Thanks to local fundraising efforts his family is now able to purchase a new insulin pump for the 14-year-old Type One diabetic … a $9000 expense that was otherwise beyond their reach.

“It’s life-changing for us all. Before Peter had to have up to six injections a day and we were in and out of hospital all the time,” his mother Jenny Medica said.

“This little electronic device stops all of that … Peter carries it around and can program it to administer the right dose of insulin automatically depending on what he eats.

“The National Diabetes Association gave him his first pump but now we are on our own and it needs replacing every four years.”

Enter Lilly Pacey, 2015 Scotts Head Primary School captain, who together with her friends took up Peter’s cause, sending letters out to a long list of local clubs and businesses.

“Peter is a good friend and I thought it would be a good idea to help him and his family to raise the money so they didn’t have to do it all on their on,” 13-year-old Lilly said.

“We sent the letters and the Macskville Lions responded immediately. They then invited us to speak at one of their meetings, which I did as a representative of the SRC (Student Representational Council).”

Macksville Lions President Tony Vines said Lilly’s presentation was ‘remarkable’ and resulted in the club committing to the project, raising funds through raffles at the local caravan park as well as support from the Lions Save-Sight Foundation.

On Tuesday Lilly Pacey together with the Macksville Lions and others gathered at Scotts Head Public School to present Peter and Jenny with two cheques (one from the Lions and one from the SRC) totalling the $9000 needed for Peter’s new pump.

Jenny said it was an emotional moment for them: “To think the community came together to do this for is – it is very special and we are very grateful.”

She said since receiving his first pump, Peter had not presented at the hospital emergency department for about three years.