Run for a cause in Penrith How Sarah Peatman is turning her diabetes diagnosis into an inspiring fundraiser

Since being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the beginning of the year, Sarah Peatman has made it her mission to raise awareness and funding for kids like her living with the condition.

Next Saturday, she’s taking over Nepean River parkrun in an effort to spread the word.

Sarah was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during a family holiday on New Year’s Day, with the 11-year-old recalling a very scary experience involving an emergency airlift in a Toll air ambulance from Coffs Harbour Base Hospital to the intensive care unit at The Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.

“It was our last day there when I started to feel really sick, and every time I walked up the stairs, I would collapse. At one point, I just collapsed and couldn’t get back up,” she said.

“It was really, really scary because I had no idea what was going on.”

In the coming months, Sarah would adjust to her new life with Type 1 diabetes, including multiple daily injections, finger prick blood glucose tests, constant counting of carbohydrates, and numerous insulin dosing calculations at every meal.

According to Sarah, she’s now able to do a lot of these things on her own.

“It was a big jump when I started to do things differently,” she said.

“I’ve done a Dexcom and a finger prick by myself now, so I don’t need my family to do it. My next step is doing needles, but at the beginning I wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”

Sarah has been involved in Nepean River parkrun for a very long time, having run the course with her dad, Tim, for a number of years.

Though Sarah said she loves seeing “the doggies” there most, she also appreciates how welcoming of an environment it is, making it the perfect opportunity for diabetics to come together and combat the isolation of the condition.

“I really wanted to raise awareness and show other Type 1’s that we’re not alone in this world,” she said.

“There’s no better place to do it than parkrun, because anyone can come.”