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Moncton diabetes fundraiser expands after top finish

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A Greater Moncton diabetes fundraiser is expanding to two walks this fall after it led the country in fundraising as the highest Lace Up to End Diabetes campaign last year.

Connie MacLeod, one of the organizers of Greater Moncton’s Lace Up to End Diabetes campaign, reported that the fundraiser raised over $40,000 for Diabetes Canada in its inaugural year.

This year, they are adding a second walk to improve accessibility and encourage more community participation.

The campaign will feature a glow-themed evening walk at Centennial Park on Oct. 24 and an indoor walk at Champlain Place on Nov. 8.

MacLeod said community support helped drive the success of last year’s event.

“It’s definitely kind of the Maritime community spirit that we have here. We all support each other, and when there’s a need, we all rise up and come get it,” MacLeod said.

MacLeod explained that the Greater Moncton event was the only Lace Up to End Diabetes walk held in New Brunswick last year and is the only one being held in the Maritimes this year.

She said a second walk was added after hearing from people who faced barriers attending an outdoor evening event, including accessibility and weather-related concerns.

The Nov. 8 walk at Champlain Place will take place before stores open and is intended to provide a more accessible option for participants.

Funds raised through the campaign support Diabetes Canada’s work in research, advocacy, education and support programs.

MacLeod said she believes the need for those efforts will continue to grow as more Canadians are affected by diabetes.

“I think honestly the one and three is going to increase for the number of people with diabetes. So, I think we really need to come together to help find a cure, to help support those who are affected by it,” she said.

Diabetes Canada estimates nearly 140,000 people in New Brunswick are living with diabetes, including diagnosed and undiagnosed cases.

MacLeod also spoke about her own experience with gestational diabetes and her brother’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis.

She said those experiences reinforced her understanding that the disease can affect people regardless of age, lifestyle or background.

The Oct. 24 event at Centennial Park is scheduled to include a five-kilometre walk around Centennial Lake along with family activities.

The Nov. 8 event at Champlain Place is being offered as an indoor alternative for people who may prefer a more accessible setting.

If you did not register in advance, you can still sign up on-site for either walk.

Diabetes presser

Parents continue to seek policy change for students with diabetes

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Parents of children with Type 1 Diabetes are getting frustrated by a lack of response to their request for a school policy.

They are asking for a standard level of care for students while in class.

Alana Diening says their fight has been ongoing since 2024.

“It’s been a long and winding path with highs such as receiving a callback from Premier Doug Ford that led to conversations with Minister of Health Sylvia Jones and Minister of Education Paul Calandra,” says Diening.

“It has also included lows as we continue to witness small children being harmed by this lack of policy protection as the ministry continues to consider its next steps.”

Diening says she was forced to remove her son from school because she felt it was not safe when she was told teachers were uncomfortable responding to his diabetic needs.

Dr. Hannah Geddie of McMaster Children’s Hospital says educators should be trained to monitor children and provide support when required.

“It is absolutely essential that school personnel, and that means teachers and EAs and others, are properly educated and supported when they have a child with type 1 diabetes in their classroom,” says Geddie.

“We must be able to assign responsibility and have school personnel participate in blood sugar monitoring and management according to that child’s care plan.

“There must be a caring and educated adult who is with them who can identify when that blood sugar is too high or too low, and that child is in danger, can determine what to do to keep them safe according to the care plan that’s been set up by the family, their healthcare providers, and the school,” adds Geddie.

The government announced in February a review of the policy governing how schools take care of students with ongoing medical needs, including diabetes.

It included soliciting input, but provided no timetable for when the review would be complete.