Laura Williams, studying MSc International Health Promotion, is a podiatrist – a branch of medicine devoted to foot problems which often occur with diabetes.
‘Grandpa, Diet and Diabetes’ is the first in a series of three books intended to help children know what the disease is, how to prevent it and how to treat it.
Laura said: “As a podiatrist I have often found that my adult patients don’t really understand their condition. It occurred to me that if adults don’t understand diabetes, it would be even more difficult for young children to do so – especially if an elder family members gets sick, which can be tough on a kid.”
The book tells the story of a child called Nick who notices one day that his ‘rock and roll’ grandfather is ill: “Grandpa needs to eat certain kinds of foods at certain times or he can get really dizzy and weak. Grandpa’s hands and feet don’t have a lot of feeling, which makes him klutzy sometimes.”