Dan Simmons Will be Running For Diabetes UK
13 Jun 16
The Wall
13 Jun 16
The Wall
I was woken in the middle of the night by our ops officer who said I needed to pack a bag as I‘d be going home. I knew immediately that something bad had happened at home. When I arrived at work, bleary eyed and full of fear and anticipation, I was told that my son was in a coma in intensive care but he was going to be okay. When I called home it was then that someone mentioned the word Diabetes. 12 hours later I arrived at his hospital bedside, still wearing my flying suit and carrying my body armour, and started the process of understanding how diabetes was going to affect our family’s lives.
We knew little about Diabetes but in the 10 years since that fateful night we have had to learnt a lot. My son, like all the other young people in the UK who have developed Type 1 Diabetes seemingly out of the blue, has had to test his blood about 5 times a day and inject insulin for everything he eats. If he spends a night at a cadet camp or even goes for a run, he has to plan ahead to ensure he stays safe. There is currently no cure, so his dream to follow in my footsteps as a RAF pilot is impossible.
Funded purely by charitable donations, Diabetes UK are working hard to understand why young people contract Type 1 Diabetes so they can stop it happening to anyone else. They are also funding pioneering stem cell research with the aim of providing a cure for those who already live with the disease. I am running the wall so this research has the funds to do this excellent work and so that, one day, my son can live his life unhindered my Type 1 Diabetes.
Before I agreed to take on this challenge, the furthest I had ever run was a half-marathon in 2006; for which I completed a whole 7 miles of training! However, this time round I have completed on average 36 miles a week and done over 80 runs.
To help me raise as much money as possible for a charity really close to his heart, please visit our fundraising page here
28.03.24
GECO
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