Pride of Britain mum raises awareness of Type 1 diabetes
Welsh mum Beth Baldwin, a finalist in this year’s Pride of Britain awards, is working with Diabetes UK Cymru to raise awareness of the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes in RCT. The 4Ts are a catchy way to remember the main symptoms of Type 1 diabetes in children and young people – toilet, tired, thirsty and thinner.
Beth’s son Peter tragically passed away early this year at the age of just 13, as a result of undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes. Since then Beth and her husband Stuart have been working tirelessly to increase awareness of the condition and raise vital funds for Diabetes UK Cymru.
The Cardiff mum has been recognised for her incredible commitment by winning the Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year for Wales. Beth is now in the running to win a national Pride of Britain award at a London ceremony that will be broadcast on ITV on Thursday 1 of October.
Beth said: “I am incredibly grateful for all the recognition that I’ve received for the work we have been doing in memory of Peter.
“I want to use this opportunity to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes, to make people aware of how serious the condition is and how to spot the symptoms in children. These include going to the toilet a lot, being excessively tired or thirsty and unexplained weight loss.
“If I can stop any other family going through the experience of losing a child to Type 1 diabetes then all of the work we’ve done so far will have been worth it.”
Beth is working with Diabetes UK to promote their 4Ts campaign to increase awareness of the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes in children and young people. The campaign aims to reduce the high proportion of children who become seriously ill because they are not diagnosed early enough. It is thought this happens in about a quarter of cases and can lead to organ damage, coma or can be fatal.
Diabetes UK Cymru’s Director Dai Williams said: “Beth is an incredible ambassador for Diabetes UK and is working constantly to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes in children. We are overwhelmed by the generosity that has been shown by Peter’s family and friends and our hearts go out to them.
“Type 1 diabetes isn’t currently preventable and is an extremely serious condition that has nothing to do with being overweight. The symptoms can develop very quickly so it is vital that we raise awareness of the 4Ts to parents, healthcare professionals and anyone else who is in contact with children.
“We will be using the funds raised in memory of Peter and all of the support that we have received to grow our work in Wales to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes. We hope this will be a fitting legacy for Peter.”
For more information on the 4Ts campaign, go to www.diabetes.org.uk/the4Ts or to donate to the In Memory of Peter Baldwin fund go to https://www.justgiving.com/
