Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 

Hi my name is Lesley Beattie and I took part in a sponsored parachute jump on Sunday 1st August to celebrate turning 40.  I have raised just under £1500 so far with donations from family and friends but would like to see if I can raise a wee bit more through this site.

The reason I chose this charity is because by daughter Lauren was diagnosed 7 years ago at the age of 4 with Type 1 diabetes.  The support and care we got from the paediatric diabetes team at time of diagnosis was unremarkable.  I still remember the day when I was told she was diabetic.  She had been quite lethargic for a few weeks and constantly drinking and going to the toilet.  She was due to start primary school that year and I was concerned as she was still in nightime nappies because of the constant drinking.  I phoned the doctors to get her checked over just to make sure all was okay.  They couldn't give me an appointment until after the weekend but said if she was not any better the next morning to phone and they would give me an emergency appointment.  I took her to the doctors the next day and the doctor took blood and urine sample and said he would test her for diabetes but thought it unlikely.  They called me back at lunchtime and told me to take her straight to the childrens ward at DGRI.  Lauren was at nursery that day so I collected her and took her to her Granny's and went home to pack a bag for us.  At this point I just broke down in tears, by the time I got back to collect her I had composed myself.  We went up to Ward 15 at DGRI where the nurses were waiting for us.  Dr Chapman introduced himself as our Doctor along with Sister Francis our Diabetes Nurse Specialist.  I was told that if I had waited until after the weekend Lauren would of slipped into a diabetic induced coma as her blood levels were that high.  It took the diabetes team a week to get her bloods under control and also to show us how to administer her insulin and what food was good for her and what to do if she went into a hypo. 

Since that day 7 years ago we have to attend regular clinics with Dr Chapman and Sister Francis to monitor her blood levels, height, weight, eyes etc to make sure she is not running into problems.  The diabetes nurse specialists also go out to visit Lauren's teachers each time she moves up classes to advise them and they also prepare holiday plans for us when we go abroad if there is a time difference.  I know I can call on them at any time of the day and they will always give me an answer.  

Without their support I don't know where we would be today and I just want to say a huge thank you to a hard working team.  I know from speaking to the paediatric diabetes nurse specialist the numbers of children being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes is rising and will unfortunately continue to rise.  They do not get enough thanks and recognition for the job they do and the hours that they put in to looking after us all.

Last year I lost almost 3 stone through Lighterlife and this has also gave me the confidence to take on this daring adventure along with my Lighterlife coach Nan Marie Henry who agreed to take part with me. 

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