Naas musician organises diabetes fundraiser for 'Thriveabetes' fundraiser at Moat Theatre

Naas musician Pete Kavanagh is organising a fundraising concert in The Moat Theatre on Saturday, August 12, to raise money to ensure Thriveabetes, which is an important conference for people living with Type 1 diabetes, goes ahead next February.

Pete’s young son Cayden was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in February 2016.

Musical guests at the Naas concert will include Newbridge’s Cahill Sisters, Pete Kavanagh himself (who will be joined on the night by Pam and Cayden Kavanagh), Naas man Hally and special guest, Luka Bloom from Newbridge.

Luka’s album Frugalisto was playing in the car as the Kavanagh family drove home after Cayden was discharged from hospital, having spent a week in Tallaght after his diagnosis.

“It was a surreal experience, starting this journey ahead of us all and just singing Frugalisto at the top of our voices. It’s a moment that will stay with us forever” says Pete.

“I chanced my arm and contacted Luka to ask if would he perform at this event and he kindly agreed. I then contacted Hally and the Cahill Sisters and they also kindly offered their services and I can’t thank them enough”.

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Pam and Cayden attended their first Thriveabetes event in 2016, where both made new friends and found support, amongst the 220 people living with diabetes who attended.

Pam explained: “It was the first time since diagnosis where I felt that fear wasn’t ruling me, that things were actually going to be OK.

“I learned far more in that one day than I had from months of reading diabetes information online. The diabetes online community is like a lifeline but nothing can compare to being together in person and I think we are very lucky to have an event like this in Ireland.

It’s also great for the kids to connect with other children living with the condition too.”

Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune condition that affects up to 16,000 people in Ireland of all ages.

It is a lifelong chronic illness that requires a lot of knowledge to manage.

With Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, which is needed to turn the carbohydrate we eat into energy for our bodies.

People with Type 1 diabetes need to take insulin injections or infuse insulin through a pump for the rest of their lives.

Good management of the condition involves trying to mimic what the body had previously done automatically, by manually maintaining blood glucose levels within a healthy range.

Multiple factors affect the level of glucose in the bloodstream, including eating carbohydrates; large portion sizes; illness; stress; activity levels; too much or too little insulin and many other factors.

Living with Type 1 diabetes requires constant vigilance and a strong sense of self-determination every day with no holiday from the condition.

Thriveabetes is organised completely by dedicated volunteers, who feel passionate about bringing people with Type 1 diabetes togther, and is mostly financed through ticket sales and an adjoining exhibition.

“As a small diabetes community, we would very much appreciate the support from people living in Naas and the wider Kildare area to make our music fundraiser an enormous success,” said Grainne Flynn, co-founder of Thriveabetes.

Tickets for the night at the Moat Theatre are €15 and can be booked through The Moat Theatre www.moattheatre.com or by telephone on 045 883030.