Images: Diabetes Youth Receives Support

Diabetes Youth Receives Support

Earlier this month the Christchurch Casino hosted the Celebrating Life Charity Fashion Show. The event was organized by Magdalena Schoeman & Partner Paul Lups along with many industry sponsors including New Regent Studios Ltd, Sutherland Todd Hairdressing & KH Makeup Artistry. The event showcased designers such as Artstyle (Simply Gorgeous Clothing), Speedo, Pretty Things, TK Store, MisteR, Genius, Lavish, Vargo, CPIT, Isakelle, Rugbygirl and more. The event successfully raised $4740.00 which was yesterday presented to Diabetes Youth Canterbury and will be used to provide consumerables for Canterbury's Youth with diabetes. This was the second time this event was held and it may become an annual event.

The show last year raised money towards purchasing a insulin pump for Miss Amy Lloyd and she tells of her life with the disease "Living with Diabetes is challenging and life controlling. I’ve had Diabetes for over 10 years now and I can honestly say how it makes day-to-day living extremely hard, and how I feel so different from everybody else. Luckily I received an insulin pump thanks entirely to the fashion show Magdalena held last year. This pump, priced at $10,000 has allowed me to live a normal life and gives me back control. Diabetes isn’t fun but it is livable; only with help and support. So thank you so much for being here tonight, as you will help another young Canterbury Youth live the life most people take for granted.

Amy Lloyd".

What is Diabetes? (by Neil Owens Pediatric Diabetes Christchurch Hospital) Diabetes is a condition in which the body cannot sufficiently convert food into usable energy. The reason for his is a lack of insulin - a hormone produced by a gland called the pancreas, or failure of the body to respond normally to insulin.

Type 1 Diabetes occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin. The condition can’t be prevented or cured, and has been known to mankind since ancient times, and before insulin was discovered and used in 1922, always resulted in death, usually quite quickly.

Type 1 Diabetes is treated with multiple daily injections, healthy eating, regular exercise and constant monitoring of blood sugar levels through taking small samples of blood from the fingertips.

Managing Type 1 Diabetes is a complex question of balance. There are a large number of factors that influence blood sugar levels and some of them you have no control over. They include the amount and type of food you eat, the amount of insulin you inject, all forms of exercise, drinking alcohol, and taking prescribed and recreational drugs. Many less tangible factors are also involved, often relating to the interaction of hormones in the body, such as those produced during periods of stress, anxiety and menstruation. A reliable but unpredictable part of everyday life for most people.

Every year in Canterbury 30 young people under 20 years of age are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, this translates to around 300 new cases in this age group nationwide each year. The number of new cases each year has increased three to four fold since records commenced in 1970.

Around 1 every 500 New Zealand school children has Type 1 Diabetes. It is the second most common chronic childhood medical condition behind asthma. Around 1 in 200 New Zealanders has had a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes.

Photos supplied by New Regent Studios Ltd www.photos.co.nz

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