Hi, I’m emily, and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was four. My mum is also diabetic, so I’ve always had a lot of support with it growing up, but it has still been difficult to adjust to the different ways I have to live my life because of being diabetic. As someone who was diagnosed so young, I can now reflect on how quickly the medicines and treatment for diabetes have improved, and I feel extremely lucky to have the standard of care which I do. However, I can also remember the fear that I felt when I was first diagnosed, and the anxiety about needles and the pain they might cause. I feel incredibly lucky to have amazing nurses and a supportive family around me to help me become more confident in managing my condition, and make it a lot less frightening.

This February I'm taking on Breakthrough T1D's Run Challenge, running 50km to support their vital research and community support.Every kilometer and £ raised through my challenge is a tribute to the resilience of the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community and a step closer to the cure. Every £11 could help a recently diagnosed child no longer feel alone with their T1D. They now have a fluffy best friend called Rufus who also has type 1 diabetes, and special felt patches on his test and injection sites to help children practice on. Every £25 could pay for an hour of research nurse support for someone involved in a clinical trial, which could ultimately lead to the next big breakthrough. Without this support there would be no trial.Every £100 could pay for one person to be screened for type 1 diabetes, to help prevent undiagnosed complications and save lives.Thank you for your support, whatever you donate is really appreciated. Together, we can help to cure type 1 diabetes!