The technology helping children and young people with Type 1 diabetes

• Special feature and article by ITV Granada Reports journalist Jahmal Williams-Thomas

Molly Murray was three years old when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

After noticing that she was significantly thirstier than usual and wetting the bed, mum Mary decided to take her to the GP to get checked out. Initially it was a daunting prospect with Mary having to finger-prick Molly several times during the day to check her blood sugar levels and injecting insulin.

But now technology has made the condition more easily managed. Molly wears an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor (CGM).

With the use of a mobile phone app, amounts of carbohydrates can be entered to then instruct the pump to release the right amount of insulin.

This also means that Mary can be alerted at home if Molly’s blood sugars are not quite right.

Zara Nortley was diagnosed in 1991 when she was also three, but didn’t have the choice of a pump or CGM. She simply had to finger prick and inject whether she liked it or not.

She recalls it causing a bit of a rift with her mother:

Zara was hesitant to use the pump when it became available.

She takes part in beauty pageants and was worried about looking ill if she did switch to the pump.

However, when she did switch to the pump, she made the decision to wear it on stage to change the stigma around it and was pleasantly surprised by the fact that nobody said anything about it.

She says: “I was really worried about wearing the pump on stage and no one really blinked an eyelid.”

Diabetes UK are excited to see the tech available to help children and young people with Type 1 diabetes better control their condition.

• For more information and support click here or phone Diabetes UK on 0345 123 2399