A MOTHER of four whose two-year-old son has been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, has thanked Fordingbridge Junior School and Poulner Tesco for helping her raise money for Diabetes UK.
Janine Mangar-Broadhead has already raised £1,800 towards her £3,000 goal for the charity since her son Gabriel was diagnosed.
And on April 13, with thousands of people across the world, Mrs Mangar-Broadhead will be running the London Marathon to raise the rest.
She said: “Before Gabriel was diagnosed, he was getting tired and grumpy.
“I would say, never mind, it is only the terrible twos, but in my heart I knew something was not quite right. He lost a lot of weight - about 5kg - along with having excessive thirst.
“My doctor gave him a blood test and then sent us immediately to Salisbury District Hospital where he was, within minutes, diagnosed with Ketoacidosis. This is a severe life-threatening condition requiring immediate treatment.
“He had caught a common cold, but it transpired that it was airborne diabetes that had killed all his beta cells.
“He nearly died.”
She added: “Gabriel was attached to machines and numerous drips, there were countless medical personnel buzzing around us like bees in a hive. I could not believe what was happening; he was a happy little boy riding a bike only three hours before this devastating news. This is how quickly life can change.”
And she said: “Gabriel is still a smiley, happy, chap, even with a life threatening condition which requires him to have injections four times a day for the rest of his life and ten finger pricks test to check his glucose levels.
“Life is now a constant round of carbohydrate counting, glucose testing, needles, hypos and hypers. You cannot afford to let your guard down for a split second.”
On Friday children at Fordingbridge Junior School swapped their uniforms for onesies for the day, while the manager at Tesco’s in Poulner Rhys Edwards donated food to the school so the children enjoyed a healthy, free breakfast.
And on Monday, the Coach House Day Nursery in Gorley, which is attended by Gabriel during the week, held a onesie day to raise money for Diabetes UK.
To support Mrs Mangar-Broadhead go to www.justgiving.com/Janine-Mangar-Broadhead/
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here