DRWF Fundraising: Mother supports family members with diabetes with daring abseil challenge
Kathrine Wallis’ husband and son both have type 1 diabetes.
A daring mother has supported her family member’s living with diabetes by completing a fundraising abseil in support of DRWF.
Kathrine was inspired to become an enthusiastic fundraiser for DRWF following recent diagnoses of type 1 diabetes in her immediate family.
Kathrine recently took part in a fundraising abseiling challenge and her efforts raised £1,878.13 in support of DRWF and the charity’s activities.
Six years ago, Kathrine’s husband John Wallis was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 50. This type of diabetes is usually influenced by lifestyle, particularly in later life as increased weight can result in lower levels of insulin production by the pancreas.
It was not until their 10 year-old son Jonty was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a year ago that specialists thought perhaps he had a late onset of the auto-immune form of the condition, which proved to be the case.
Kathrine who spotted the symptoms a year ago and took him to the family GP after checking his blood sugars. It came as a big surprise when her husband’s diagnosis was changed to type 1 diabetes.
Kathrine said: “I had been looking after John’s diabetes through diet, however this change in diagnosis was quite a shock.
“John and Jonty really support each other in their diabetes journey, especially as they both use the latest continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology to help their control.”
Kathrine has earned something of a “daredevil” identity after embracing more white-knuckle sponsorship activities, including a skydive and a recent 85m (278 feet) abseil down the Portsmouth Spinnaker Tower, the latter in support of DRWF.
Kathrine said: “I was just pleased to be able use these challenges to help DRWF fund more research into type 1 and type 2 diabetes and tools to help people to stay as well as possible when living with all forms of diabetes.”
DRWF Community Fundraiser Karen Scott said: “We were delighted with Kathrine’s fundraising efforts for the charity. Every penny raised really does count as we don’t receive any government funding.”
More information about all upcoming DRWF Fundraising activities here
For more information about taking part in the next Spinnaker Tower abseil, or other DRWF fundraising activities, please email Karen Scott at fundraising@drwf.org.uk. DRWF ask for £250 minimum sponsorship.
The money raised will support children, young people and their families across the UK living with all types of diabetes and ensure the charity can continue to deliver on their research and educational commitments.
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