Danielle van der Heijden

Eighteen year old Danielle van der Heijden was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes when she was two years old, after her mother decided to carry out a blood test with her father’s diabetic kit. The results saw her admitted to Auckland Hospital’s Day Stay Unit and she was immediately started on Insulin Injections.

Her condition requires constant monitoring and she injects herself with insulin three times a day to prevent her going into a diabetic coma.

Danielle is living in Hamilton while she is attending Waikato University where she is studying for a Bachelor of Science.

Her parents, Debbie and Frans, and three brothers Stefan 16, Jaiden, 13, and Leon, 10, live in Auckland. Frans and Stefan also have Type 1 Diabetes.

She plays tennis, badminton, and squash and usually joins in whatever sport her brothers are playing at the time. She also loves to read.

Danielle has an outgoing personality and a great sense of humour.