Aleix is already 18 years old and since the 11 he lives with type 1 diabetes. He has always wanted to be a policeman as his father, but having diabetes is a source of exclusion in most Spanish police forces.
At the beginning of the year 2022, Aleix's family mobilized to know that a new call for the Gavà Local Police would open, where his father works.
Thanks to the good predisposition of the Police Chiefs and the Municipal Consistory of Gavà, plus the support of the local police union and body of Mossos d'Esquadra (SPL-CME), which took over administrative management, the administrative management has been modifiedBases of the call and Aleix can already be presented.
We talk to Monica and Toni, Aleix's parents
Of the three children you have, two have type 1 diabetes. What did you think when you discovered that diabetes remains the cause of exclusion for access to some jobs?
Pain.It is not just that your children have a serious metabolic disease that will accompany them throughout their lives, but while you are working on the acceptance of the new reality, you realize that the system does not accompany you.
We have always transmitted to our children that the disease cannot condition their dreams, which with attitude and desire can be what they want.
"Type 1 diabetes has modified them the way of living, but should not change how they want to live their life"
When did you start fighting to get diabetes not to cause exclusion in access to the police body?
We have been pursuing this objective for many years, among others ... it has helped us a lot to be many who had the same dream.Before Aleix was born, there were already legal demands claiming that right.
But at that time, we did not know this reality, in fact, we did not even know what diabetes was really.
What happened to your head when you knew you had achieved it?
Without a doubt, a feeling of having done things well and the satisfaction of knowing that there are people who listen to you and who take into account what you tell them, that they "look" for the reality that you present them and that they really do it.There are so many invisible situations in the world!
Knowing that you can change such unfair situations that you can get administrations to adapt to the new times and listen to us is an open door to want to continue changing the "things".
And as parents, a feeling of joy for our children to have an obstacle less on the path of their lives.Especially for Aleix, since he did not understand why he could not be a policeman.
The Spanish government eliminated diabetes as a medical cause of exclusion for access to public work in 2018. What did you expect from this decision?
We would have liked it to be broader and more clear, but above all we would have liked that it was mandatory for all public and private companies that put people with diabetes.There are so many complications that are added to families' backpack when a member has type 1 diabetes!
But little by little, we have learned that going with the letter of presentation "My son has diabetes" harms them even when they are children.And at work age, that situation worsens.
It is better not to make too much paragraph.How sad, right?When they have always taught us in the hospital the importance of the environment being aware of their illness!
"We struggle to make our children's life easier, so that the world around us does not leave them out of the life they want."
And now what?
From my perspective as a policeman, I want to get all people with diabetes to access police positions feel as comfortable as any other that begins.Helping them, to the extent of whatPossible, to adapt to the job without difficulties and contributing, from my experience as the father of two children with diabetes, the necessary advice to get their personal reality with the police.
It is what we do every day in all areas.
Apart from this, we want to continue putting our grain of sand to eliminate all the barriers that society puts to certain diseases.Having diabetes should not make people who suffer from it invisible, they have the right to fight, like the rest, to make their vocation come true.
Source: sjdhospitarcelona.org
