A BUCKLEY woman aims to encourage people to take action against the 'silent killer'.

Kaye Robertson told the Leader that three generations of her family were diagnosed with type two diabetes and she was 'waiting for her turn'.

She said: "In the UK someone is diagnosed with diabetes every two minutes. That’s a frightening fact. Here is another one, you are six times more likely to get diabetes if a close family member has it.

"You’re more at risk of type two diabetes if you’re overweight, especially if you’re large around the middle. Do you know what my grandmother, mother and sister all had in common as well and diabetes? They were all overweight."

Kaye said she wants people to know that the illness is avoidable and can be managed through a healthy diet.

She told the Leader: "I can remember at the age of 6 my grandmother used to chase us around her house with this yellow plastic box that she used to keep her syringes in. They were the old fashioned glass and metal type, and for a small child to see her having to inject herself with what looked like an instrument of torture was dreadful.

"By the time I was 14 she was no longer able to chase us due to complications of the type 2 diabetes. She had a sore on her leg that would not heal. Eventually she had to have her leg amputated due to gangrene.

"She never recovered from that operation, physically as well as mentally. She went from a strong willed vibrant woman into a little old lady and died soon after."

When Kaye’s mother was diagnosed with type 2 as well, the family assumed that she would follow the guidelines set out by institutions like Diabetes UK.

However, Kaye said she didn’t and suffered from another complication of diabetes, kidney failure which eventually led to her death.

She added: "She used to come home three times a week from dialysis emotionally and physically exhausted, she would be unable to eat which could then also exacerbate the diabetes. She would sit in the armchair and just cry."

Kayes elder sister was then also diagnosed with diabetes, but this time she followed the advice given by her GP. Part of this advice was to lose weight by eating a varied, healthy diet, full of fresh homemade food, not skipping meals and eating regularly through the day to help control her blood glucose levels and appetite.

Having lost weight, she remains diabetic but with improved readings and a healthier lifestyle.

Kaye said she spent years waiting for that blood test GP telling her that she also has type two diabetes.

She added: "Each time the result came back normal, I was so grateful for my good luck, then I realised that it wasn’t a matter of luck and my future as in my own hands. I needed to lose weight for my health.

"Slimming World’s nutrition and research team have devised a weight reducing, healthy eating, diabetes focused food optimising plan. It concentrates on eating regularly, eating less fat and sugar, filling up on fruit, oily fish, lean meat and vegetables, , and enjoying some carbohydrate rich foods while watching salt levels.

"As part of the Slimming World food optimising, I enjoy a perfectly balanced diet, and the generosity and incredible flexibility of food optimising puts me in charge of the foods I eat and when I eat them. I have also incorporated physical activity in to my lifestyle, while following the Slimming World Food Optimising plan."

A recent trial funded by Diabetes UK, showed that in the first year of people eating a diet based weight reduction program, 45.6 per cent of those who took part were in remission after a year. 70 per cent of those, in the 2nd year of the trial were still in remission.

More information can be found online at www.diabetes,org.uk or the Slimming World website at www.Slimmingworld.co.uk.

Kaye's Slimming World group meets at the Sandycroft Community Centre, Phoenix Street, 8am and 10 am. More information can be found by calling 07908 848975.