At the age of 6 I was diagnosed type 1 diabetic. At such a young age, little was I aware of how much this condition would affect my life. Fast forward 19 years and the challenges I have faced and the highs and the lows (parden the pun) have been immeasurable. Diabetes has brought me on an adventure where I have met so many great people along the way and established some unbelievable support networks, connections and people I would call friends and family.

Living with diabetes though is like walking along an endless balance beam trying not to wobble. However a wobble is inevitable, and when things do go wrong they can go wrong very quickly as I found out almost 2 years ago. During my sleep I suffered the most dangerous hypoglycaemic episode I have ever had. During this episode I had a seizure and when I came round, my blood sugar levels were 0.6. My brain was beginning the process of shutting down due to the lack of glucose fuelling it. But I was lucky that night, lucky enough to pull through. The next 6 months of my life were amongst the hardest I have faced. I lost my driving license, yet had more appointments than ever to attend; I was constantly poorly; constantly tired but afraid to sleep. I was traumatised, terrified and for the first time since being diagnosed, living in fear of the condition I have always been fortunate enough to manage successfully. But now I needed help. I had almost fallen from the balance beam.

Luckily for me, I was fortunate to get a Omnipod 5 and Dexcom sensor which is a life changing combination which now controls my blood sugars almost like a pancreas can control a non diabetics blood sugars. The technology is incredible. But it doesn't come cheap. It needs support now more than ever.

Diabetes UK estimates 5.8 million people in the UK are diabetic, 8% of which are type 1 like me. That's almost half a million people who will have tales similar to mine. But not all of these are as lucky as me. Some won't be able to get the support I got, and god forbid some won't make it.

So now I'm out the other end, I want to make a difference. I want to help those who may be facing what I faced or facing worse. With support who knows what the future may hold, we may even find a cure.

This is why I have decided to start a fundraiser and run 60 miles in June 2025!