but when you don't, everything stays secure.

Now that container is gone.

If anyone has any leads on this case (or one very similar), or has any suggestions, please comment or email. I will thank you.

And man, my son will really thank you.