Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak about an issue that I have recently come to learn quite a lot about through the eyes of 14-year-old Georgia, who lives in Hobart. It is timely to speak about this issue, because the month of May is Jelly Baby Month, organised by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to raise awareness and funds for research into juvenile diabetes in Australia.

I was at the hospital in Adelaide on the night of Georgia’s birth. She was a healthy baby girl who grew into a beautiful child, full of energy and enthusiasm for life. At the age of 13, Georgia was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes type 1. It was a shock. In her own words, she had no idea what type 1 diabetes was. She said to me:

I thought maybe it was a food disorder which meant you could no longer have sugar. When I started to learn about it, it was a really big shock to learn that I would need to have 4 injections a day for the rest of my life or until a cure is found.

Australia has one of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world, with more than 140,000 children and adults suffering from the disease. And, according to recent reports by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the incidence of newly diagnosed cases of children aged zero to 14 with type 1 diabetes is on the increase.

In Australia today around one in 700 children has juvenile diabetes type 1. It is the most common endocrine disease in childhood and adolescence, with 50 per cent of cases diagnosed before the age of 16. It is increasing at the rate of 3.2 per cent a year, and over the past five years the incidence has doubled in children under five years of age. The reasons for the increase in type 1 diabetes are not known, although some researchers believe that environmental factors may play a role.

Unfortunately, diabetes often goes undiagnosed for some time because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. However, recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of the disease. Some of the symptoms include: frequent urination, excessive thirst, constant hunger, increased fatigue, irritability, blurry vision, sudden weight loss, infections and nausea. Not all people with some or all of these symptoms have or will develop diabetes, but it is important that we be aware of the symptoms and, where they appear, have them checked out by a medical professional.

Only weeks before Georgia’s diagnosis, we were out doing what many teenage girls would put high on their list of things to do: shopping for clothes for her. That day, her ability to consume food and water amazed me. Her lethargy after only an hour of looking and trying on clothes puzzled me, but I certainly did not think that she was unwell. Just weeks later, after having been unwell for a few days, her condition deteriorated, and Nanna Kath rushed her to hospital, where she was unexpectedly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She spent the next seven days in hospital, while medical professionals stabilised her blood sugar levels and instructed her on the changes she would need to make to her day-to-day life.

Georgia was recently fitted with an insulin pump that has made life somewhat easier. This was only made possible through research funding and the dedication of many. It has resulted in a sense of normality in day-to-day living for her, and for the thousands of others who are able to take advantage of this medical technology. Georgia stressed to me the importance of people not treating you differently just because you have been diagnosed with diabetes and the importance of knowing that you can still achieve success in your chosen field, whether it be sport, music, singing or even acting. She went on to reel off names of famous people who have been successful and who live with type 1 diabetes, including Oscar winner Halle Berry and AFL Crows player Nathan Bassett.

The jelly baby was chosen by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as a symbol of hope for children and adults with type 1 diabetes. A handful of jelly babies can prevent them falling into a coma when blood sugar levels fall dangerously low. There is hope for the future with the extension of research into islet transplantation hopefully leading to a pathway to a cure for people with type 1 diabetes. Research and adequate funding for that research are crucial to finding a cause and a much wanted cure for so many.