An eight-year-old from Cork is heading a campaign to get children across Munster to dress up in their favourite onesies to raise awareness about Type 1 diabetes.
Oran Hanrahan, a North Monastery NS pupil from White’s Cross, was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition at the age of three.
Oran, an avid hurler, soccer player, and Taekwon-Do enthusiast, is now spearheading a Cork University Hospital Charity drive encouraging pupils to wear their favourite onesie or pyjamas to school on Type Onesie Day on November 14.
The initiative, to which schools can sign up at cuhcharity.ie/type-onesie-day is designed to raise vital funds for CUH’s paediatric diabetes team and awareness about the lifelong condition, which affects thousands of children across Ireland.
Oran’s mother Amy said her son’s lust for life was even more remarkable following the sudden death of his father, Séamus, early last year.
“He has been through a lot, but he’s such a little showman,” she said.
“He had just turned three and towards the end of October 2020, he began getting really tired and thirsty. I had done a first-aid course with work, and something triggered in my head that it could be Type 1 diabetes.”
Following Oran’s diagnosis, the family had to adapt to a new world of insulin pumps, injections, and dietary advice.
But the reality of managing Type 1, Ms Hanrahan said, was quite different from her initial fears.
Cork schoolboy Oran Hanrahan. Picture: Brian Lougheed.
“After the diagnosis, you think they won’t be able to live happy, healthy, normal lives.
“But the team at CUH is fantastic; the dietitians and consultants, as are his teachers at North Monastery — Jill Kelly and SNA Anne McCarthy — and there’s a lovely group chat with Type 1 mums in Cork.
“Oran carb-counts, and takes it all in his stride.
“He has a phone and wears a Dexcom monitor [which constantly assesses his glucose levels], and that sends all the readings to his pump, and then the pump gives him small amounts of insulin.
“And he is the first to correct people, that with Type 1 you can have sugar, you just need to bolus — an insulin dose taken at meal times to control blood glucose levels.”
As well as encouraging everyone to embrace Type Onesie Day, Oran is busy with his GAA club in White’s Cross, St Mary’s AFC under-9s, North Mon Taekwon-Do club, swimming, and the accordion.
Schools in Munster are asked to register to take part in Type Onesie day here.
Students and their families are also asked to make a donation, and to share photos from the day on their social media channels using the hashtag #TypeOnesieDay.