Peterborough Girl's Video On Raising Awareness For Type 1 Diabetes Has Nearly 27,000+ Facebook Views

Ten-year-old Peterborough girl Tilly Stimpson is hoping to return to Parliament Hill in October for Kids For A Cure Lobby day—they were there in November 2016 for this bi-annual event—to lobby once again for Type 1 Diabetes. Both Tilly and her father Matt have the disease.

As part of her application process for the special day, Tilly had to produce a video which her Dad posted to his Facebook page that has now garnered nearly 27,000 views and counting already (scroll down to watch it below).

Tilly (pictured with her dog, Olive) is making a great impact on raising awareness about living with Type 1 diabetes

"We are thrilled with the reaction the video has received, and even more thrilled with the support of people through their comments on social media," Tilly's mother Joanna tells PTBOCanada. "We’ve been showing Tilly the responses and she is really excited by the number—she checks every day to see the counter go up!"

"Tilly had such a great experience at the last event in 2016, and was was keen to apply again this year. They changed the application process slightly in that she had to produce a 60 second video in addition to the online application and a bio she had to write," Joanna adds.

The family chose an angle about research in the video as this is the part Tilly, who was diagnosed at two and a half, feels is most important. Without research, they won’t find a cure to this very misunderstood disease which is often compared to Type 2 diabetes.

"Lobbying the government for money is not just about funding research, it’s also about making the life saving supplies needed accessible to everyone," Joanna tells PTBOCanada. "Not every province covers the pump and the standard of care differs everywhere (even on a school by school basis). Tilly is about to take part in a clinical trial at Sunnybrook for a new insulin."

The Stimpson family have been advocating for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) since Tilly was first diagnosed, and her school has raised $12,000 and the Stimpson family $32,000 through the generous support of the community.

After Kids for a Cure in October which Tilly hopes to be accepted for again, the family is part of a local chapter hosting a JDRF fundraising event "Cuisine For A Cure" at the Venue on November 9th. More info on that event can be found here.

Watch (and keep) sharing Tilly's powerful video below...

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.