A four-year-old Lockerbie girl with type one diabetes wants to help others with the illness in war-torn Ukraine.
Briana McKinnel and mum Karen have launched an appeal for medical equipment, insulin, plus sweets and protein bars.
And they have enlisted the help of other sufferers via a social media page which was set up to support people in the area.
Karen, 29, who runs beauty firm Curl and Blush, told how the idea came about from a project Briana was taught at nursery.
She said: “Briana goes to two nurseries, the Lockerbie one at school and also Mid Annandale Play Care and, basically, both have been teaching the kids about random acts of kindness.
“We went to Lockerbie Nature Reserve to do a random act of kindness and left a bag of chocolate buttons on someone’s car to help Briana learn about being kind.
“Then not long after we got home I said to her about how would she like to help people with type one diabetes in Ukraine after looking at our Type 1 Best Friends Together page and thought about continuing the good work and helping boys, girls and adults with type one diabetes over there.
“I can only imagine what they are going through.
“So we have found a place in Kent which is collecting donations and getting them over there somehow to help people.
“What we are asking for is people who have medical equipment and spare insulin to donate it plus send sweets, chocolate and protein bars to help with blood sugar levels.
“We can obviously go to supermarkets any time to buy the sweets and bars while these poor people are wondering what is going to happen next to them.
“ It’s an awful situation.”
She and husband, Colin, 32, who live in Rosebank Crescent, were stunned to find out their daughter had type one diabetes at the age of 18 months.
Karen said: “We were totally shocked. She has now had it for most of her life and we were very fortunate the doctors found it so early because if it goes diagnosed you get poorly very quickly and can die.
“The Facebook page (Type 1 Best Friends Together) was set up by myself and Sophie Bright whose daughter Amelia has it too and the two girls are best friends.”
Little Briana leads an active life and is a member of several dance groups and takes part in ballet, tap, modern and jazz while also learning baton twirling.
And for more information contact: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2416367225154502/
