My sister Tiffany has written this to raise awareness of life living with type 1 diabetes. 

Hi, my name is Tiffany and I was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes when I was ten years old. During the few months prior to my diagnosis I became increasingly unwell suffering from extreme weight loss, thirst, weakness, abdominal pain and nausea. After doctor appointments and blood tests I was rushed to my local hospital where I was given my diagnoses.

An average day for me includes testing my blood sugars a minimum of 4 times a day along with 4 injections of insulin to counteract the effect of food on my blood sugar levels. In order to keep my sugar levels stable, I have to calculate the amount of insulin I need per the amount of carbohydrates I eat for each meal which can prove quite tricky when eating out at restaurants where the nutritional information is unavailable. Not getting the balance of insulin to food right can lead to low or high blood sugar levels which causes serious short-term problems such as shaking, anxiety, dizziness, confusion, nausea and blurring of the vision. Along with food there are many other factors that can affect my blood sugar levels such as physical activity, stress, illness, alcohol and weather conditions. Getting my blood glucose levels right is a constant battle, which I will have to endeavour 24/7 for the rest of my life until a cure is found. Just when I think I’ve factored everything in, a high or low blood sugar can arrive out of nowhere and really throws my confidence.

Living with Diabetes for over 13 years has been challenging, and at times a little unbearable, however, I have been able to witness and participate in the remarkable breakthroughs in
technologies and medicines by charities such as Diabetes UK which makes living with Diabetes that little bit easier!

Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune condition, which is developed when your immune system, which is meant to protect you from viruses and bacteria, attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas called beta cells. Insulin is crucial to life. When you eat, insulin moves the energy from your food, called glucose, from your blood into the cells of your body. When the beta cells in your pancreas fail to produce insulin, glucose levels in your blood start to rise and your body can’t function properly.

400,000 people in the UK are living with type 1 Diabetes, with over 29,000 of them children. Incidence is increasing by about four per cent each year and particularly in children under five, with a five per cent increase each year in this age group over the last 20 years. Each week thousands of people in the UK suffer heart attacks, strokes, amputations and blindness because of their diabetes.

Together we can dramatically improve diabetes care, help everyone to manage their diabetes well and increase spending on diabetes research to one day create a world where diabetes can do no harm.

Diabetes UK is the charity leading the fight against the most devastating and fastest growing health crisis of our time, creating a world where diabetes can do no harm. One day, we will create a world without type 1 Diabetes. Until that day, your support is vital for the world-class research, improving treatments until a cure is found.

I am lucky to have such a loving family that constantly provides me with the support I need to cope with my Diabetes. My older sister Abbie is running the Brighton Marathon in April 2019 to help raise money and awareness for Diabetes.

Thank you very much for supporting Abbie’s efforts in raising money for this fantastic cause. Your donation truly means so much to both myself, Abbie and, of course, to Diabetes UK.