Christine Macey – Scotland – Supporting Diabetes UK
Since her father died over three years ago, Christine has cared for her mum who is registered blind due to diabetes. She drives the 50-mile round trip to take her shopping , to the doctor, to hospital clinics and to just about anything else, as her mother lives on a farm, up a dirt track away from main roads in a rural village making public transport difficult and limited.
The nearest supermarket is a further 26-mile round trip from her mother’s house. To get her Mum there Christine uses a 4×4, and plenty of petrol, and as her car gets older it’s getting more and more expensive to run and harder to find the money for a replacement.
Why should you vote for Christine?
Not only does Christine Macey care for her diabetic mother, who is also registered blind as a result of the disease, but for the last 30 years she has also managed the condition herself.
Driving an average of 200-miles a week just on trips to help her Mum, Christine is proof positive that people still care for their families – something that the current rate of diagnosis of diabetes suggests is going to become an important quality of society. Because of Christine, her mother is able to live in her familiar home and retains her independence, and she does this cheerfully and happily. Indeed, until we asked her she hadn’t worked out just how many miles she drives each week. “Oh dear. That would be why my car is so high mileage then,” was her reaction.
Christine’s chosen charity – Diabetes UK “I would choose Diabetes UK,” says Christine, “because my Mum has been a diagnosed diabetic for 40 years. It’s something of a forgotten illness even though it’s so common and becoming more so. It’s both debilitating and if not properly managed it’s a killer. I’m also diabetic and was diagnosed 30 years ago.”
About Diabetes UK
Diabetes is fast becoming the health issue of our time, with 2.9 million people diagnosed with the condition and 850,000 currently undiagnosed. Diabetes UK is the leading charity working with and for people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes as well as people at risk of developing the condition.
Diabetes UK is the leading UK charity that cares for, connects with and campaigns on behalf of all people affected by and at risk of diabetes. Diabetes UK;
• helps people manage their diabetes effectively by providing information, advice and support
• campaigns with people with diabetes and with healthcare professionals to improve the quality of care across the UK’s health services
• funding pioneering research into care, cure and prevention for all types of diabetes
• campaigning to stem the rising tide of diabetes
Learn more about Diabetes UK and make a donation
We asked Christine what being named “most deserving” would mean to her.
Are you happy to be nominated? Yes – of course!
If you won, what difference would your new car make to your life and how would you use it? “If I had a newer car the maintenance bills wouldn't be so high. It's also a petrol engine, so a diesel would be more economical.
“I make a 50-mile round trip to my Mum at least three times per week. On top of that, because she lives in a rural area, it's another 26-mile round trip to the shops in Galashields, plus regular hospital visits. If the weather is bad, because she lives up a hill on a farm my Suzuki Vitara is the only way she is able to get out and about.
What sort of car would you choose and why? “I need a smallish 4×4 with a diesel engine and 5 doors. Something like a Landrover Freelander II would be great. I bought the Suzuki before my Dad died so I didn’t need to worry so much about going to see Mum so often, so fuel consumption wasn’t such an issue. I didn’t need the 5-doors then either.” Vote now for Christine and her chosen charity, Diabetes UK!
