In October 2023, at the age of 43, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes causes the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood to become too high. It happens when the pancreas cannot produce a hormone called insulin, which controls blood glucose.

At the time, I didn’t know an awful lot about the condition or the impact it would have on my day to day life. I was, however, aware of some of the warnings signs - extreme thirst, weight loss and blurry vision. So when I went to visit the doctor after experiencing these symptoms, I wasn’t surprised when she confirmed my fears.

The next few weeks went by in a blur. I received an overwhelming amount of information about the condition and its management, was set up with a continuous glucose monitor and told to start injecting myself 5+ times a day with two different types of insulin.

Put simply, diabetes is a relentless and quite often tedious balancing act between the amount of carbohydrate we eat and the amount of insulin required to maintain a healthy level of glucose in the blood. But the reality of achieving this is far from simple.

A year on and I’m pleased to say I am learning how to live a life with diabetes. But I can’t help but think about all the parents of children with Type 1 Diabetes who are too young to control the condition themselves. The anxiety this must bring parents when they can’t be with their child to monitor their glucose levels, or to correct their hypers or hypos, must be overwhelming. So, I'm taking on this challenge this month for them and for a better future for people living with and affected by diabetes.

Thanks in advance for all your support. It is truly appreciated x