Football fans will be asked to dig deep to help raise funds for Diabetes UK before enjoying a match at Crystal Palace this Saturday.
The club has given the go-ahead for a bucket collection by the charity before their sold-out friendly against German side FC Schalke 04 at Selhurst Park on Saturday, August 5 (3pm kick-off).
Dr Ryland Morgans, Head of Performance at Crystal Palace, who joined the club this year from Liverpool FC, has Type 1 diabetes. The fitness and conditioning doctor, pictured above, was diagnosed at the age of 25, when playing semi-professional football in Wales. He wants to spread the word about the seriousness of the condition and urge people to find out their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Ryland said: “I’m thrilled to support the work that Diabetes UK does to provide the right treatment, knowledge and care for people living with the diabetes. There is nothing we can do to prevent Type 1 diabetes, but around three in five cases of Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by maintaining a healthy weight, eating well and being active.
“If people know their risk, they can do something about it and avoid the devastating complications which can come as a result of living with diabetes.”
Roz Rosenblatt, London Head for Diabetes UK, said: “We are very grateful to Dr. Morgans, the Crystal Palace team and the fans for giving us the opportunity to raise awareness and vital funds for our work to create a world where diabetes can do no harm.”
Diabetes is a condition where there is too much glucose in the blood because the body cannot use it properly. If not managed well, both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can lead to devastating complications. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in people of working age in the UK and is a major cause of lower limb amputation, kidney failure and stroke. In the UK, 3.6 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes and 11.9 million people are at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
