Felicity Wicks
Felicity's London Marathon fundraising
Fundraising for Diabetes UK
Story
******Update June 2021******
Having run 26.2 miles at home in New Mills last year, my place has been rolled over to the non-virtual London Marathon this year - Sunday 3rd October.
Every penny is still appreciated, as Diabetes UK, in common with all charities, has lost significant amounts of fundraising opportunities during the pandemic, and we’re still a long way from ‘back to normal’. THANK YOU :-)
First things first... what is diabetes? Chances are, you don't know - yet diabetes affects more people in the UK than all cancers and dementia combined.
Right now, 1 in 15 people in the UK has diabetes. The complications associated with the condition are significant: thousands of people with diabetes have complications such as heart attacks, stroke, and amputations every week. The NHS spends £10 billion a year on diabetes - that's 10% of its entire budget, or £1 million an hour.
But what actually is diabetes, and why do people develop it? The most common type is Type 2, which accounts for 90% of people with diabetes. It is managed through a combination of diet (low sugar) and medication (tablets, though many do end up having to inject insulin). Type 2 is when the body doesn't produce enough insulin, which controls the level of sugar in your blood. Some people are more at risk of developing it than others - certain ethnic groups in particular. But over half of all Type 2 diagnoses could be delayed or even prevented by changes to lifestyle - mainly by being more active. Diabetes UK does a lot of work to educate people who may be more at risk, and supporting them to make changes that will decrease their risk.
Type 1 diabetes is when the body produces no insulin, meaning people have to manually (and often painfully) check their blood glucose level throughout the day, and inject the corresponding amount of insulin. It comes on pretty much at random: it is not linked to lifestyle, and the majority of people with Type 1 don't have a close family member with it. However, incidence in the UK is increasing by 4% a year, for reasons as yet unknown.
I am fundraising for Diabetes UK to support the many people living with diabetes, but especially my dad, who has been living with Type 1 for 21 years. I recently found out that my brother, sister and I have a 1 in 20 chance of developing it, compared to 1 in 250 for the general population.
Diabetes UK does three main things: 1) provides information, advice and support to people with diabetes; 2) campaigns to keep diabetes at the top of the political agenda; 3) funds research to develop treatments and, one day, find a cure. Hopefully the facts and figures above have given you an idea of how important this charity is to support, but you can read more at www.diabetes.org.uk/
Please donate now with whatever you can spare - no amount is too small. You can also follow my marathon training progress at https://peakfliss.wordpress.com/
Thank you :)