Every Parent’s Nightmare Every Night - Award-Winning Playwright to Run 100km September 30 to Raise £100,000 to Benefit JDRF
LONDON UK (PRWEB UK) 26 September 2017 -- Pearson award-winning playwright and author Simon Vinnicombe, father of 6 year old George, who has Type 1 diabetes, will run 100km to raise £100,000 on September 30th in Richmond Park, London, six years to the day he was told his son was going to die. Simon has already raised £60,000 thanks to the generosity of the public, corporations, and an anonymous £50,000 donation from the House of Lords following a presentation Simon participated in earlier this month.
George was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after a virus attacked his system at 6 months. In order to keep George’s blood sugars within "safe and healthy" range, Simon and his wife wake seven times a night to administer medication or check on him. Seven times is an average night. Each time he says good night to his son he is riddled with the fear that his little boy may not wake again.
Simon made a promise to his son in intensive care six years ago that his life would never be in danger again. He hopes to raise £100,000 by George’s next birthday, offering people the opportunity to be part of a health legacy in ending a condition which brutalises thousands of children the world over. Simon wanted to choose an endurance challenge to mirror the reality for a family living with Type 1 diabetes.
Since being diagnosed with Type 1 aged just six months old, George has endured:
• Over 15,000 finger prick blood tests
• Over 650 insulin pump cannula insertions
• Twice yearly admissions to A&E with life threatening complications
• Being force fed over 2000 gluco tablets to treat hypos, often in his sleep
• George's Dad has collapsed 20 times since his diagnosis due to the exhaustion of treating his son.
Simon Vinnicombe: “I wanted to draw attention to the marathon challenge of living with Type 1 diabetes. The run is beyond my limits. But I will get there in the end. For George the marathon has no finish line. I believe that people want to be a part of an incredible health legacy and return the freedom to thousands of children’s lives the world over. All we want is to watch our children sleep without wondering if they’ll ever wake again."
Rebecca Tomlinson, Events Manager at JDRF, The Type 1 diabetes charity: “Finding a cure for type 1 diabetes is just a matter of time, money and excellent research. So my biggest thanks go to Simon for his tireless efforts in helping to get us there.”
Notes to Editors:
To learn more and to support George’s RunforType1 visit http://www.georgesrunfortype1.com
Watch a short, professionally produced, moving video of George’s
Listen to this incredible webinar of George’s story
Brenda Nashawaty, DrugDev, http://www.drugdev.com, +1 6176883253, [email protected]
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