It comes after doctors told mother Niomi Laird her daughter Faith had been at risk of slipping into a fatal coma after her symptoms had been overlooked.
Earlier this year, Faith was rushed to Wishaw General Hospital after days of extreme thirst, exhaustion and dramatic weight loss. The life-threatening autoimmune condition had initially been missed by GPs, her mother repeatedly seeking help.
Faith at Wishaw General (Image: Niomi Laird)
Ms Laird is now backing the UK-wide campaign for Lyla’s Law, which calls for routine childhood diabetes testing following a rise in cases and the death of two-year-old Lyla Story, whose type 1 diabetes was not detected in time.
“The week of her being diagnosed I had noticed she really wasn’t herself,” Ms Laird told our sister title The Herald. “Faith is normally the life and soul of the house… but that week she wasn’t herself, she was more tired than usual and drinking a lot more.”
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On the 11th February this year, Ms Laird kept Faith off nursery and took her to their GP the following day.
“I actually asked the GP if it could be diabetes and he said no if she was she would be more ill. I got sent on my way with a urine sample to take from her.” she said.
However, Faith’s health rapidly deteriorated and after noticing a “massive change” in her daughter when collecting her from nursery two days later, Ms Laird phoned the surgery again. She was initially told there were no appointments.
“By this point we were willing to take her to A&E,” she said but then a last-minute slot was made available that morning.
“Thankfully it was a different GP that day. He took one look at her and knew she wasn’t well,” she said.
Faith and her mother Niomi (Image: Niomi Laird)
The GP tested her urine, carried out a finger-prick blood test, and moments later told her to take Faith straight to hospital. “He said Faith needed to go immediately as she was in DKA. I had no idea what this was or how serious the situation was.”
Diabetic ketoacidosis, also known as DKA, is a serious condition that can happen in people with diabetes. It’s where a lack of insulin causes harmful substances called ketones to build up in the blood. It can be life threatening and needs urgent treatment in hospital.
At the hospital, staff told the mother that the symptoms she had described to the first GP were classic signs of type 1 diabetes.
“We arrived at Wishaw General and the team was fantastic,” she said, “After Faith had tests and was stable I was told how serious all this was. Faith was at risk of being in a diabetic coma. That scared me to death… She could easily have lost her life that day.”
She added: “A single finger prick test two days prior could have meant we would have been two days ahead…I could have lost a daughter. My son could have lost his sister and this thought will haunt me forever. I will be forever grateful to the team at Wishaw for essentially saving her life.”
After several days in hospital learning how to manage the condition, Faith was discharged home to what Ms Laird describes as a “completely changed” daily life.
The family now relies on the Medtronic MiniMed 780G system; an artificial-pancreas device that automatically adjusts insulin levels.
“Life has changed in so many ways,” Ms Laird said. “Diabetes can trick you… but since moving over to the MiniMed 780G system, Faith is way more like herself; she’s so much happier. A pump isn’t the answer to all the diabetes prayers but her quality of life is so much better.”
Faith has an artificial-pancreas device that adjusts her insulin levels. (Image: Niomi Laird)
She said Faith has shown remarkable resilience: “She has taken this year in her absolute stride… She used to be injected six times a day. She’s so good at telling everyone she has diabetes and she’s so proud of everything she has accomplished.”
The mother says the experience has made her determined to support the campaign for Lyla’s Law which is calling for mandatory routine Type 1 diabetes testing in children who show symptoms. The campaign was initiated by John Story after his daughter Lyla died from undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes.
The goal is to mandate a simple blood or urine test at the point of care for children displaying symptoms, which could include the “Four Ts”: toileting (increased urination), thirst (extreme thirst), tiredness (unusual fatigue), and thinning (losing weight).
“As soon as I heard about John’s campaign I had to support it because it could have been Faith,” Ms Laird said, “We are in 2025, nearly 2026, and the fact that a single prick test is not standard when a child is showing signs of type 1… it takes less than a minute and can be the difference between life or death.”
She added: “My message to the government would be: please make sure this doesn’t happen to another child.
“Please make sure our local GPs have more training. Making it standard practice to do a finger-prick test could be the difference between life or death.”
Despite everything she has been through, Ms Laird says Faith remains “the funniest and cheekiest little girl”.
Faith is described as being “biggest burst of energy”. (Image: Niomi Laird)
“To know Faith is to love Faith,” she said. “Faith always has and always will be the biggest burst of energy.
“I have never seen a child have the strength that she has between pump site changes, sensor changes, finger prick tests everyday.”
Diabetes UK is currently funding the ELSA type 1 diabetes screening study, which aims to identify children at high risk of developing the condition. More than 37,000 families have already enrolled, gaining access to early support and potential clinical trials aimed at delaying onset.
Jenn Hall, National Director of Diabetes Scotland, said: “Symptoms of type 1 diabetes can come on quickly, and it’s so important that families, carers and healthcare professionals recognise the early signs. Knowing the ‘4Ts’ of type 1 diabetes is crucial – these include going to the toilet more often, extreme thirst, being more tired, unintentional weight loss (thinner).
“Spotting type 1 diabetes as early as possible is critical for avoiding life-threatening emergency diagnosis.
“We urge everyone to get familiar with the 4Ts, and we remain committed to investing in research, awareness, and early detection to protect children and save lives.”
The Scottish Government has said it closely monitors any guidance from the UK Screening Committee.
Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “We know the early detection of Type 1 diabetes in children like Niomi’s daughter is vital and our Diabetes Improvement Plan prioritises raising awareness of Type 1 diabetes in primary care to improve the prevention and early detection of diabetes and its complications.
“Parents and carers should urgently contact their GP if their child is displaying symptoms of diabetes. They will be best placed to provide specific advice and support based on their child’s individual circumstances.
“We will continue to closely monitor any emerging evidence or change in guidance from the UK Screening Committee which advises on how testing and screening is used across the four nations.”
