A keen rugby player from Caerphilly hosted a successful youth rugby tournament to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes.
Simeon Greenaway-Robbins, 16, was only diagnosed with Type 1 in April last year. He organised the fundraising event with his teammates at Caerphilly RFC. Three under-16’s teams played each other during the tournament and raised over £1,200 for the charity.
Simeon said: “I didn’t know much about Type 1 diabetes at first. I had been drinking loads of water, going to the toilet a lot, losing weight and was very tired so I went to my doctor. They did a finger prick test to check my blood glucose levels straight away and sent me directly to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with Type 1.”
“Following my dream”
Simeon started playing rugby in 2015, when he moved back from Canada to Wales.
He added: “I started training with Caerphilly RFC and I absolutely love it, it’s my biggest passion. When I was diagnosed I was scared that I might not be able to play rugby anymore. But now I want to show everyone that Type 1 diabetes will not stop me from following my dream.
“I wanted to organise a fun rugby event to support Diabetes UK Cymru because they do amazing work for people with diabetes just like me.
“Lots of my friends helped. My uncle even stepped in as referee! We made our own teams for the tournament. Some were experienced players and others had never touched a ball but everyone had a great time. I am amazed by how much we raised and I am hoping to do another event next year.”
Find out more about fundraising for Diabetes UK Cymru here.
