Alison Seabeck MP backs campaign to cure type 1 diabetes

Alison Seabeck, MP for Plymouth Moor View, has shown her support for those living with type 1 diabetes – and has backed the drive to find the cure for the life-threatening condition.

She attended an event to support medical research into type 1 diabetes, which was staged by the charity JDRF and saw the launch of its Type 1 Diabetes Research Roadmap project.

The major project brings together many of the UK’s top type 1 diabetes researchers - along with their counterparts in Europe - in a bid to understand the strengths and weaknesses of  the UK’s type 1 research, and map the progress towards a cure.

Alison said: “Type 1 diabetes affects 400,000 people in the UK. Approximately 500 people within my constituency live with the condition. It is not caused by diet or lifestyle, and is most commonly developed in childhood.

"Those who live with it rely on insulin, via injections or a pump, every day, simply to stay alive. That’s why I wanted to demonstrate my support of JDRF’s mission to cure type 1 diabetes.

“I spoke with a young person with Type 1 diabetes and asked her about how her school coped with her specific needs. She said they hadn’t really discussed it and other pupils didn’t understand. This mirrors comments made in the House of Commons during the Children and Bill which flagged up the wide range in attitudes between schools when it comes to helping children with special needs.

"Too often these children suffer because schools can’t or won’t help spread awareness of the problem and indeed, in some cases they fail to understand the problem. With type 1 diabetes it is of course essential that the child can eat regularly and is enabled to administer insulin and it is therefore shocking to hear some of the problems experienced by children. I hope that this campaign will go a long way to reassure those schools who have concerns about their response to this disease.”

For more information visit www.jdrf.org.uk