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At 10:10am on Monday 15th April 2013 our whole world was turned upside down. My beautiful Son Sam aged just 4 was rushed to hospital with life threatening symptoms. In the space of about 2 minutes doctors told me Sam had Type 1 Diabetes and he would require insulin to keep him alive or he would die. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease.  It had attacked the cells in Sam's pancreas and he could no longer produce insulin. 

Nothing quite prepared us for what happened after that day.  We were taught quickly how to keep Sam alive on a daily basis. He now required up to 8 injections of insulin a day. 8-10 blood tests a day (every 2-3 hours 24/7) and life saving treatment if he went too low (hypo) or too high (hyper) both serious complications of Type 1 Diabetes. We would need to carry his medical bag with us AT ALL TIMES.

Sam has been totally unreal, mature, understanding and the most amazing boy I know. He now has an insulin pump! He still requires the same amount of care 8-12 blood tests 24/7 but we attach a cannula from his pump to his bottom every 2 days instead to deliver the insulin. The pump sits around Sam's waist :) 

Sam's Brother Frankie knows how to blood test Sam. He knows how to treat him if he is Hypo. He knows how to input on Sam's pump. He knows how to save his brothers life should something go wrong. He knows how to inject and cannula change.  Frankie has known all of this since he was 7..... He is now 9. Frankie is my rock. I'm as proud of him as I am Sam.

I watch my Son suffer the effects of Type 1 every day. Dibilitating hypos which make a Type 1 agitated, hungry, sweaty, lose concentration. In extreme cases collapse into a coma.  Type one kids are brave. Their disease is invisible to the human eye but they are suffering the effects every day. 

In one year Sam and most other Type 1 kids will have 4,380 blood tests and 182 cannula changes. As parents we keep him alive 24/7 this includes night testing EVERY 2-3 hours.

My lovely beautiful cousin Jenna Caswell has been there from the start always supporting us. When I told her I wanted to raise money for Sam's Charity JDRF she backed me all the way and took on the challenge too :) 

Just one weekend we will put our bodies through a very demanding challenge but I know no matter what I'm feeling it's nothing compared to someone suffering a debilitating disease every day. HOPE IS IN A CURE x please please PLEASE sponsor us so we can raise as much money as we can to find a cure for Type 1 x 

Lots of love and HOPE x

Hannah and Jenna x

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