A 34-year-old woman who lost two siblings and her dad to diabetes is fundraising to pay for her own funeral after being told she too will die from the same disease.
Suzanne Shipley’s sister, Claire, had been dead for less than a month when she was told she would die in two weeks too from the same disease.
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Last month, following a check up, doctors found her kidneys were functioning at only 8% and gave her the earth-shattering news no further treatment could be carried out.
Suzanne’s fight to keep going has astounded doctors but she is now being provided with end of life care at home from her devastated mum Rose and older sister Laura.
TERRIFIED OF DYING
With Rose still carrying the burden of paying for Claire’s funeral, the family has made a desperate appeal for financial help, at a time when money troubles “should be the last thing” on their minds.
She said that despite being “terrified of dying and leaving behind those I love”, donations raised so far to help her family afterwards have “eased my mind so much”.
Suzanne, a type 1 diabetic, requires kidney dialysis four times a week and in 2017 she had her lower leg amputated after contracting sepsis.
She then developed neuropathy and retinopathy, issues relating to her nerves, and had a kidney transplant donated from her mum Rose.
What is Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is where the cells in the body that typically produce insulin have been destroyed, leaving the body unable to produce the key hormone.
It’s far less common than Type 2, affecting around 10 per cent of adults who have the disease.
It is treated with daily insulin injections or an insulin pump.
This form of the disease typically occurs in childhood, or before the age of 40 and is not linked to obesity.
One well-known sufferer of Type 1 diabetes is former Prime Minister Theresa May.
Staff gave Suzanne only two weeks to live but she has defied the odds to live an additional fortnight, although she isn’t expected to have long left.
As well as losing Claire to diabetes, Suzanne also lost her dad, Graham, and her brother, Stephen, to the same disease.
Her friend Jo Tocher, 41, set up the fundraising page on crowdfunding site GoFundMe to pay for the funeral and support Rose afterwards.
She said: “They are the strongest group of people I know and the nicest people in the world. They would do anything for anyone and their attitude throughout all this has been unbelievable.
“What they have been through is heartbreaking.”
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“I was devastated when I heard about how worried Suzanne was about funeral costs – it’s the last thing she should be worrying about.
“Rose and Laura haven’t worked for a while because they have been caring for Claire and Suzanne.
“It’s impossible to even imagine what they have been through, it’s not something she will ever get over but hopefully some financial support will help a bit.
“They can use the money to go on holiday or something, they deserve that after all the pain they have gone through over the years.”
“The money raised will pay for Suzanne’s funeral and what’s left will go to Rose and Laura.
In just three days their crowdfunding page has accumulated over £8,500 and Suzanne has since thanked people for their generosity in a message posted on the page.
Donate to the family here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/suzanne-shipley
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