Brave 12-year-old diabetic runs 10k in blazing sunshine for charity

A brave twelve-year-old from Oranmore went public with his diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes in the most positive way last, when he undertook a 10k run – raising more than €2,400 for Diabetes Ireland in the process.

Daragh Mill from Oranhill was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes four years ago, and while his family and some close friends knew of his condition, he decided it was time to let the rest of the world know about what makes him special.

On Friday night last week, he decided he was going to do a 10k run the following Sunday afternoon, which turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year, something that generated its own problems on the day.

“He had decided to start the run at 1.30pm, but when we checked his blood sugar levels at 12.50pm, they were a little low, so we had to give him a banana.

“That might not sound much to most people, but a full banana is quite a lot of carbohydrates for a young person with diabetes. The fact he was going to do a 10k run, we felt he needed the full banana – these are the kind of things you need to think about with a child with diabetes, you have to think about every piece of food he or she eats,” his mother Deborah told the Connacht Tribune.

His blood sugar levels returned to a steady level, so at 1.30pm, he set off from his house at Oranhill on his fundraising run.

His route took him from his house through the village to Oranmore Train Station, where he turned back, through the village again, and out the Maree Road, past Oranhill, heading towards Rinville park, where his run ended at Rinville Pier.

He ran the route in a brilliant time of 52 minutes, and had plenty of company along the way. His brother, Dan, and older brother, Ryan, cycled the route in case anyone needed assistance; while brothers, Shane, Matthew, and Tristan Furey started the run with him, with Shane and Matthew also completing the 10k. Two other friends, Niall De Paor and Fionn Fahy, joined him for the final 4k from the entrance at Oranhill to the pier.

“His friends have been great,” Deborah says, “as soon as they heard what he was planning, they got on board. He only decided on Friday night to do the run on Sunday, and the responses was great.

“The GAA club put it up on social media and people started donating straight away – we don’t know a lot of the names, and others are anonymous donors, it has really touched us and we ar so grateful to everyone.

“We let the neighbours know as well, just out of respect, as there would be a few young people gathered and they came out in force, lining the road to cheer him along – it means so much to us, and especially Daragh,” Deborah explains.

Daragh wanted to do the run to raise awareness of diabetes, and more importantly to let people know that a diabetes diagnosis does not have to hold them back.

“I wanted to let people know that it’s okay to have diabetes. It is hard, sometimes I get annoyed, get angry, that I have it, but it doesn’t mean I can’t do things.

“There are a few things I’d like people to know. Type 1 Diabetes, which I have, is an auto-immune condition, it is in your genes, so there is nothing you can do about it. Your hair colour, your height, things about you – that is your genes, and it is the same with Type 1 diabetes.

“If people have Type 1 Diabetes, it won’t stop you doing anything. I don’t have any real disadvantage, just have to look after myself a bit more, take insulin when I eat, but you get used to it, you get on with it,” he explains.

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