A university student from the island has completed the Great North Run (GNR) in aid of a charity that has helped her over the years.

Gemma Kirkham, aged 19 from Douglas, raised more than £600 towards Manx Diabetic Group (MDG) by taking on the half marathon held in Newcastle earlier this month.

The Northumbria University student has received support from the charity since 2007 after she was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes.

She said: ’The Great North Run was an amazing experience. I was completely carried by the crowds and it was an unreal atmosphere the entire way.

’I finished in two hours and 43 minutes.

’Beforehand I felt excited to be part of one of the biggest half marathons in the world and it was very special to cross the line alongside the other 43,600 finishers.’

She says she would recommend taking on the 13.1 mile challenge ’without a doubt’.

’My highlights would have to be running across the Tyne Bridge, listening to all the cheering from the crowd during the second mile, then the last 800metres with the finish line in sight.

generosity

’The generosity of all the spectators offering sweets, fruit, ice pops and high fives along the way also made it much easier.’

Gemma added that she was inspired to take part in the GNR after watching the runners from her accommodation windows last year.

She decided she would raise funds for the MDG, which has provided her and her family with a great amount of support over many years.

’I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was seven,’ she said.

’When I was first diagnosed I was on multiple injections a day and it became a steep learning curve of calculating carbohydrates and learning how to control the condition.

’In year six, aged 10, I changed from multiple injections a day to an insulin pump with the assistance of the Pumps4Kids campaign.’

The successful campaign, which was supported by Isle of Man Newspapers, was run by the Manx Diabetic Group and parents of children with diabetes.

The aim was to ensure that all child sufferers of type-1 diabetes had access to pump technology to replace daily injections.

Now the charity and parents are campaigning to replace finger-prick blood tests with pain-free monitors, as part of the Monitors4Kids initiative which launched in July this year.

Gemma continued: ’The pumps gave me more freedom as instead of injecting I could just program the pump accordingly and adjust when necessary.

’Consequently, this gave me better management during sport.’

She added: ’My family, friends and teachers have offered a lot of support over the years ensuring I’ve never missed out on anything because of diabetes.

’I never allowed it to get in the way of what I wanted to do so continued playing all my sport.’

Gemma is to return to university this week, where she will begin her second year of studying maths. She is also part of the university’s netball team.

She said: ’I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed towards my fundraising.

’I have raised £620 to date and hope this will assist others on the Isle of Man who have diabetes.’