Rugby Club is meeting venue for Diabetes UK Ballymena Group

The meeting will get underway at 7.30pm with Dr Saiful Kassim, Consultant, who will talk to the Group about the latest developments in diabetes and news about HBA1c and diagnosis.

If you’re newly diagnosed, have been diagnosed for some time or if you have a family member living with diabetes, the group would like to hear from you.

Gill Lunn, Volunteer Development Facilitator, Diabetes UK Northern Ireland, said: “A wine and cheese evening was organised in Ballymena before the summer and it was decided that there was enough interest to set up a specific group for the Ballymena area.

“Diabetes is a very serious and complex condition and people often find it a huge help to talk to others in a similar position. We would like to invite anyone with diabetes or relatives or carers to someone with diabetes to please come along to the Group.

“Everyone is extremely welcome and the meetings are a fantastic opportunity to ask questions that you maybe haven’t had time to ask in healthcare appointments, to find out how other people in the area manage their diabetes and to meet and socialise with others.”

Anyone interested in attending can go along on the night or, for more information, they can call Gill or Heather on 028 9066 6646.

Diabetes UK is the charity for people with diabetes, funding £6 million of medical research in 2011 and providing information and support to the 70,000 people living with diabetes in Northern Ireland. It is estimated up to 10,000 people in Northern Ireland have diabetes but are unaware of it. The symptoms include increased thirst, passing urine frequently, extreme tiredness, weight loss and blurred vision. Anyone experiencing symptoms should visit their GP as soon as they can.