Violet Grey knows more about diabetes than most other six-year-olds.
Last year, the Iramoo Primary School pupil began raising funds to help find a cure for diabetes after her younger brother, Ethan, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Violet, Ethan, 4, mum Tania, grandmother Susan Wesson and great-grandmother Rhoda Primrose raised $1800 by taking part in the Walk to Cure Diabetes around Albert Park Lake in October.
But only two weeks after the walk, Violet was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Ms Grey said she picked up on Violet’s diabetes after a random check of her blood-sugar levels following her birthday.
She said it was unbelievable that two of her children had type 1 diabetes and needed daily insulin injections.
“It is crazy they were diagnosed within a month of each other,” Ms Grey said.
“Violet has her good days and her bad days. There are days when she doesn’t want to take her insulin. It’s harder for her than Ethan because she remembers what it was like before.”
Violet said having diabetes meant she had to be more careful about what she ate.
“I have to watch what I eat at parties because there are lots of sugary foods,” she said.
Ms Grey said winter was a particularly difficult time for the family, with Ethan and Violet at risk of spending time in hospital if they get sick.
“If they get a cold, it throws everything out,” she said. “There’s no school and I have to check their blood-sugar and ketone levels. But, thankfully, we’ve had no hospital days so far.”
The Wyndham Vale family will take part in this year’s Walk to Cure diabetes in Geelong on October 12.
