16th edition – Friday, October 24, 2014

Web Version

Forward

TABLE OF CONTENTS

•

Harvard stem cell breakthrough – dawn of a new era or false hope?

•

Awards showcase good practice in diabetes care

•

Ninjabetic – living with diabetes

•

'Attitude shift' says report

DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL?

Get in touch

Email your diabetes stories to editor Oliver Jelley.

Join the expanding diabetes community on Twitter and follow us for the latest diabetes news updates at @DiabetesTimes.

The Fantastic Four – Dr Partha Kar’s latest blog post

Sometimes it's worth taking a pause in the hustle bustle of life, politics, work to perhaps stand back and simply say... thank you. This blog certainly aims to do that... thank you to four special ladies with whom I have had or continue to have the utmost privilege of working with.

Why am I writing about them? Simply because they are the unsung heroes similar to the thousands within the NHS who are self effacing, humble, absolute super-professionals but never recognised in the fast modern world of self aggrandisation and publicity.

To read more, click here.

Parachute jump raises cash for diabetes charity

A daredevil trio jumped from a plane to raise more than £2,500 for a diabetes charity.

INPUT staff Melissa Holloway and Lesley Jordan did tandem skydives on September 16 to raise funds the UK charity, which campaigns for access to diabetes technology and support from the NHS, including insulin pumps, smart glucose meters and continuous glucose monitoring.

Melissa, the charity’s Chief Executive, and Chief Advisor Lesley, were accompanied by Oli Killin, a friend of Lesley’s, during the jump at Chatteris Airfield, Cambridgeshire. Lesley is planning to repeat the feat next year.

To read more, click here.
The donation page is open until the end of October, to donate click here.

Harvard stem cell breakthrough – dawn of a new era or false hope?

Earlier this month diabetes made the news bulletins in dramatic style, with Radio 4’s agenda-setting Today Programme going ‘big’ on the story and The Times’ front-page proclaiming “Diabetes: a cure at last”.

It was in response to the breakthrough announcement that a JDRF-funded team at Harvard University had created human insulin-producing beta cells in the kind of massive quantities needed for cell transplantation and pharmaceutical purposes, paving the way for revolutionary treatments for Type 1 diabetes

Two weeks on from the “giant leap forward”, we have asked leading experts and organisations from the diabetes community to go behind the sensational headlines and, now the dust has settled, explore what it really means. To read more, click here.

Awards showcase good practice in diabetes care

Excellence in diabetes care was recognised last week in the Quality in Care (QiC) Diabetes awards.

QiC Diabetes recognises, rewards and shares good practice in diabetes management, education and patient care. Finalists from across the country attended the award ceremony at Sanofi’s UK headquarters in Guildford for the fourth annual QiC. To read more, click here.

Ninjabetic – living with diabetes

This week I was asked: “What’s it like to have diabetes?” I wasn’t expecting it. I was caught off guard and I stumbled over my answer a little, but I gave it as well as I could.

It was a doctor who had asked me but he wasn’t one of wasn’t my doctors. No, this was a doctor who worked on the ward where I’m on placement. He didn’t know me, have any relationship with me or my diabetes, nor did he specialise in the condition, yet he was the first person to ever ask me this. To read more, click here.

'Attitude shift' says report

Cultural attitudes amongst the South Asian community towards diabetes are changing for the better, according to a report presented to the House of Lords this week.

The work by South Asian Health Foundation (SAHF) highlights that misunderstanding of diabetes in the South Asian community can be addressed by culturally-appropriate education programmes. To read more, click here.

DIABETES DIGEST

Diabetes self-management webinar

A webinar exploring diabetes self-management takes place next week.

The free-to-attend Diabetes – understanding real world patient needs and improving outcomes will be staged on Wednesday, October 29, between 3pm and 4pm. To read more, click here.

Charity marks anniversary at conference

Members of a diabetes charity came together to celebrate its 20-year birthday.

Almost 100 people attended the InDependent Diabetes Trust's Anniversary Conference on Saturday, October 18, at Kettering Park Hotel, in Northamptonshire. To read more, click here.

DESMOND awards deadline approaches

DESMOND teams have one week left to enter a new annual awards which aims to celebrate the Type 2 diabetes structured education programme.

Celebrating DESMOND launched in September and culminates in the prize giving on World Diabetes Day 2014, which takes place on November 14. To read more, click here.

Onesie-wearing youngster in fundraising bid

A four-year-old with Type 1 diabetes is preparing to wear a onesie to raise money JDRF.

Olivia Allcock, who was diagnosed in 2012, is supporting #TypeOnesie for World Diabetes Day on November 14.

The campaign means wearing a onesie for the day to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes and funds for JDRF. To read more, click here.

Actor runs for Diabetes UK

Game of Thrones star Philip McGinley has completed the Bupa Great Yorkshire Run for Diabetes UK.

The actor, famous for his role as Anguy the Archer in season three of the hit series, finished the 10k race on September 28 with a time of 49 minutes and 49 seconds. To read more, click here.