Tag Archives: Diabetes Ireland

AN Ennis patient advocate has won a MACE Unsung Heroes Sports, Health and Wellbeing Award in recognition of her tireless work on behalf of the diabetes community in the Mid-West. In total, MACE presented five category Unsung Heroes Community awards, including the award to Gráinne Flynn, with each individual category winner being rewarded with cheques for €1,000. Each winner was contacted personally by Johnny Sexton to inform them of their win. Ms Flynn runs a number of peer support groups, to allow those with diabetes to chat to another person going through the same issues. She has also campaigned tirelessly for better services for those with diabetes. She is thrilled with the award and so humbled to have been nominated by her friend Aisling White from the Midwest Diabetes Group. “I have been volunteering with Diabetes Ireland since 2007 and the Midwest Diabetes Advocacy Group formed through this when members of the community based in Clare and Limerick reached out …

DIABETES patients faced a five-year waiting time for an outpatient appointment back in September, 2020, a new document with input from local advocates has claimed. Diabetes Ireland Volunteer and Advocate, Gráinne Flynn, her husband, Phil Miesle and another Clare local, Adrian Donnelly were involved in drafting Diabetes Ireland’s Pre-Budget Submission, which was presented to Clare Oireachtas members recently. They highlighted some of the recommended actions that are really important for the estimated Clare 10,000 people living with diabetes need to be implemented, and how approximately 60% of the HSE’s annual diabetes related spending is on treating the largely preventable complications, such as limb amputations. On average, the diabetes-related expenditure accounts for 10-12% of the annual HSE budget. In 2019, the HSE annual budget was €16 billion; the diabetes-related expenditure equalled €1.6 billion with an estimated 60% (€1 billion) of this spent on avoidable complications. However, Ms Flynn pointed out very little has been invested directly into basic diabetes care delivery …

THE importance of people of all ages being aware of diabetes symptoms is even more importance during the Covid-19 lockdown, according to a local diabetes campaigner. Ennis resident Gráinne Flynn has urged everyone, not just parents, to be aware of the symptoms of diabetes known as the four T’s: toilet, thirst, thin, tired. She warned undiagnosed Type One diabetes can lead to a serious condition or fatality if untreated. “I was diagnosed as an adult. I was not where my parents could observe the dramatic changes in my physical being; I took it upon myself to seek help only after a friend noticed one of my symptoms and probably saving my life. “Imagine if my friend didn’t say anything to me because they believed that diabetes was a childhood illness? “It is extremely, extremely, important that any Type One diabetes symptom awareness campaigns strongly highlight that this diagnosis can happen at any age. Anyone who is experiencing these symptoms should …