National Teens with Diabetes Conference
Teens with Diabetes tell it as it is
Gerald Kean encourages Teens to go after their dreams
Gerald Kean, RTE Celebrity Bannisteoir and successful business man, attended Croke Park today and spoke to teens with type 1 diabetes from all over the country who gathered to discuss and inform decision makers on the type of hospital service they require, what concerns they have as they face into adulthood and what support they require at this stage of their lives.
Speaking about his own personal experience Mr Kean said “managing your diabetes must be viewed as a small part of our daily lives. The medications and technologies are now so good there is absolutely no reason why you should let diabetes be a barrier to achieving your dreams”.
The conference itself was divided into 2 sessions, the first being where participants discussed current diabetes services, identified areas that could be improved and focussed on their role in taking responsibility for their own management and what support they needed to do this.
All the teens attending had type 1 diabetes, the majority for a number of years, regularly attended their local diabetes paediatric clinic and have had the strong support of their parents, siblings and friends.
However, this will soon change as they will transfer to an adult diabetes clinic, move to a new school or college, possibly moving away from home, which is stressful enough for any teenager and take on sole responsibility for managing their condition on a daily basis.
Ms Anna Clarke, Health Promotion Manager of the Diabetes Federation of Ireland said “for too long we have heard from decision makers who think they know best as to what a young teen with diabetes want or requires to effectively manage their condition. But no one has asked them and today we are simply giving them the opportunity to speak out and tell us what we need to do to best help them as they head into a period of their lives where they will have to make big decisions in terms of college and potential careers”
Ms Clarke continued “in light of the Government recently identifying diabetes as a key priority for service development we are looking to ensure that this age group is not forgotten. Many of the participants will soon be transferring into their local adult diabetes service and this can have a negative effect on some individuals during this transition period. We need to help them at this time and today we are asking them to tell us how to best do this”.
The second session focussed on potential job careers and sport and the extra burden having diabetes could place on them. Dr Tony O’Sullivan, a GP and a person with Type 1 diabetes, speaking on this issue said “there is still very much a negative and discriminatory view of people with Type 1 diabetes in relation to what they can or cannot do. All some teens want to be when they grow up is a jockey, a Garda or join the Army and yet these and other careers are not open to young teens with diabetes as there is a blanket ban in place across these professions”.
Dr O’Sullivan continued “what is absurd is that if you develop diabetes after joining the Army or An Garda Siochana, you can continue to have a career with them but for these young teens their dreams are shattered at the outset by what is in fact a needless blanket ban”.
Many teens with diabetes have dreams of playing sport at the highest level and Kenneth Sweeney, a Sligo IT student, has achieved that in his sport of Gaelic Football and is a current member of the senior Sligo county team. He shared his experience of juggling diabetes management, his sport and his studies on a daily basis.
APP KOL/AC 17/02/2009