A mother whose son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last autumn has raised more than £1,000 for charity.
Jennifer Nicolso, 40, from Fife, laced up her running shoes and ran 100 miles in January as part of her fundraising mission for Diabetes UK.
Having only set out to raise £100, Jennifer smashed the target and has so far collected £1,380.
Her son Jake was diagnosed in October after he began demonstrating the main symptoms of type 1 diabetes: losing weight, drinking excessively, frequent visits to the toilet, fatigue and a lack of energy.
The Castlehill Primary School pupil began checking his blood glucose levels just days after being diagnosed and started injecting insulin within two weeks.
The 10-year-old has been described by his mother as a “little trooper” as he came to terms with managing the condition.
Writing on her JustGiving page, Jennifer said: “Jake has been so brave and tackled it head on. He has to test his blood sugars every time he eats and more if he is unwell. He has to inject himself with insulin at least five times a day.”
Jennifer, who is a paedatric staff nurse at Ninewells Hospital,said she took on the fundraising challenged after feeling a “bit helpless”. She said: “I thought if I could raise funds towards finding a cure or helping someone it made me feel like I was doing something.”
Speaking to Fife Today, Jennifer said: “I’m a children’s nurse myself. I have a background knowledge of diabetes. He wasn’t well over a period of a couple of weeks and I put two and two together.
“The diabetic team and the school have been really impressed with him. He’s just taken it all in his stride. He’s been a little trooper.”
Click here if you wish to donate to Jennifer’s fundraising challenge.
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