Hello and thank you for visiting this fundraising page, which I've set up to commemorate my brother Jo.

Jo was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 14 and sadly lost the battle against this progressive, chronic condition in March 2010 at the age of 41.  However, his quality of life was massively improved by recent innovations in treatment.  The insulin pump he had used for the last 5 years was a revelation to him and alleviated much of the misery and uncertainty which can be part of diabetes.  Jo was lucky enough to benefit from the tireless efforts of his consultant Dr Colin Dayan and his team at the BRI to give him access to cutting edge methods of helping control his illness.

There is as yet no cure for this life changing disease and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is one of the leading organisations committed to finding one, along with better treatments.

A common assumption with diabetes is "just take your insulin, avoid sugar and you'll be fine". The reality is a much more complex tightrope to walk every day. Less publicised are the potentially devastating long-term consequences of the condition: blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart disease and strokes are just some of the medical complications. It is estimated that a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes today, even with the remarkable progress in treatment protocols in recent years, still shortens overall life expectancy by at least 15 years.

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 - more money is raised, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.