Help Dallas get a CGM

In February 2016 I will be mountain biking the length of New Zealand, 3000km. I am dedicating this ride to my 3 year old (nearly 4) nephew Dallas who lives with Type 1 diabetes.

There is nothing that can be done to prevent Type 1 diabetes. Dallas was diagnosed with Type 1 at 14 months old, he has lived with diabetes for over 2 years and will live with diabetes forever.

Diabetes for Dallas and his family means checking his blood sugar by pricking his finger at least 10 times a day, counting the carbohydrates in every bit of food he eats and watching him when exercising to ensure he has enough fuel to keep playing. Diabetes is like a balancing act, if his blood sugar is too low he can collapse and have a seizure (even die if the right thing is not done immediately) or if it is too high he has a greater chance of long term effects such as loss of eye sight, kidney failure and a shortened life expectancy. Dallas has an insulin pump which is funded and means he doesn't need daily injections anymore, but he has his needle changed every 3 days or more if he has been very active and the needle has come out. This is not a rare occurrence with an active toddler!

I am fundraising to get a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) for Dallas which is not funded in New Zealand, to use when he starts school. The CGM is an amazing piece of technology which tells us what Dallas' blood sugar is constantly and also tells us if it is going up, down or staying constant. The CGM costs $7800 per year to run which is very expensive for a young family! The CGM will mean less finger pricks per day for Dallas (which hurt even though he is used to it), a reduced chance of having a very low blood sugar which can lead to terrible consequences and a reduced chance of having high blood sugars in turn reducing the long term affects. The CGM would be used when Dallas starts school as this is when he will have less support than he does at home or at pre-school, which would be a huge relief for his parents and will make managing Dallas' diabetes at school much easier and less of a risk. The main relief for his parents is that the CGM would alarm when Dallas begins to get a low blood sugar reading which means this can be fixed before worse consequences take place. This would be very useful at school and at home while he is sleeping.

Please donate so his family can afford this life changing piece of technology. He is a brave 3 year old who never asked or did anything to have Type 1 Diabetes that affects him every day of his life. Every dollar will be greatly appreciated for this cause.

Follow progress and updates about the ride and Dallas at https://www.facebook.com/RideforDallas