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Debating Diabetes; Health and Social Care students get up close and personal to learn more about the illness

Health and Social Care students got an up close and personal perspective into the lives of diabetes sufferers when David Gaygan and his wife Margaret came to give a guest lecture on the condition.

David, himself a sufferer of diabetes, gave in insight into a number of aspects of the illness including the diagnosis, his ongoing treatment, the medical side and his blood control measurement.

“It’s important that people are made aware of diabetes”, said David. “Some people can have it for 12 months before they get a diagnosis so it is good to raise awareness of the warning signs.”

David was also impressed with the current knowledge base of the students. “They already knew a lot about diabetes and asked some very intelligent questions. They knew of specialist foods and drinks on the market and had questions about what triggered my diabetes.”

A highlight of the lecture was the students’ chance to have their own blood sugar levels tested. A handful of students took part in the experiment which involved having a small prick in the finger to draw blood and having the sugar levels measured before and after lunch.

“The students were amazed at the results” said their teacher, Claire Gaygan. “One student had a blood sugar level of 5 before drinking a can of regular cola during lunch and returning with a level of 7.4. In contrast to their friend who measured 4.7 and returned with a level of 5 after drinking diet cola, the students realised how sugary some drinks are and jokingly said that it gave them an insight into why they sometimes come back so hyperactive after lunch.”

The students’ feedback was very positive. Rebecca Porter and Szrernka Gallimore were two students who attended the session and volunteered for a blood sugar test. “It was really interesting”, they said. “It made us aware of the seriousness of diabetes and how eventually it can lead to heart attacks and amputations.”

They will also be putting theory into practice within their part time jobs. “We both work at Bradwell Hospital”, they added. “Now when talking to patients we’ll have a better awareness of their conditions and first hand experience of the blood sugar test which we sometimes help with.”

Harley Smith, Lauren Turner, Dina Hopkins and Beth Crouchly were another group who attended the talk. “It was good meeting someone with first hand experience. We took lots of notes as he spoke”, they said. “We learnt things from him that you can’t learn from a book and we were able to ask as many questions as we liked to find out more. We knew a few things about diabetes before but we know so much more now.”