In honour of World Diabetes Day on November 14, the Lanarkshire Paediatric Diabetes team, housed at University Hospital Wishaw, is holding fundraising events. Children with diabetes who have been diagnosed and are currently receiving care are supported by the team.
Kerry Foster, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse, said: “World Diabetes Day takes place on November 14 every year. This year is particularly noteworthy because it is 100 years since Frederick Banting and John MacLeod received the Nobel Prize for their discovery of insulin, which has saved millions of lives.”
NHS Lanarkshire is celebrating World Diabetes Day this year by lighting up all three acute sites blue because this is the official colour of the campaign’s symbol and UNite for Diabetes, which played a key role in the UN resolution acknowledging diabetes as a serious threat to global health, it is used to symbolise World Diabetes Day.
On World Diabetes Day, there is a nationwide campaign encouraging people to paint their nails blue to promote awareness. However, the Paediatric Diabetes team had to be inventive and plan their own fundraising events because of hygienic constraints within clinical teams.
They have used ‘Rufus’, the teddy bear that JDRF gives to all newly diagnosed patients, in their initiatives to raise funds. In the game ‘Guess how many Rufus’s are in the jar’, patients and team members guess how many copies of the teddy they believe they can see from images that are printed within the jar.
Additionally, there is a chance for everyone to estimate the number of sweets within the jar, these are light hearted and engaging approaches that involve everyone. These games will run throughout the duration of November.
There will be a Blue Tombola on 14 November, with a scrumptious Cake Sale at lunchtime and an extensive array of blue items up for grabs for everyone who participates!
This year, the team has really gone above and beyond in their fundraising efforts. Anyone interested in participating in a Diabetes fundraiser still has the opportunity, additional details are available at Diabetes UK.
