Publish date: 17 February 2026
The paediatric team at our hospital, welcomed 13-year-old Fred Hall last week as he presented the team with a cheque for £3,000 after completing a sponsored bike ride across the island to raise money for the Trust’s paediatric services through the Isle of Wight NHS Trust Charity.
Fred was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in December 2024 and was joined by his mum, Step-dad, auntie, and Nanna to hand over the ceremonial giant cheque to the team.
After handing over the cheque Fred shared why he was inspired to raise funds for the service: “When I was diagnosed and admitted to the children’s ward, I thought the environment was amazing, but I also thought that if there were a couple changes, it could be a lot better with things like a gaming room. I also really wanted to raise awareness for all the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, and I thought this would be a good way to do it.”
Clinical Psychologist Dr Laura Bohane said: “We are so grateful to Fred and his family for raising an incredible amount of money to further improve our environments. Fred has handled his diagnosis with incredible maturity, and we are proud of him raising awareness of the symptoms to look out for in Type 1 diabetes.”
Fred, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes the week he started secondary school at The Priory in Whippingham, shared how he felt finding out he had Type 1 Diabetes and how his school friends have been a huge support: “At the start, it was definitely very hard and scary, but it gets a lot easier as time goes on. I think it was 2 months after and it just started to feel like I had been living with it forever and it was normal, I no longer felt like I was different.
“I completely blamed myself at first because the night before, I drank an entire carton of orange juice. However, since I have been seeing the diabetes team at the hospital, I have learned it was not my fault, and I would have gotten it at any time. My friends have been supportive as well, they wanted to learn about every single detail about Type 1 Diabetes, including my friend Albert, who is like my personal school nurse. He is a great friend because if my blood glucose levels go low at any time, he'll come along and support me.”
There are around 100 children living with Type 1 Diabetes on the Isle of Wight, with around ten children on the island diagnosed every year. Dr Laura Bohane continued: “It is important for parents, like Fred’s, to look out for the warning signs of Type 1 Diabetes, known as the four Ts, Toilet: Frequent urination, Thirsty: Thirst that is hard to quench, Thinner: Unexplained weight loss and Tired: Feeling tired without reason, and get medical advice fast.”
“It is great to see our young people with Type 1 diabetes raising awareness of the condition and sharing their experiences to help others. The resilience they all show, living with this extremely challenging long term health condition, is remarkable”
