Toddler with diabetes is champion (From Croydon Guardian)

Toddler with diabetes nominated as Croydon Champion

11:30am Friday 23rd July 2010 in Croydon Champions By Kirsty Whalley

One of the youngest children to have type one diabetes diagnosed has been nominated as a child of courage in the Croydon Champions awards.

Little Imogen Dodsen, at just 20 months old, has to suffer five insulin injections a day and countless visits to the hospital to check on her health.

There is no cure for type one diabetes, which is caused when the insulin cells in the body are destroyed. At its most extreme, the disease can result in blindness and cardiovascular disease but it is easily controlled with insulin injections and a set diet.

Brave Imogen, from Warlingham, is the youngest person in the district to have type one diabetes diagnosed and the second youngest in London. It is very rare for children to develop the disease at such a young age.

The toddler, who lives with her parents Theresa, 39, and Mark, 38, and 10-year-old sister Faith, had diabetes diagnosed in February.

Mrs Dodsen said: “She was fine at Christmas but we noticed she started to get very sleepy. She had no temperature or sickness but she began to lose consciousness.”

The worried mum took her little girl to the doctor who said she was suffering from a gastric virus but when Imogen began to get worse, losing a lot of weight, her family rushed her to East Surrey Hospital.

Her mum said: “At first no one knew what was wrong with her. She was falling into a coma.”

After conducting several tests, experts soon realised the little girl was suffering from type one diabetes.

“Somewhere along the line her body had begun to destroy insulin cells, so we now have to give her insulin injections.”

This is no easy task for Mrs Dodsen and her partner Mark. “She is so small and I have a needle phobia so it is not the best.

“East Surrey said she was the youngest they had seen with diabetes and because of her age she was a bit of a guinea pig.”

Mrs Dodsen said the family were dealing with Imogen’s condition on a day-to-day basis. So far the toddler is coping well with all her hospital visits, although according to her mum she can be “a little fiery” at times.

Her family are campaigning to raise awareness about the disease and want to raise money for research into juvenile diabetes.

Mrs Dodsen said: “It is a very dangerous condition, life threatening. Insulin is not the cure, it is just keeping Imogen alive. ”