In 2017, 27-year-old Megan Davison tragically died by suicide following a long battle with T1DE (type 1 diabetes with disordered eating). She left her parents, Lesley and Neal, a letter detailing her medical journey and how she felt she wasn’t being given the right care to make a full recovery.
As a child, Lesley describes Megan as a ‘force of nature’. Intelligent, feisty and articulate, her mum says she ‘ticked all the boxes’. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes aged 16, but her parents had no idea about her disordered eating until much later.
‘It wasn't until 2016 - ten years later - that we realised there was an issue’, says Neal. By then, Megan was an adult and had become a teacher.
At that point, they’d never heard of T1DE. ‘She had symptoms that you’d maybe associate with being underweight, but they never mentioned to us that she could maybe have an eating disorder.’
When their daughter passed away a year later, Lesley and Neal both felt that serious failures in care led to her death. Her diabetes and eating disorder had been treated separately, and a lack of communication between the two services meant the treatment wasn’t right for her.
One of the dangers of T1DE is when those experiencing the illness restrict their insulin. ‘She'd missed [diabetes check-up] appointments, so there were plenty of red flags to indicate that there was an issue’, explains Neal.
‘It’s about training and education. There needs to be an [understanding] of what might be motivating insulin restriction.’
Neal added that Megan had previously had problems accessing appropriate treatment because her weight was deemed healthy by medical professionals. ‘You can have a relatively normal BMI and still be at high risk.’
Since Megan’s death, Lesley and Neal have been tirelessly campaigning for improvements in the treatment of T1DE: raising awareness of the condition to prevent future deaths and making sure families in their situation are being given the tools to support loved ones.
‘The most important thing is that there are now places to go to online where you can read about this condition’, says Neal.
‘There is so much information out there. We do not want to be scaring people... there’s every chance that nothing will occur [if your loved one is diagnosed with diabetes] - but if it does, there are now resources and there are referral points.’
In 2024, they gave evidence at a parliamentary inquiry into the consequences of T1DE chaired by former Prime Minister Theresa May
‘We've learned to not take no for an answer. And we've learned that you can achieve things, even at political level, if you keep at it.'
Despite their many years of campaigning, Lesley and Neal have remained resilient and plan to carry on for as long as they’re able. They’re proud of their tenacity in pursuing this cause, and make sure they get the balance right between raising awareness and living their lives.
‘I find it quite positive to be talking about my daughter on a regular basis,’ Neal says.
‘It gives us a joint purpose about doing something that's worthy, constructive and honours our daughter's memory. That's the most important thing.’
Find out more about T1DE, its symptoms and what support is available.
Samaritans provides free, confidential emotional support to people who are struggling - those who are suicidal or experiencing mental health challenges in particular. If you've been affected by the themes we talk about in this case study, we'd urge you to contact them or your GP.
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