A campaign has been launched to recognise the unique difficulties faced by teenage diabetics. Angela Burns, Assembly Member for South Pembrokeshire, has taken up the cause after hearing about the issues first-hand from worried parents. "Many children become diabetic in their early teens and struggle to come to terms with that because of mental health issues, inadequate support from the parental home or social peer pressure," she said. In particular, the pressure to drink alcohol can cause real problems for young diabetics as they have to closely monitor the amount of sugar in their bloodstream. "All their mates are going out and having fun and they perceive that they cannot do so," added Mrs. Burns. "Sometimes these children end up getting withdrawn and sometimes they throw caution to the wind which can have dangerous consequences. "They need support, mentoring, encouragement and training in how to handle the effect that their illness has on their lives and the way other people react to it. It's not enough to simply deal with the medical side of the disease." She asked the Welsh Health Minister Edwina Hart whether there were any plans to look into the care given to diabetic children and to spend more money on those affected. A meeting will now be set up by Mrs. Burns so the Health Minister can meet some of the families to hear their concerns first-hand.
