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Bonnielass
30-05-12, 08:41 AM
Please take a minute to read this, from my family, to you.

Cerys was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a healthy slim 9 yr old girl, she simply had a chest infection which led to an auto immune response.
She lost nearly a stone in weight when she was first diagnosed, she went from a care free bubbly little girl whose only health issue til then was mild asthma
and the usual bugs children get to a child who is now managing a life long complex health condition surrounded by misconceptions regarding its cause, its treatment
and the reality of living with it. Diabetes is hard to manage, and it has hit Cerys hard too.
Cerys has always been fairly shy and unassuming, always a very grateful child, happy with very little, pleased with the most simple of gifts or offerings,
with a massive understanding of the world around her, her empathy and compassion
for others staggers me, and always has from a child so young. She really cares about people, not just close to her, but she considers others, and tries to understand others
points of view and reasonings, she never fails to stick up for anyone she feels is being wronged.
Cerys is a typical child of her age, she loves tree climbing, long walks with her puppy, she excels herself at School, and loves to learn, having recently taken up
mastering the keyboard, the violin and pretty much anything she can put her mind to.
Cerys learned Polish recently, because she felt a boy at School was lonely, he probably was not, but in her mind, he could use more friendship, so she took it upon herself,
armed with books and Google Translate, to learn Polish, to communicate more with this boy, who she became firm friends with, our family and theirs are still in touch despite
them moving from the area.
Cerys amuses us with her love of creatures large and small, she will literally skid to a halt to rescue a snail from in the roadside in danger of being squashed, She is caring
beyond her years.
Type 1 Diabetes is an auto immune response, It is triggered by something way beyond our control, It is not triggered by life style choices, diet or lack of exercise, variables that affect
blood sugars are vast, making it at times impossible to regulate, it is a condition which needs constant work and assessing, simple things we take for granted can affect it, like the heat,
a nice sunny day can bring rocketing blood sugar levels, hormones, simple foods like pasta, stress, exercise, the cold weather, and lots more, all influence the changes with blood sugar levels.
Cerys and all children like her, have to prick their finger to test an obscene amount of times a day, and night, depending on all the above variables being factored in.
Can you imagine pricking yourself and making yourself bleed day and night? To an adult it is tough, to a child it is tough, Diabetes is complicated, relentless and unforgiving.
The rate of Type 1 has risen in children over the recent years, and we as a family are linked to various Diabetic causes, the main being Diabetes Uk and the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation, a global charity which ploughs staggering amounts of money into research.
We all hope for an easier way of managing this condition, but ultimately we all hope for a cure one day soon, I believe it will happen, I have to believe it will happen, for my daughter
and all like her who tolerate so much on a daily basis.
Cerys has done much fundraising over the years, she knows about terminal illness as we as a family knew a child who sadly passed away, we worked hard before hand helping to raise money for him to achieve some dreams, Cerys knew a child also with Leukemia, and family friends manage various health conditions, she is under no illusions that she could
of course have something much more bleak, and we encourage her to realise she will stand tall and achieve anything she wants to in life.
However, the reality is Diabetes affects her mood, her outlook, her health and her sleep, as well as her Schooling, She is the only one in her School with it, and she finds that hard.
She manages high levels and low levels, all of which have an affect and make someone feel rubbish, tired, annoyed, as well as having a very real immediate life threatening risk.
We are raising money for JDRF and there is a new venue for our table top sale, our initial plan was thwarted, but we have changed the venue and are set to go ahead.

Sat 14th July JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION SUMMER FUNDRAISER.

We have made the decision and confirmed with WhiteHorse Country Park, Coach Rd, Westbury Wiltshire,
that they will allow us free use of their Hall, as well as the outdoor play area for the little people, with
a bouncy castle.
We are still looking for people to book a table to sell their wares, charging just an initial fee of fifteen pounds, all of which
goes to the Charity, and we are in the process of collecting donations for our book table, cake sale, and our Raffle. Any donations would be very gratefully received.

We really hope to see you on the day, from midday until 4pm.

We have the fantastic BUTTONS the Clown coming, all the way from Poole, to entertain the children, Glitter tattoos, use of outdoor play facilities and a bouncy castle and raffle prizes so far inculde a Pony Ride Party, A camping trip, Beauty treatments and photo shoots with two different photographers, a food hamper, and a gift Voucher worth Twenty pounds for the bookstore WHSmiths.

We hope we have your company on the day.