Brave Scott's battle with diabetes (From Gazette Series)

Brave Scott's battle with diabetes

8:20am Thursday 2nd August 2007

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THE parents of a four-year-old boy who nearly died before he was diagnosed with diabetes have spoken of the trauma of seeing their son waste away.

Matthew and Patricia Harrill watched helplessly as Scott, then aged just three, struggled to drink enough water to stay alive.

The tot, from Chipping Sodbury, was unrecognisable a year ago before the family was told he had 'type one' diabetes, the most serious and a life-threatening strain of the condition.

Mr Harrill, of Couzens Close, told the Gazette: "He looked like a skeleton, he was all skin and bones, very gaunt and his eyes were sunken.

"We found him drinking the bath water and even dishwater. His brain did not register that he had had a drink and it was literally going straight through him.

"The only reason he didn't fall into a coma was because we were giving him so much to drink," said Mr Harrill. "That was the most worrying time."

Scott was in hospital for four days before doctors issued his parents with a stack of needles and medicine to look after him at home.

He now needs insulin injections twice a day and regular blood tests to check his sugar levels.

"At first we had to pin him down for the injections," said Mrs Harrill. "It was heartbreaking. But now it is part of our routine and Scott even does the blood tests himself. It is frightening at times though."

Scott's older brother Ben, 13, helps out but the family is worried baby Samantha, 20 months, could also contract the illness.

"There is nothing to say she won't get diabetes," said Mr Harrill, a business systems analyst.

"That is a very real worry. But we as a family have to make sure Scott looks after himself when he is older because he will need injections for the rest of his life."

Mr and Mrs Harrill and their three children, along with friends and colleagues, are taking part in the sponsored Bristol Walk to Cure Diabetes on September 2 at Oldbury Court Estate. They have already raised more than £1,000 and are committed to raising as much money as possible for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), which funds research into finding a cure for diabetes.

Mrs Harrill added: "We are still learning about diabetes every day but this has definitely been an eye-opener for us all.

"They say the middle child always gets forgotten but that is definitely not the case in this family."

To sponsor the Harrills, visit www.justgiving.com/harrill.

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