Kinmel Bay teenager 'so scared of Type 1 diabetes' she can't sleep

A teenager from Kinmel Bay wants to educate people about a potentially fatal condition which sometimes leaves her scared to go to sleep.

Gracie Mae Macauley is a normal 17-year-old, save for the fact she suffers from Type I diabetes.

She says this lesser understood strain of insulin deficiency stops her sleeping some nights, in fear she might not wake up the next morning.

Whereas Type II gets all the headlines with its links to lifestyle, Type I diabetes cannot be managed by weight loss, diet and pills, so sufferers must take insulin.

The Eirias High School, Colwyn Bay, sixth-former has diabetic blackouts and has been rushed into hospital more times than she can recall.

Because her body cannot produce insulin she is at risk from Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition in which the acids in glucose attack the body’s vital organs.

Insulin breaks these acids down so the body can function properly.

Now Gracie Mae and her parents Anna and Marc want to educate people about the dangers of the condition and raise money for vital research.

“Since I was diagnosed five years ago I have had around 7,000 injections and 16,000 finger pricks to check my blood, which have practically saved my life,” says Gracie Mae.

“When I wake up my first thought is about my blood sugars and depending what the reading is it affects my day.

“When my sugars are bad it changes my day.

“People always ask if I’m feeling better now but it’s not like Type II – there’s no cure for Type I.

“I miss being normal. When I am with other people with diabetes it’s refreshing because I don’t feel judged – we all have the same issues.

“Sometimes I worry I am not going to wake up in the morning.”

The chirpy teenager still harbours dreams like any other – she loves musicals, would love to work in performing arts and wants to go travelling – although she jokes it may mean mum and dad following in a camper van in case she has a blackout.

She says she is proud Nick Jonas (of Jonas Brothers fame) has a diabetic pen and giggles when she tells the story of how she once passed out on Deirdre Barlow’s couch on a Coronation Street tour.

Yet those references only highlight how different Gracie Mae’s life is from the average teenage girl.

She was injecting insulin up to six times a day from the age of 12 but now has a state of the art pump which administers it as required.

With the new gadget dad Marc can check her blood sugars while she is asleep.

Her carbohydrate intake needs monitoring and her insulin is calculated accordingly to blood sugar readings.

It has been a steep learning curve for the Macauleys and mum Anna even volunteered with charity Diabetes UK to understand the disease better.

Gracie Mae’s condition was discovered when she was 12 years old and struggling to recover from a tonsillectomy.

She was very ill, continually tired, thirsty and going to the toilet so doctors ran tests and Type I diabetes was diagnosed.

“Doctors think the virus that caused my tonsil problems stopped my pancreas, which produces insulin, from working,” explains Gracie.

“I just want people to know it’s not my fault this happened and you can’t help how you are when you have Type I diabetes.”

Marc and Anna, have built up a successful family business, Marc Macauley Catering, and used their culinary and organisational skills to increase awareness around the disease – and raise more than £20,000 for Diabetes UK.

Their latest fundraiser is a Marquee Ball with Tents and Events at Clawdd Offa Farm, Penyffordd, Flintshire on Saturday.

• All proceeds from the Glitz and Glam charity ball and auction go to Diabetes UK and tickets are available at eventbrite.co.uk/e/glitz-glam-tickets-28146630329 or call MM Catering on 07812 892 833.