Hello,

My name is Joseph Gillette, I am six years old and I have Type 1 Diabetes.

I did not get Diabetes because I ate too many sweeties or didn't look after myself. Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease.

No-one knows for sure why some people get Type 1 Diabetes. Some doctors think that it starts with an ordinary virus which makes the immune system attack the pancreas. The pancreas makes a very important hormone called Insulin. Now my body can't make its own Insulin, and without it, my blood sugar would get dangerously high and make me very ill. Sometimes, though, my blood sugar can get too low and this could cause me to pass out if someone doesn't give me something sugary - and quickly.

To stay well, I have to have Insulin before every meal or snack. I can't just have something to eat and not think about it, like most people. My Mum and Dad have to count every carbohydrate in my food to work out how much Insulin to give me.

I have to check my blood by pricking my finger at least four times every day and Mum and Dad check me at night and hardly ever get a good night's sleep! Does it hurt? Yes, it does. Luckily, I am a very brave boy and I try not to make a fuss.

Mum and Dad have worked out that in the year and a half I have had diabetes, I have had at least 2700 injections and as many finger pricks. I have just started using an Insulin pump, which means that I no longer have so many injections. Now I have to wear a canulla under my skin 24 hours a day and the pump delivers Insulin through this. When my canulla is changed every few days, it hurts a lot. Also, the finger pricking never ends! Having Diabetes is no fun and I would love to find a cure, not just for me, but for the thousands of other people with Type 1 Diabetes.

I will be taking part in a walk on October 7th 2012, to raise funds for JDRF, a charity which funds research into Type 1 and is dedicated to finding the cure. The walk is 5km long, which may not sound far to you, but I am not a big fan of walking, so to me this is a big deal.

I began by aiming to raise £120 for JDRF, which would pay for two hours of research into Type 1 Diabetes. Now, thanks to some of my fantastic family and friends, I have already reached this target and have decided to aim higher! My new target is £300, which would pay for five hours of wonderful research into Type 1 Diabetes. I would really love to raise more. Please give what you can and come back to my page again, to see how I'm getting on with my fundraising!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Love from,

Joseph

 

For grown-ups only, watch 'I am the mother of a diabetic child' here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFJ1_3qzZxQ