Soenaid and Lee Anderson from Kirkcudbright joined other affected families at the Scottish Parliament to help politicians better understand autoimmune condition which affects 29,000 people in Scotland.
Soenaid was among those who gave their personal stories of living with the condition, including the daily worry of multiple insulin injections and carb counting, alongside the hope that finding the cure inspires.
Her daughter Maisie was diagnosed aged ten, and readings from the youngster’s own diary brought tears to the eyes of many there.
The event was organised by research charity JDRF with the aim of challenging the Scottish Government to do more to raise awareness and support more research, calling specifically for new fellowships which will encourage the next generation of type 1 diabetes research in Scotland.
JDRF Scotland Development Group chair Peter Jones said: “A parent of a child with type 1 can test blood every two hours through the night because they worry that their blood glucose could fall dangerously low.
“It humbled me how those children and their parents cope with that burden day in and day out. For the parents of these children, it means constant worry, sleepless nights, the never ending checking of blood sugars, the constant counting of carbohydrates, the calculation of correction doses, and the pressure of organising family days out around strict eating times.”
He added: “In Scotland, JDRF funding is helping with research which will help clinicians understand why those with type 1 diabetes are often at greater risk of developing complications such as sight loss and kidney damage.
“But there is so much more that can be done.”
www.jdrf.org.uk
