The Medtronic Junior Cup Diabetes is a ‘World Cup’ for children with Type 1 diabetes aged between 10 and 14. Lenny the lion invited 12 Countries to compete in a 7-aside football tournament to determine which team is the best football side in the world. The UK team this year were all insulin pump users (though not all are Medtronic insulin pump users) One of the aims of the competition is to raise the awareness about the benefits that insulin pumps and in particular Sensor Augmented Pump therapy (SAP) can give to young children and teenagers.
The 2014 competition will took place from 22nd- 24th August in the Sports Centre Papendal in Arnhem, Holland. Each of the 11 players in the UK team have been role models for other children to show that having Type 1 diabetes need not prevent you from taking part in sport. This year’s winners were The Netherlands.
Josh Mather
Defender Josh Mather was diagnosed with Type 1 in April 2009, he was put on an insulin pump in April 2010 and so he has had his pump for four years now. His mother says, “Before Josh started using his pump, he felt very restricted in what he could or couldn’t do, he had to eat at certain times of day, his activity levels needs to stay consistent. Since having the pump, it’s given him his old life back, he can eat whenever he likes, whatever he likes (within reason) and has started to play football. He has a separate basal set up for days with high activity. He feels more like a ‘normal child’ getting on with his life. Having the pump has also helped him decrease the amount of hypo’s he was having using multiple injections. Josh has only recently also started on Medtronic’s CGM sensors and the benefits so far have been extraordinary. The spikes that we previously had trouble identifying have now been clearly linked to certain foods or certain activities. Having the CGM plot out his results on his pump’s screen means Josh can almost forget about his blood sugars as the system warns him if it’s going up or down too fast.”
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