- Target:
- everyone
- Region:
- Northern Ireland
- Website:
- www.diabetes.org.uk
Ethan was admitted to hospital in January 2015 after feeling unwell for a few days. After a lot of tests carried out by both doctors and specialists, he was later diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, just 3weeks before his fourth birthday. Due to the seriousness of this illness Ethan requires 24 hour care and attention, and a normal day consists of multiple blood sugar tests and 5-10 injections (in his legs, arms, stomach and hip) and strict diet. Though remember this on a normal day, as throughout the past few months Ethan hasn't had many, as his small body has had difficultly stabilising his illness, as it can not pump the insulin around his body efficiently.
Over the last three months Ethan’s blood sugars have been dangerously low and high resulting in seizures and several hospital admissions. The seriousness of these hospital admissions is that every time Ethan has seizures or drops to low/high it is having an affect on his organs and in come cases these seizures can results in coma and death which we desperately hope to avoid. A team of diabetic specialists have rated Ethan’s case as severe, and after being on a waiting list for months we have recently been told Ethan is thankfully 1 of the 10 children in Northern Ireland that has been awarded access to an Insulin pump, which he will have fitted in July.
This insulin pump will help change Ethan’s life as Insulin pumps are one of the most significant advances in the treatment of diabetes, freeing people from the daily challenges of multiple daily injections, helping to reduce the risks of complications, raising quality of life and freeing up NHS time and resources. However there is always a BUT Ethan starts primary 1 in September and will require an advanced classroom assistant as he will have his insulin pump fitted by then.
This classroom assistant will be administering insulin via the pump, testing blood glucose (blood sugars), understanding what these readings mean, carbohydrate counting and making sure they understand what a hypo and hyper are and how they are treated, this is a serious role for anyone to take on as insulin administration can be fatal if not conducted correctly, and with a case as serious as Ethan’s he desperately needs this assistant and quick…. and here is where the petition begins.
Ethan’s school has been in connection through the Special Needs Education Board NI pleading to get him assistance and quick, but unfortunately they are not willing to have Ethan’s case sorted for him by September, and without this assistant he can not go to school as his health would be put at to high a risk without professionally trained care assistants.
With the serious of his illness Ethan has missed 15-20 weeks of nursery school from he was diagnosed and without an assistant he can not enter P1, and once again his education and learning development will suffer even further. It is not just his education that will suffer due to this negligence from the Education Board, but Ethan’s childhood, as he is desperate to lead a normal life, play football with his friends and go to school, and without this assistant this will not be possible for him throughout the next year.
Children in schools in this day and age are getting assistants for a lot less, this child NEEDS this assistant for a serious medical condition that if not managed effectively can result in death in young children, so I urge you all to read and sign this, as the school as informed me if we all push the seriousness of this matter it will help our case greatly over the next few months!
Ethan can't fight or argue his own case, so we have to do it for him.
Thank you
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The Insulin pump classroom assistant for Ethan petition to everyone was written by megan and is in the category Children's Rights at GoPetition.