Danny McStravock, from Moneymore, will be taking on not one, but two laps of Lough Neagh, alongside his son in law, Sammy, to help raise funds for Diabetes UK Northern Ireland.
Danny’s grandson, and Sammy’s son, Daniel Lupari, aged 7, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in December 2021, having only been diagnosed with autism two months prior.
What followed was a period of adjustments for the family as they learned to live with these diagnoses. So, in order to champion the bravery of young Daniel, Danny and Sammy are taking on the 160-mile cycle challenge.
On the 24 July, the challenge will begin and end at Ballyronan.
Danny said, ‘There has been a lot of changes for Daniel since he was diagnosed, first as autistic and then with type 1 diabetes. It has been a learning curve for us all but we wanted to do something to show our support to Daniel and also others living with diabetes in Northern Ireland.
‘People don’t really understand the demands of type 1 diabetes, especially on children. We had originally planned to cycle Mizen to Milan but we changed our plans as we are all still learning how we can best support Daniel and wanted to stay home with him.
‘We hope by doing this challenge that it will help raise awareness for the many families already juggling type 1 diabetes and hopefully raise some funds for our chosen charity, Diabetes UK Northern Ireland.’
Naomi Breen, Diabetes UK Northern Ireland Fundraising Manager, said, ‘We want to thank Danny and Sammy for lapping the lough, and they should be commended for adding on an extra lap to add to an already tough challenge. They will undertake 160 miles to help us raise awareness and funds so we can continue to support families in Northern Ireland living with this relentless condition. Thank you to everyone who is supporting them and for Daniel for choosing us as his charity.’
There are currently over 108,000 people living with diabetes in Northern Ireland and approximately 8% of those are living with type 1 diabetes. It is a relentless condition and if not managed well, both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can lead to devastating complications.
Go to Danny McStravok’s justgiving page if you would like to support his fundraising efforts Danny Mcstravock is fundraising for Diabetes UK (justgiving.com)
