A Co Fermanagh mother has told of how she is "indebted" to a pharmacist who saved her son's life by preventing him from falling into a life threatening diabetic coma.
Michelle Duffy, who lives in Garrison, had taken her 12-year-old son Cameron to Melvin Pharmacy in the village to get passport photos taken.
During the visit, the pharmacist, Siobhan McNulty noticed that the schoolboy had lost a lot of weight and on testing his blood sugar levels, found them to be dangerously high.
He was taken to A&E at the South West Acute Hospital where it was found he had diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition caused by the body needing to break down fat as a source of energy.
If left untreated it can lead to a diabetic coma, which can be life-threatening.
The St Michael’s schoolboy spent five days in hospital as a result.
Mother-of-three Michelle said she dreads to "think what could have happened" had her son's condition not been picked up.
"The horror on Siobhan’s face I’ll never forget it. I just knew straight away something was wrong," she said.
"As far as I’m concerned Siobhan saved my son’s life and that’s not being dramatic.
"We’re totally indebted to her. She was his guardian angel that day.
"That one small act of Siobhan asking about Cameron’s weight loss ultimately made the huge difference in saving his life and ensured he was diagnosed as having Type 1 diabetes".
Pharmacist Siobhan McNulty was later presented with an `Unsung Hero' accolade at Diabetes UK's Inspire Awards.
Michelle said she had decided to speak out about her experience ahead of World Diabetes Day, which takes place today.
To mark the event, Diabetes UK NI is encouraging people living with diabetes to take to social media to post a thank you message or video to the loved ones, friends and health professionals who have made living with their condition easier, using the hashtags, #AllTogether #WorldDiabetesDay.
