Diabetes medications can be very expensive, especially without health insurance; one woman is struggling to keep up with the cost.

Sanjuanita Zuniga has lived with type 2 diabetes for 25 years.

"It is incredibly hard to live with this disease and you hear other people who say, 'oh I use this type of insulin'," Zuniga said.

Zuniga doesn't have insurance and pays for everything out of pocket. She takes two pills a day, along with insulin. Each month, she spends about $160 on insulin and another $60 on medication.

"Every month I suffer a lot to be able to get the money to get the help," Zuniga said.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley says they see this struggle firsthand.

The university offers low-cost and, in some cases, free services through community clinics in Brownsville, San Carlos and La Victoria.

"To do that is to observe our community and see what they need and offering these services at low-cost, they aren't less than services," UTRGV School of Medicine Assistant Professor Lubeth Perez said.

Perez oversees UTRGV's community health partnership programs. The program also helps patients find more affordable medication options.

"Looking through to see what is the most affordable for the medication for what this patient is needing," Perez said.

The clinic offers free diabetes and medication education, nutrition counseling and testing. Clinic visits cost about $10, but even with help, some medications may remain out of reach.

"Each patient when we talk about cost, the GLP-1s, GIPs, the top recommended recommendations they can be very expensive," Vitality Family Medical Group Nurse Practitioner Sarah Adkins said,

"There's one [insulin] that you use once a week. They say is really good, and I asked for the price but I can't afford it," Zuniga said.

Zuniga says she's not giving up. She will continue to manage her health with what she has and take advantage of local resources.

Watch the video above for the full story.

This April, CHANNEL 5 NEWS will educate viewers about diabetes prevention and treatment. KRGV will provide a 360-degree look into the diabetes epidemic in the RGV.

H-E-B and South Texas Health System are offering free diabetes screenings in the month of April. Check out the calendar at this link for times and dates when the screenings will be available.

Heart of the Valley: Diabetes is sponsored by Prime Health and South Texas Health System.