Dani-Rose briefs MPs on living with diabetes

SDLP Foyle MP Mark Durkan has praised seven-year-old Dani-Rose Hughes from Londonderry who visited Westminster last week with her mum Louise as part of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) group who briefed MPs on what it's like to live with Type 1 diabetes.

Mr Durkan said: “I was delighted to meet Dani-Rose, her mum Louise and her bear ‘Rufus’ at Westminster this week.

“Dani-Rose is a great ambassador for Derry and the cause of young people with diabetes.

“While MPs are aware of some of the dimensions of diabetes, it is also vitally important to know how people have it at a young age and what it is like to grow up with it.

“Dani-Rose is not only a credit to her family, but also to Long Tower Primary School and her city.”

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition.

For reasons we don’t yet fully understand, your immune system - which is meant to protect you from viruses and bacteria - attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in your pancreas, called beta cells.

When the beta cells in your pancreas fail to produce insulin, glucose levels in your blood start to rise and your body can’t function properly. Over time this high level of glucose in the blood may damage nerves and blood vessels and the organs they supply.

More than 50 genes have been identified that can increase a person’s risk of developing type 1, but genes are only part of the cause.

JDRF fund research to cure, treat and prevent Type 1 diabetes. They also provide support and a voice to people with Type 1 and their families. For further information visit www.jdrf.org.uk

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