By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
DEB Bayley is never one to take a backwards step.
Next month the Berwick mother and type one diabetes (T1D) campaigner will launch her most ambitious project yet, the T1D Cards for a Cure campaign, which will see donation cards available at Coles in Eden Rise Shopping Centre during October with all proceeds going towards the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Deb is known throughout the Casey community for her efforts in raising awareness about T1D, which her 14-year-old son, Ryan, was diagnosed with as a toddler, but she said next month’s campaign would be her largest project yet.
“This is the biggest one yet and we have a major sponsor – I had to send off my proposal to the state marketing manager at Coles and he approved for this to run at this one particular store,” she said.
“And there’s so many people saying can this go national … you have to start somewhere but, ultimately, if I can get this campaign into all other stores that would be amazing.”
Type one diabetes is an auto-immune disease in which the pancreas stops working and Deb is quick to differentiate between type one and type two.
“Some people think T1D is contagious or they think type one diabetes comes from eating too many lollies or chocolate cake,” Deb said.
“I have even had people ask if you can outgrow type one diabetes.
“I had someone tell me they heard a child asking their dad what T1D was during our colouring competition and he turned to his child and said don’t worry about that son… you get that disease from eating too many lollies!
“Well that’s when I thought no way! This is has to stop. Something has to be done in a big way. We need to educate everyone who has been misinformed.”
For more information visit www.jdrf.org.au.
