‘She’s just an amazing kid’: Cairns girl to host diabetes fundraiser after own diagnosis

Evie Taylor, 9, is hosting a Cairns One Walk fundraiser to raise money for a type 1 diabetes cure, after being diagnosed herself in 2024.

Evie proudly shows off her insulin sensor, which monitors her insulin levels. Picture: Brendan Radke

Evie Taylor, 9, knows all too well how life can change in an instant.

She walked into Cairns Hospital in April 2024 vomiting and slurring her words; she walked out a type 1 diabetic.

Writing down the story of her diabetes diagnosis earned her a literary award at least year’s Cairns Eisteddfod.

Now, she’s trying to make getting diagnosed a positive experience and help turn “type 1 into type none” by hosting a fundraising walk in Cairns this March with her mum, Penny Taylor.

Their One Walk event will be one of many taking place across Australia throughout March, raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which aims to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.

“It can be an awful disease at times,” Ms Taylor said, who is also a type 1 diabetic.

“With Evie being diagnosed in April last year, we just thought it would be a good opportunity to meet some other diabetic kids and get to know the community and give back.”

Evie walks along the Cairns Esplanade, where the One Walk event will be held, with mum Penny, sister Mae and dog Vally. Picture: Brendan Radke.

The 3km walk will take place along the Cairns Esplanade on Sunday, March 23, at 8am.

After the walk there’ll be live music, face painting and crazy hair, and participants can treat themselves to a barbecue, fish and chips and ice cream.

There’s also a raffle, with prizes available from Skypark Cairns, Cazalys Cairns, Sugarworld Adventure Park, Cairns Adventure Group and OMG Decadent Donuts, with all proceeds going to JDRF.

Speaking about the day Evie was diagnosed with diabetes, Ms Taylor said Evie “sort of came down with like a gastro-like bug, just vomiting”.

“But then she started slurring her speech and I couldn’t wake her up, so we rushed her straight to hospital and at that point she was in DKA, or diabetic ketone acidosis.”

Evie then spent two nights in the ICU and another five nights on the pediatric ward adjusting to her “new normal”, which includes giving herself needles and carb counting.

Ms Taylor said Evie’s nurse injected her first needle, but after that Evie was doing them herself.

“It wasn’t really scary, it was just loud,” Evie said of her hospital experience.

Now, giving herself needles is “easy”, she said.

“We are very proud of her, her dad (Michael) and I,” Ms Taylor said.

“No parent wants to see their child go through the day-to-day of needles, checking your blood sugars and carbs counting and all those things. So for her to just take it on the chin and cope with it so well is just amazing.”

Evie and sister Mae. Picture: Brendan Radke

But there are still bad days.

“Especially when I have to change my pump and my sensor,” Evie said.

“It can be painful – I’m sure you can imagine injections are not enjoyable,” Ms Taylor said.

However, thanks to having a pump and sensor, Evie only has to give herself one needle every three days instead of every couple of hours.

“She’s just taken it on her chin and been so positive, sharing her story in the Eisteddfod and now helping us host the One Walk,” Ms Taylor said.

“She’s just an amazing kid.”

You can register for One Walk Cairns at: https://walk.jdrf.org.au/event/walk-cairns-25

Originally published as ‘She’s just an amazing kid’: Cairns girl to host diabetes fundraiser after own diagnosis