A Mum's Marathon for Type1 NYC Marathon, Madison's Legacy
GEELONG’S Type1 Foundation founder Ange Liston-McCaughley will run the New York Marathon in honour of local girl Madison Lyden, a girl living with Type1 Diabetes, who was killed while touring the popular city.
The 23-year-old was fatally struck by a garbage truck in August when she swerved into traffic to avoid a car pulling out in front of her on the outskirts of Central Park.
Ms Lyden, a City of Greater Geelong employee and Deakin psychology graduate, moved to Geelong in 2016 to study, after growing up in Tasmania.
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Her mum Amanda Berry said she was diagnosed with Type1 — which is incurable and has no known cause — at age 13 and endured many hospital admissions during her teenage years.
“It was a terribly frightening diagnosis for her and us as her family … her life now depended on insulin to survive, this made our little girl face her own mortality at such a young age,” she said.
“As Madison become older she was much better with (managing) her health but she still had her fears about the long term affects of diabetes. So many scary things were told to her about losing limbs, toes, eyesight.
“The main reason Madison wanted to study psychology was to help people through what she went through and to understand herself better.”
Ange Liston-McCaughley, of Type 1 Foundation, didn’t know Ms Lyden personally but knew she was a member of the diabetes community like her 14 year old daughter Lila.
Type1 Foundation founder and director Ange Liston-McCaughley is running the New York marathon in November. Picture: Mike Dugdale
With Ms Berry’s blessing the Belmont mum entered the ballot for the popular race, ultimately gaining entry by linking up with the US arm of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
“I am going to honour this whole experience to Madison,” she said.
“She was killed near Central Park West. We finish in Central Park, the run the whole is around there.
“I will be taking things over there from her family to place on her memorial bike.”
Ms Liston-McCaughley — who is covering all of her own costs — is already more than halfway to achieving her fundraising goal of $20,000.
“All the funds are going straight to charity. I will give 50 per cent to research and 50 to supporting families through the Type1 Foundation,” she said.
“If I reach $20,000 what I really want to do is give some to Families for Safe Streets in New York who are campaigning for safer bike paths following the death of Madison and so many others.”
Ms Berry said she is “honoured” Ms Liston-McCaughley is running in her daughter’s honour “Madison would be flattered and humbled and so happy Ange is doing this to fundraise for a cure and to bring media attention to the disease,” she said.
“Ange is so inspiring, I wish I had the mental strength to go with her.”
Come race day on November 4, Ms Liston-McCaughley will don an all-teal ensemble, complete with tutu, as a way of bringing attention to the invisible illness.
https://geelongindy.com.au/news/12-10-2018/mum-on-run-for-ny-victim/
