Sammy Curran was on holiday in Florida with her husband Kevin, eldest daughter Liv, and twins Charlie and Bella when she noticed something wasn't right. Charlie, then five, was constantly thirsty, losing weight, and needing the toilet frequently. She searched online and found symptoms pointed to diabetes, so she booked a GP appointment.
Despite the doctor saying "children his age don't get diagnosed with diabetes," the GP sent Charlie for blood tests. Soon after, Sammy received an emergency phone call to bring him in immediately because he was on the edge of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition where ketones build up in the body.
Diagnosis and Its Impact
Charlie was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a chronic autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The diagnosis changed family life forever. Sammy, 35, said: "Since Charlie got diagnosed, I can no longer work because I have to go to his school to either change the pump, change the sensor, or to take Charlie home. He's required quite a few hospital visits since he's been diagnosed. We're not at a point where it's smooth every single day. He still has multiple hypos where he goes really low."
Now the Runcorn mum is raising awareness of the condition and the work being done towards better treatments. Despite having no previous running experience, she secured a place in next year's London Marathon.
Running for a Cause
Sammy said: "I don't look like a runner whatsoever. I don't even run to the bus. So, it's going to be a really big challenge for me. But I wanted to do something that was going to be hard and something that really tested me, because seeing what Charlie has to do every single day, which he doesn't want to do, but he has no choice but to do it. I wanted to do something that was going to be really challenging, really hard, and push me to my absolute limits because he has to do that on a daily basis."
She is running for the TD1 Breakthrough charity, which provides awareness training in schools and works towards treatments that mean those with Type 1 diabetes will not need multiple injections every day.
Spreading Awareness
Sammy continued: "My main goal is to raise as much awareness for diabetes as possible. If I can get it out there so another little child doesn't have to go through what Charlie did in the early stages before being diagnosed, then that, to me, will be worth the pain of training for a marathon."
She has been preparing by attending local Parkrun groups with her eldest daughter Liv, 11. She's backed by her husband Kevin, a HGV driver, Charlie's twin sister Bella, seven, and her friends. Sammy added: "Even completing a marathon for me personally, that's an achievement in itself. Me getting out of that front door to go, even if I walk, that's an achievement every day compared to some of the places I've been mentally myself. Even if it can reach one person that's little kid is showing those signs that Charlie did. This charity has got so much going on for parents in terms of learning. You can go on their website and you can order a learning pack for the child, you can order the teddy bears and just if it helps one person, then I'll be happy."
