A family from Cardiff have walked a total of 4 million steps for Diabetes UK Cymru to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes.
[aoa id=”1″]
Laura Carter, 29, took on the 1 Million Steps challenge along with her partner Hannah O’Connor, parents Jenny and David, and sister Sarah.
Each family member walked one million steps between 1 July and 30 September, raising vital funds to help the charity support other people living with diabetes in Wales. They needed to walk at least 10,000 steps a day to reach their target.
[/aoa]
Laura was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2008, aged 19. She was hospitalised this year after falling ill with Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition that requires urgent medical attention. Signs of DKA can include high blood glucose levels, ketones in your blood/urine, thirst, frequently going to the toilet, feeling tired or lethargic, blurry vision, nausea or vomiting, and collapse.
Laura said:
“I was lucky that my partner Hannah knew the symptoms to look out for when I became seriously ill. She knew exactly what to tell the paramedics and there was no delay in getting me to hospital. This may not be the case for others as many people do not know what DKA is or how serious it can be.
“My family were instrumental in my recovery, and together we wanted to raise awareness of diabetes and the signs of DKA so hopefully more people won’t have to go through what I did.
“If you have high blood glucose levels and any signs of DKA you must contact your diabetes team immediately. It’s vitally important that everyone knows the symptoms to look out for and what to do in an emergency. It could save a life like mine.”
Laura is now on the mend and found that the 1 Million Steps challenge helped to rebuild her strength after her three month stay in hospital.
Laura continued: “The challenge came at a perfect time for me. Walking 10,000 steps a day for some people might be easy but for me this was my equivalent of climbing Everest. As the days and months have gone on I have become stronger and been able to walk further, faster and for longer.”
Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition that affects around 20,000 people in Wales. People with the condition don’t produce the hormone insulin, which is responsible for controlling the amount of glucose in the blood. Nobody knows what causes Type 1 diabetes and it isn’t currently preventable.
Joseph Cuff, Fundraising Manager, Diabetes UK Cymru, said: “We’re so grateful to Laura and her family for taking up the 1 Million Steps challenge, raising awareness vital funds to help other people living with diabetes in Wales, and their families.
“Every penny raised helps us to support the millions of people living with diabetes in the UK so please give generously and support the Carters’ efforts.”
To sponsor Laura and her family visit https://www.justgiving.com/LauraCarter89
