In England, 17 out of every 100,000 children are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a cruel disorder with no real known cause or cure.

My son is part of this growing statistic, diagnosed 2 months after turning 4 and at a time when he was already experiencing a massive change; starting school. He has been very brave with the numerous hospital visits, multiple injections on a daily basis, being woken at 2am for midnight snacks when his blood glucose level has dipped below a safe level, managing his behaviour changes and trying to maintain as normal a life as possible, while constantly trying to ensure his blood glucose is within a normal range to prevent future health issues.

Research has progressed so much in the last 20 years, that his diabetic regime is not as stringent as it would have been, but still challenging for a young boy who just wants to do what his friends do. There is plausible hope that a cure can be found within his lifetime and this campaign is all about funding this hope.

I will be running this half marathon in the town I grew up in and on my wedding anniversary, and it will be a real challenge for me as the last race I ran was 5k in 2004! However the challenge is possible with the knowledge that I am physically doing something to help my son, as apart from making the injections and finger prick testing as painless as possible, managing his diet and supporting my son, there is very little I can do.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now. On behalf of my son, my family and all the other brave Type 1 individuals, thankyou for reading and please donate, no amount is too small.