Running For Children With Diabetes
8124 Miles Run £217,925 donated

Where does the time go?

In the months since this page was last updated the London Marathon has been completed, more children have started on insulin pumps and much more money raised. A big thank you to all who have contributed in so many different ways.
Why Run? Around 20,000 children in the UK have type 1 or insulin dependant diabetes (IDDM)  but only a tiny proportion have an insulin pump to help them to manage their diabetes. The appeal has led to an increased awareness about children's diabetes and the use of insulin pumps. From a situation where children could only get a pump from charity funding, children in County Durham now have the best chance of getting a pump in the UK.
The problem at present is that the service is very precarious. Indeed the provision of care for children with diabetes in the UK generally is a disgrace. In an audit carried out in 2004-5 only 12% of children achieved acceptable blood sugar control. The type of service needed to get the best results has been known about for over 20 years, and is usual in most of the developed world, but not in the UK. There are no targets to meet for children's diabetes for the purchasers of health care, so they won't prioritise them. This is despite the fact that a child diagnosed with diabetes on average has a reduction of 23 years life expectancy.
Why Fundraise? The fundraising continues for the present, so that children outside the county can benefit, but also it allows for updating insulin pumps with better models and providing extra support for all the children with diabetes. It also means c