The Kehoe family took part to support Case (face obscured) a Type 1 diabetic. Pctured are Hadley, Sophie, Charlotte, Kat, Ryan and Case.
The Kehoe family took part to support Case (face obscured) a Type 1 diabetic. Pctured are Hadley, Sophie, Charlotte, Kat, Ryan and Case.
“It was mean,” said one teenager - which in teen-speak is a compliment.
“It made me feel so much better,” said a young mum/pram pusher. Both were commenting after their 3km lap of the Dannevirke Lions map in a walk to beat diabetes.
Participants started south down Queen St.
More than 50 people responded on SaturdayNovember 11 to the challenge to help Lions walk around New Zealand - or at least the equivalent distance - to raise funds to fight diabetes. Lions Clubs all around New Zealand took part, as fundraising for diabetes is something the organisation supports as a priority.
Wendy and her husband Mathew, who has been a diabetic for 46 years, did not hesitate to do the 6km.
Most participants in Dannevirke covered the shorter option of 3km, but some decided the day was so lovely they would complete the longer 6km walk, detouring up to Smith St. Participants covered 210km in total - almost the distance to Wellington.
While the entry cost of $2 was the minimum, most participants were more generous, including one donating over $100. The sum raised for the walk was $476, with the raffle proceeds to come.
It was a leisurely walk up Adelaide Rd in the sunshine.
The Lions Club will match the final count so the local diabetes service will benefit by more than $1000.
Katie Murnane, a Tararua Health Group diabetes nurse, was present to encourage and thank the participants. She has been in the job since March and said that sadly she has a massive caseload and is doing what she can with limited resources, so this fundraiser will really help.
Dannevirke’s diabetes nurse Katie Murnane (at right) and friend Ashlee MacFarlane were there to spread the word and thank the participants.
She said one piece of technology – a Libre Sensor – has transformed the day-to-day lives of diabetes patients. It is a patch attached to the skin for a 14-day period which measures blood sugar without frequent blood tests.
Patients love them, she says, but after the first free use type two patients must pay to use them at $115 per 14 days unless funding is found.
Dave Murdoch is a part-time photo journalist working for the Bush Telegraph and based at Dannevirke. He has covered any community story telling good news about the district for the past 10 years.
