A schoolboy from Banstead will lead his family on a walk across 12 iconic London bridges to raise money for us after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last November at the age of 13.
Roman Marsh is the only member of his family with type 1 diabetes so the diagnosis came as a shock. His mum Lucy, a nail technician, recalls how he showed some symptoms of diabetes such as weight loss and tiredness but for a time she put it down to the normal growth pattern of a teenage boy.
But Roman didn’t recover his energy and in the end was admitted to hospital for treatment and tests – and then and received the diagnosis.
Since then the family has pulled together to meet the challenges.
Lucy says:
“We knew absolutely nothing about diabetes. The last few months have changed all our lives forever - especially for Roman.
“There has been lots and lots of learning, researching, hospital appointments, counting carbs, pricking fingers, scanning Libres, constant alarms, and dealing with the effects of hypos and hypers which are changes in blood sugar levels.”
“We’ve quickly realised that type 1 diabetes is lifelong. Roman has done nothing to bring this on. That’s why we decided to take on Diabetes UK’s London Bridges Wellness Walk to raise money to improve awareness, fund new tech and to find a cure.
“We can’t wait to take on the challenge together and we’re so grateful for the donations we’ve received.”
On Sunday, 24 September, Roman, mum Lucy, dad James and siblings Luca, 17, and Alicia, 10 will be taking on London Bridges Wellness Walk along with thousands of other walkers.
Jill Steaton, head of the South East Coast and London Region of Diabetes UK, said:
“We want to say a huge thank you to the family for helping with our fundraising and we hope they have a great day.”
Lucy has a JustGiving page at Diabetes UK: London Bridges Wellness Walk 2023 (enthuse.com)
