The countdown is on for World Diabetes Day on Monday the 14th of November and the life of 30-year-old diabetic Eliza has been changed thanks to her new special four-legged companion.

18 month old, Labradoodle ‘Sal’, is the first Diabetic Alert Dog to be trained and placed in the new Australian Lions Medical Alert Dog program.

Sal has undertaken over 12 months of training and was delivered to her new home last week.

Since the 1980s Lions has provided over 650 Assistance Dogs to deaf or hard of hearing Australians. The new Lions Diabetic Alert Dogs are being trained to alert to low blood sugar levels in asymptomatic type 1 diabetics.

“This year marks 40 years since we delivered our first Hearing Assistance Dog. We’re delighted to be celebrating another milestone with the placement of our first Australian Lions Diabetic Alert Dog,” says Australian Lions Hearing Dogs CEO David Horne.

“Over 120,000 Australians currently suffer from type 1 diabetes, and each year 580 Australians die from the disease, many under the age of 18. Diabetic Alert Dogs have the potential to save the lives of people with type 1 diabetes, and drastically improve their quality of life,” adds David Horne.

Lions Diabetic Alert Dogs are trained to indicate by touching one paw to their owner’s leg when they are experiencing a Hypoglycaemic event (low blood sugar).

Additionally, these intelligent dogs are trained to perform helpful tasks such as retrieving a Hypokit to help treat a low or high blood glucose event, seeking assistance from another member in the household on command, and pressing an alert button to call emergency services if their owner falls unconscious when they are home alone.

“Technology has come a long way in the management of type 1 diabetes, but it doesn’t often give you the peace of mind you need. Having Sal as my Diabetic Alert Dog removes the anxiety and fear of the dangers of hypoglycaemia (or low blood sugars) and will help me sleep easier at night,” says Eliza.

“It’s been an amazing week, both Sal and I getting to know each other and working together. Sal is already alerting to a low blood sugar event, and able to bring me treatment (glucose source) on command which is really exciting,” she adds.

Each year Australian Lions Hearing Dogs train and provide anywhere from 25-30 Assistance Dogs around the country. It’s the only Australian organisation accredited by Assistance Dogs International to carry out such work, each dog free of charge.

The organisation is expanding to ensure it can provide much needed assistance to more Australians.

“We’re very excited to be redeveloping our National Training Centre in Adelaide and will soon have capacity to train up to 120 Assistance Dogs per year,” says CEO David Horne.

Each Assistance Dog costs upward of $37,000 to train and provide to someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, or living with type 1 diabetes, and with support of Lions Clubs and donations from members of the public, the dogs are gifted to recipients free of charge.

The placement of the first Lions Diabetic Alert Dog also coincides with Lions Australia’s Lap the Map campaign where volunteers across the country are putting on their walking shoes with an aim of walking a combined distance that will exceed Australia’s circumference (25,760 kms) by World Diabetes Day on the 14th of November.

For more information on the Australian Lions Medical Alert Dog Program, click here.

BY EMILY WILLIAMS

Marion City Lions Club from District C2 have taken out this year’s Kindness Matters Service Awards in MD201.

The Club’s entry, ‘Sensory Mats – Soothing the Senses for Patients in Emergency Care’, involves the creation of sensory mats for a local hospital.

These bright and beautiful mats are handmade by Lions using a variety of materials and elements – including zips, Velcro and beads – and are used to soothe agitated patients.

1300 volunteer hours are required annually to meet the Club’s target of 80 sensory mats every three months (320 per year).

The Social Work Services team at Flinders Medical Centre Emergency Department approached Marion City Lions Club with the idea in January 2020.

Since beginning the project, the Club has handcrafted more than 430 sensory mats for the Flinders Medical Centre Emergency Department.

Based on their success, the mats have now been adopted into the hospital’s best practice in caring for people with dementia or a disability.

The Kindness Matters Service Award recognises outstanding Clubs who develop creative and impactful service projects relating to one of LCIF’s cause areas; diabetes, childhood cancer, environment, hunger, vision, youth, humanitarian and disaster relief.

“This year we had 14 quality District Nominations for these awards and it was pleasing to see the increased level of interest,” said GAT Leader and Council Chairperson, Steve Boyce.

“I thank all those Clubs and Districts who participated and submitted an entry.”

Marion City Lions Club’s entry has now been sent to LCI to be considered alongside the entries of other Multiple District winners for the international component of the program.

Global winners of the Kindness Matters Service Awards will be announced in February next year.

You can keep up to date with the Club here.

It was a feeling of pride when Lion Maria van den Boogaard was presented with a Melvin Jones Fellowship at a 75th Anniversary event for Lions Australia last month.

The 101-year-old has been a member of the Lions Club of Hornsby since 2000, using her many crafty skills to help those in the community and beyond.

Maria makes shopping bags and beautiful crocheted doilies that have been admired around the world, helping to fundraise for women’s community shelters and education charities.

She has also worked closely with the Lions Stamp project which raises funds for the Australian Lions Children’s Mobility Foundation.

Not only is Maria a wonderful Lion, but also a wonderful woman who has led an extraordinary life – full of ups and downs, heartache and euphoria.

Born Maria Apolonia Francisca Broekhoven, on the 15th July 1921 in the Netherlands city of Rotterdam, she was the second child of 10 children, seven girls and three boys.

Her mother encouraged education, and it was at night school that Maria learned how to crochet.

She eventually graduated from high school (the H.B.S.b) and worked as a telephonist in the main Rotterdam Post Office, on the Coolsingel and took night classes in typing and shorthand in Dutch, English, French and German.

She subsequently became a teacher at night.

During this time, the Post Office Maria worked at was bombed. She walked to her grandmother’s home with bleeding feet through burning streets.

In 1948, she married Jan Hillege. As there was no housing after the war, they lived in an attic above her grandmother’s house in Rotterdam for three years.

Her husband, who had been living in hiding during the war to avoid being taken by the Germans, decided to search for new horizons.

He got a job as printer in South Africa meaning the couple needed to emigrate.

He went by plane in September 1953; the journey taking three days. Maria and their four small children followed in December by ship. Everyone was seasick! They finally arrived in Cape Town where Jan was waiting.

They travelled to Johannesburg by train where Jan had rented a house and had furnished it sparsely. Their son Andre had been sick for a few days with the measles. On Christmas morning there was a knock on the door from a local doctor who had heard of their situation and who offered medical care. Could there have been a greater Christmas present?

Maria has not forgotten his kindness and care to this day.

Happily settled in South Africa, three more children were born. They were well educated in different schools that suited their personalities and interests, including music, sport and dance.

There were ups and downs – difficult times through illness, starting a printing business and the children’s years of hard study, broken hearts, happy weddings and their first grandchildren.

South Africa was by now a changed country, and when Maria’s daughter Pauline met an Australian boy who was travelling the world, there was much talk of Australia, a place sounding so peaceful and generous.

Some of the children moved there and wrote saying how happy they were. At first Jan refused to contemplate emigrating again but eventually he agreed.

They said goodbye to remaining family and friends and flew to Sydney, where they arrived in 1985 and were received with open arms – again it was a new beginning, a whole new adventure.

Eventually all came to live in Australia and the family was reunited in this wonderful, far away country.

Life goes on with its joys and sorrows. Jan died of a heart attack in November 1986.

Years later when Maria was remarried to a Dutch family friend, Cor, he tragically had a car accident and became quadriplegic while visiting South Africa for his son’s 50th birthday.

Maria went to South Africa to bring him back. Cor was admitted to hospital in Sydney, and then to many other care centres. It was terrible seeing a man as large as life, successful in business, independent and always impeccably dressed, become totally dependent on others for his care.

All avenues for cure or hope were exhausted and in 1992, he deteriorated and died with Maria at his side.

She went on to study the art of framing to precision, and took lessons in calligraphy. Maria was now 86, living independently in a unit and enjoying Tai Chi, joining in the Chinese feast days, and teaching English.

These days Maria focuses on beautiful beaded doilies making up her own pattern as she goes, especially through Covid-19, with wonderful calligraphy additions. These truly are unique. They are sold every Christmas with Lions Cakes in Hornsby Westfield and Hornsby Mall. Her work is admired by many.

Love surrounds Maria with her 7 children, 17 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren and 4 great great grandchildren living in Australia.

Sometimes they visit their old countries, but they are all now proud Australian citizens.

Maria loves the environment, loves to see plants and vegetables grow, making compost holes in the garden.

She is an avid recycler of everything possible. She loves books, poetry and music. There were many occasions of family gathered around the piano, from which most have developed wonderful skills on different instruments, excelling in pipe organ, trumpet, guitar, bugle, flute…

Gracious and elegant, always an inspiration, strongly independent, and happy to learn new technology, Maria is 101 years young and has certainly led an extraordinary life.

BY EMILY WILLIAMS

For 10 years, Tamborine Mountain Lions Club has been helping those suffering from breast cancer by supplying handmade breast cushions to major Queensland hospitals.

The cushions, made with love by a group of Lions and non-Lions, improve the comfort of both men and women recovering from surgery by providing much-needed support.

In Australia, breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer, with approximately 57 people diagnosed each day in Australia.

Gail Molson, Treasurer of the Club, is coordinator of the project and recognises the importance of the work the team is doing.

“Many women who help me have been touched by breast cancer, including myself who has survived it three times, so we can relate,” she said.

Last Lions year, the Club made and distributed 933 cushions to breast cancer sufferers.

Most of the fabric used to make the cushions is donated to the Club. Additional materials are purchased using funds raised from selling engraved pens and left over fabric, as well as monetary donations.

The Club delivers breast cushions monthly to Gold Coast University Hospital, Robina Public and Private Hospitals, Gold Coast Private Hospital and Greenslopes Hospital, as well as fulfilling individuals’ requests.

 

You can keep up to date with Tamborine Mountain Lions Club here.