Young diabetic gets school support for diabetes awareness campaign

Staff and pupils at a primary school in Nuneaton are to ‘ping’ themselves with elastic bands to help show their support for a young diabetes sufferer and raise awareness of the disease.
Ten-year-old Millie Hainge has asked everyone at Milverton House School to wear an elastic band around their wrist for World Diabetes Day (November 14) and to ‘ping’ it each time they eat or drink any carbohydrate-containing foods .
Millie was diagnosed with life-long type 1 diabetes a year ago and came up with the ‘pinging’ idea when thinking of a way to show those around her what it feels like to have daily insulin jabs and regular finger prick tests, including at school lunchtimes.
“The idea is for them to have a similar sensation to me when I inject myself or prick my finger to test my blood glucose levels,” she said.
The young diabetic, who is an ambassador of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund charity, gave a talk to the whole school to explain what living with type 1 diabetes is like.
Commenting on her diagnosis, mum Jo Hainge said: “Millie showed no obvious symptoms. She was just a bit under the weather, so I took her to the doctor’s. After a simple urine test, she was referred immediately to George Eliot Hospital and was then transferred to the intensive care unit at Walsgrave.
“It happened so quickly and was a real shock. But Millie has learned to cope with things so well, and has had fantastic help from everyone at Milverton House. Because she has to watch every single thing she eats or drinks, we are given her school menu a week in advance, so we can work out how much insulin is needed.”
Millie’s head teacher, Oliver Pipe, said he was impressed by the way Millie has learned to control her diabetic condition.
“She is a very active member of the school community and when she approached me to ask for permission to hold this awareness event, I was delighted to support her – and will be ‘pinging’ my elastic band along with everyone else,” he said.