On Sunday 15th July I will be taking part in the 75km Chain Reaction Cycles Mountain Biking Marathon in the Long Mynd,Shropshire to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I am doing this because two of my nieces have Type 1 diabetes and this charity focus most of their resources working on finding a cure for this condition.

Please read my sister Sally-Annes story below:

'My daughter Ellie was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was only 3 years old. Ellie started to become poorly around November 2010. I was taking Ellie to the doctors one or two times a week and kept getting told she had a virus and that she would be fine. But come Jaunary Ellie started to become even more poorly and was suffering from:

Extreme thirst

Dry mouth

Blurred vision drowsiness

Wetting the bed

Feeling weak

Stomach pain

Extreme weight loss

I booked yet another doctors appointment for Ellie for the morning,.That night I researched Ellies symptons on the internet and type 1 diabetes was the one that seemed to match everything Ellie was suffering with. When I took Ellie to the doctors I told them of what I thought could be wrong with her and they checked her blood sugar levels straight away. They were extremely high and Ellie was rushed straight to the Paddington ward at Northampton General Hospital.

From that day we were told our 3 year old daughter was a type 1 diabetic and would be for the rest of her life.

From that day Ellie's life changed.

Ellie now has to go through 4 + blood sugar level checks a day and 4 injections before meal and bed times every day.

Ellies food has to be measured and carbahydrate counted to make sure she has the correct amount of insulin to amount of food she eats.

Ellie has many hypos a week, this is where her blood sugar levels become very low and have to be treated straight away with sugary foods or drink so she dosent fall unconscious. If this occurs she will need to have an emergency injection so she dosent fall into a diabetic coma.

Ellie can also suffer with hyperglycaemia, this is where her blood sugar levels rise to high and can also lead to unconsiousness or evan death if left untreated.

Ellie has coped brilliantly and never fails to amaze me everyday with how well she just gets on with her life and excepts her diabetes. She is a super star and lives a normal life as well as she can. I am so proud of my little princess and will do anything to help and make her life that little bit easier'.

Sally-Anne's other daughter Poppy was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes March 2012 at the age of 2. Poppy also has to endure the awful symptoms, injections and life changes and this is not only hard on my two little nieces but also a strain on their Mum and Dad.

This is why I am taking part in this marathon to raise some money and help this charity find a cure.

So please I would much appreciate if you could sponser me and help me raise money for such an amazing cause.

THANK YOU