"I am stronger than fear." Malala Yousafzai

To mark one year of diabetes we are taking on a big physical challenge in the wilds of Devon.

One year ago in August 2017 our lives changed forever when Austin was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. We have decided to mark the end of this year by taking on a physical challenge and giving something back. To raise money for the team of doctors and nurses who have helped us so much we will be taking on the Devon Coast to Coast route, cycling over 100 miles in late July.

The paediatric team at St Mary's Hospital in London has done so much to help us this first year. They met us with warmth on the first day and immediately started to encourage us to get Austin back on track with his summer adventures! This gave us a great start and has inspired our family to keep life as normal as possible. All three of our children say they are amazed that so much has stayed the same. The paediatric team have their own charity pot within their trust (Imperial) which they use in a variety of ways. They mainly spend this funding on patient user groups - so keeping children engaged with life by taking them out to fun activities such as Winter Wonderland, cinema, Thorpe Park, laser tag and go-karting. They also use donated money for research, parent groups and towards their World Diabetes Day Festival. We hope to give a boost to their funds and at the same time inspire other newly diagnosed children to remain confident about staying physically active and to know that despite diabetes they can continue to safely spend time interacting with nature in remote areas.