WHEN Theresa May answered questions about her type 1 diabetes in an interview last week (“Corbyn challenge to May on Facebook”, The Herald, May 17), it will have come as a surprise to many that her condition requires her to inject herself with insulin five times a day. What she didn’t say was that to self-administer insulin she also has to check her blood glucose levels and calculate the exact amount of insulin her body needs.
Mrs May says that she doesn’t let her condition stop her doing the things she does, nor should it. However, imagine if you were four and had to deal with a multitude of finger prick tests and injections – or if you were the small child’s parent. It can also be a tough thing for a teenager at school. A child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of five will have 19,000 injections and 50,000 finger prick blood tests by the time they reach 18.
Just as Mrs May was talking about her type 1 diabetes, the case of 13-year-old Aaliyah Edwards was being shared across social media. Aaliyah’s school reportedly barred her from a school trip because her teachers did not know how to deal with her condition.
Aaliyah’s experience proves that there needs to be greater awareness so that everyone with type 1 diabetes can enjoy all that life offers.
Better still let’s find a cure by supporting research.
Claire Henderson,
JDRF, the type 1 diabetes charity,
c/o Subsea 7,
Greenwell Base,
Greenwell Road,
East Tullos Industrial Estate, Aberdeen.
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