Marie Kemp
BPC's fundraiser for Diabetes UK
Fundraising for Diabetes UK
Story
This year, BPC Interiors have selected Diabetes UK as our chosen charity to fundraise for. The reason for this is one of our longest, most valued members of the team, Stuart Dowling, has 2 children that both suffer from the disease. Stuart explains in his own words, what it is like to live with this disease and why it is so important to continue supporting the charity.
"I have 2 boys who are type 1 diabetic, the first was diagnosed in 2008 aged 2 and the second was diagnosed in 2022 aged 10. They both need to inject themselves every time they eat food plus a background injection once a day. Normally a minimum of 4 injections a day and regularly check blood glucose levels. We always have to carry insulin, sugar drinks, snacks and testing kits with us. Research into a cure is the biggest thing and educating people on the difference between type 1 and type 2. Living with diabetes is difficult. There are so many factors to consider and it can be stressful knowing what's best, but you shouldn’t need to put your life on hold. Having a child who has diabetes can be tough sometimes. Your child will probably have to take insulin to treat it. They'll either use a pen or a pump and will eventually be able to do this by themselves with your help"
For teens and children with Type 1, the actual time of their diabetes diagnosis is often a confusing and frightening blur. They have a memory of feeling ill, being suddenly taken to hospital and waking up on a drip, surrounded by various medical staff and anxious parents. It may all seem like a nightmare, best forgotten.
Diabetes, though, can’t be forgotten. Unlike the usual illnesses of childhood, Type 1 diabetes won’t ever go away. When the child slowly realises this they’re naturally both frightened and upset. They may long for it to be yesterday, or last week – to return to the way things were before.
Fewer than one in 10 people in the UK who have diabetes have type 1 diabetes. There is nothing you can do to prevent yourself or others developing type 1 diabetes.
If you have type 1 diabetes, your blood sugar is too high because your body can’t make a hormone called insulin.
Although it’s often diagnosed in childhood, people can develop type 1 diabetes at any age. You are at a slightly higher risk of type 1 diabetes if your mother, father, brother or sister has it.
Insulin is the main treatment for type 1 diabetes. You can’t live without insulin injections or using an insulin pump. Checking and managing your blood sugar levels is important to help you reduce your risk of serious short or long-term health problems. These are called diabetes complications.
There is currently no cure for type 1 diabetes, but the charity are funding lots of research to help find new treatments and a cure.
Diabetes UK are the UK’s leading charitable funder of diabetes research. They improve lives through pioneering research into all forms of diabetes and diabetes-related complications. The work they support helps them understand the causes of diabetes, bring about life-changing breakthroughs in care, treatment and prevention and brings them closer to a cure. In 2021 they invested over £6.4 million in diabetes research to kick start 31 new studies.