Proud of Lilly rising to big health challenge

After a traumatic spring a Dewsbury youngster joined her dad in a summer Tough Mudder obstacle race event to raise awareness of a diabetes charity.
Tough Mudder: Lilly after the obstacle raceTough Mudder: Lilly after the obstacle race
Tough Mudder: Lilly after the obstacle race

In late March this year Lilly McLaughlin was seriously ill and in a high dependancy unit at Dewsbury and Pinderfields hospitals. Lilly had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as her pancreas and immune systems had stopped working, and she was, and would now be, dependent on administering insulin for the rest of her life.

But the nine-year-old was determined not to let her condition take over, says dad Danny. And this summer, with Lilly in a Mini Mudder and Danny in a Tough Mudder event at Skipton, they began raising money for JDRF, a charity which raises funds to fight Type 1 diabetes and raises awareness of it, helping families who have a member with the condition.

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Danny said: “Whilst Lilly and our family came to terms - and this wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic help and support from all the doctors and nurses - with regular hypos where the blood sugars are too low and hypers when the sugars are too high, which became frequent and very scary, Lilly has been determined to not let Type 1 Diabetes take over. An added frustration was the confirmed diagnosis of coeliac disease, wheat intolerance, which made things even more difficult as Lilly is unable to eat her favourite food or favourite breads, cakes and pasties from our family bakery business. But whilst bitterly disappointed, Lilly has used her frustration in a positive way and took part in the Mini Mudder with myself. Her atiitude and application has been outstanding and we are very, very proud of her.”

With a Just Giving page - go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/daniel-mclaughlin6 - and other donations they have raised more than £1900 to date for JDRF.

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