Northland man in control of his diabetes

Northland Boccia president Scott Burdett has had to dip into his own pockets to get Northland to the Boccia Nationals in Christchurch.

Scotty Burdett has a lot of living to do.

He's heading to Christchurch next week for the national boccia championships, hoping to add to the 40-plus medals he has accumulated over the past 11 years.

He also co-hosts a radio sports show every Saturday morning, is an online gamer "who can match it with the best of them" and was one of the organisers of this week's annual Diabetes Fun Run and Walk. The event raises funds for the annual Diabetes and Healthy Lifestyle Camp for 16 to 25-year-olds and, from next year, will also support the kids' camp for seven to 12-year-olds.

The camps are run by specialist diabetes services attached to district health boards . However, a change in funding meant that from last year, Diabetes NZ Northland Branch and Northland DHB Diabetes Service have had to find new options to fund the camps, and the Diabetes Fun Run and Walk was the solution.

The camps help children and young people with diabetes develop resilience, develop relationships with those facing similar health journeys, improve their social skills, increase confidence and gain a feeling of control.

Scotty experienced one of the camps about three years ago, and is planning to be a team leader at the February camp.

"The one I went to was just awesome - getting to learn how to control my diabetes, what to look out for and the food side of things. I was the person with the most improved blood sugar levels over the course of the camp."

Scotty has insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes, which emerged when he was in his early 20s and is believed to have been caused by medication for the lung condition bronchiectasis.

"I was at the boccia nationals and just kept drinking and drinking water and couldn't figure out why," he says. "After I got home, I went to Whangarei Hospital and they tested my blood sugars.

"The Diabetes Clinic is such a great team and got me on to insulin and helped me get things sorted."

Scotty needs insulin injections three times each day. He faces additional challenges: due to the congenital disorder Thrombocytopenia absent radius (TAR) syndrome - characterised by the absence of bones connecting the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist - he is physically unable to inject himself.

"I'm grateful that I've got such good friends and family who can do it for me," Scotty says.

"It's nothing to be scared or ashamed of. It does give you some challenges at times but with a good support network, you can manage it. Embrace it."

In Scotty's case, embracing extends to a tattoo on his left shoulder highlighting his diabetes.

"It's difficult for me to wear a medical alert bracelet, so I thought would get it tattooed."

His philosophy on living with his medical conditions is simple.

"You have to get on with life. Some things you can do, some things you can't. "You just have to work around it and get used to it."

While Scotty Burdett happily helps raise money for camps for kids with diabetes, he struggles to cover the costs of getting to the boccia competitions. That story was told by Advocate sports writer Josh Berry on Tuesday.