By ALANA MITCHELSON
A Belmont mother of four is running a marathon in each Australian state and territory in the space of a year to raise funds for type-one diabetes.
The illness began to threaten the life of Ange Mccaughley’s 11-year-old daughter, Lila, when she was nine after three doctors failed to diagnose her condition.
“She became severely ill with stomach pains and she was very lethargic,” Ms Mccaughley said.
“It got to the point where she was nearly in a coma. It was frightening.
“What we went through was horrific and I think a lot of that was due to the lack of awareness about type one and because Lila didn’t show the more common signs of the condition. I wanted to prevent other families from going through that.”
Ms Mccaughley initiated the Geelong-based Type 1 Foundation after identifying a gap in parental support for the day-to-day struggles of families with affected children.
As part of her charity, Ms Mccaughley trains three times a week with a running group of about 80 parents in similar circumstances and others with type one diabetes.
“Like autism and allergies, type one is becoming more common in children in Geelong and no-one really understands why,” she said.
“I wanted to create a foundation that could support children locally for things like diabetes camps and support networking events. There’s a lot more awareness for type two diabetes but awareness and support around type one is lacking.
“The funds raised through our marathons will go towards buying continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices for kids that cost more than $5000 per year, making it difficult for many families to access.
“During the night we’ll check on Lila three times – at midnight, 3am and 6am. CGMs sit on the waist and you can easily read blood sugar levels without having to do a finger prick test.
“As a parent, you live with constant anxiety over your child’s health and safety and CGMs are life-saving technology that alleviate some of that pressure.“
With five marathons down and four to go to achieve her goal, Ms Mccaughley will continue running in her pink tutu and cape through red dirt near Ayers Rock for the Australian Outback Marathon and over the sand of Broome beaches.
But her next challenge is a Great Ocean Road Marathon in May.
The Type 1 Foundation has raised about $17,000 since launching in July.
Ms Mccaughley said more informaiton and a donations facility were available at mycause.com.au/charity/9066/type1foundation or facebook.com/typeonemumsrun.
