If you were a fly on the wall of the life of Alex Adams, a 21-year-old man from Melbourne, you might be forgiven for thinking he’s the typical young adult – you might even be a little jealous!
Alex rowed competitively for his school, goes to university, works casually at a local pub and loves going out and having a good time. He’s a passionate DJ and has performed at several clubs in Melbourne and even Byron Bay during schoolies week last year.
Amongst all this excitement, Alex also lives with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Alex’s mum, Lorraine, describes her son’s T1D diagnosis in October 2016 as a date she’ll never forget.
“T1D is always lurking in the background and ready to throw you a curve ball!” Lorraine says.
“Virtually everything Alex does on any given day has to include taming the T1D beast – the burden of feeling different to his peers, educating people he interacts with that don’t know what T1D is, BGL checks to calibrate his pump, carb counting, set changes for his pump every three days, CGM changes every week and checking supplies. The list goes on.”
But, she’s quick to point out his resilience, living life to the fullest despite the hurdles T1D puts in his way – and she’s determined to remove these hurdles by supporting T1D research.
Lorraine, Alex and their family are passionate about doing whatever they can to improve the odds of finding a cure for T1D, but also supporting research to improve T1D treatment. For example, they are particularly energised about developments such as CGM and closed loop systems and lobbying the government to extend the subsidy for CGM to all people affected by T1D.
“Alex recently turned 21 so is no longer be eligible for a subsidised CGM which has been such an important part of his management as it has made a significant positive impact on the quality of his life.” Lorraine explains.
As part of her relentless mission to defeat T1D, Lorraine first became involved in the JDRF One Walk in 2018.
In just two years, Lorraine has raised over $22,000 for JDRF, crediting the warm-hearted support and generosity of treasured family and friends.
“For my first One Walk, I suggested guests attending my 50th birthday lunch consider donating to the JDRF One Walk in lieu of a gift. This was very well received, and I decided to extend the fundraising net out to all our friends and family.” Lorraine says.
She didn’t stop there.
Last year, she transformed into a walking advertisement for Alex’s employer at the Newbay Hotel for a particularly special donation. She donned a red wig and t-shirt at the event for $5,000, cementing her status as Victoria’s biggest individual fundraiser for JDRF. She even has photographic proof (left).
Lorraine is just one of our Blue Army troops who has joined the movement to defeat T1D and has created a huge impact by not only fundraising but building community awareness around this relentless disease.
Join Lorraine and sign up today for the JDRF One Walk Step Challenge to start climbing the ranks here.
