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If you're reading this and you know Toby - you will know how lively, intelligent and amazing this little fella is.

When Toby was just 17 months (Easter 2008) old he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the immune system attacking the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, meaning that the body cannot regulate blood-glucose levels on its own.  

Type 1 diabetes affects 400,000 people in the UK - over 29,000 of them are children.  Incidence of Type 1 is increasing by 5 percent each year, particularly in children under 5.

Managing the condition requires a constant balance of exercise and insulin therapy to maintain blood-glucose levels as close to normal as possible.

Since diagnosis, nearly 5 years ago, Toby has drawn blood from his finger nearly 15,000 times to measure his blood-glucose levels.  He has also administered alomost 10,000 insulin injections.

In August 2012 Toby's life changed when he received his insulin pump!  He still tests his blood-glucose 8 times a day - but injections are a thing of the past.  Instead Toby now has an insulin pump around his waist, attached to his body by a cannula, 24 hours a day.  This 6 year old boy now has to deal with a piece of medical equipment strapped to him permanently as well as the all new process of changing the cannula that the insulin flows through every 3 days.

Unless a cure is found, Toby will continue this regime for the rest of his life - this could mean a lifetime total of over 250,000 blood-glucose tests and nearly 150,000 insulin injections or pump boluses.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation  (http://www.jdrf.org.uk) exists to help children like Toby and to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes and all its complications.  It is the world's leading charitable funder of Type 1 diabetes research.

Throughout 2013 myself and a team of very amazing friends are going to some considerable  pain to raise as much money as we can for kids like Toby!  Have a look at the full list of events on our facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/JdrfChallenges2013) - while you're there it would be great if you could "like" the page to help spread the word!

Our challenges include the London Marathon, three triathlons, a 4 day - 400 mile cycle ride from Lands End to Dover, all the Welsh 3,000m mountains in 24 hours, the Lyke Wake Walk and finally, a half marathon for good measure!

It goes without saying that a donation from you would be immense!  

We hope we've made it as easy as possible for you to donate by using JustGiving.  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 - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now to give real help to kids with Type 1 Diabetes - just like Toby.

Our grateful thanks!