When I was sixteen years old I remember being in the canteen at secondary school and stating to one of my best friends "I am so thirsty all the time", to which he responded with "That's a symptom of Diabetes you know." I assured him not to be stupid and clarified that I did not have Diabetes. However, the more I thought about it, the more I began to question whether I did actually have Diabetes...

On December 27th 2006 at midnight, I decided to load up the Diabetes UK website to look at the list of symptoms. To my horror it dawned on me that I actually had four of the symptoms listed; weight loss (I had lost an entire stone in two weeks), blurred vision, excessive consumption of liquids and going to the toilet frequently. I ran sobbing into my poor sleeping parents bedroom wailing "I've got Diabetes! I've got Diabetes!" Mum and Dad assured me that no matter what, things would be OK and that they would make an appointment for me to go to the doctors the following day.

On December 28th 2006 I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I have never had to learn about something so alien to me in such a short period of time. I felt broken and confused. Constantly asking "Why me?" At the time, it really did change every aspect of my life. I felt like I would never be able to be "normal" again. My friends and family rallied around being the biggest supportive hub that I could have ever asked for. I can never express how thankful I was (and always will be) for their love and support. Especially my Mum and Dad, who always believe in me no matter what. Thank you.

Not long after being diagnosed I was at one of my friends houses and we were discussing my new diagnosis. I will always remember what she said to me - "In a way, it's good that this has happened to you, because you're one of the only ones who can deal with it." In a way, I guess she was right. I have never let it stop me from doing anything. I would never let it rule me, I would rule it.

Since being diagnosed I have changed the method and medication of which I use to manage my blood sugar levels and things are much more controlled now. I feel confident within my ability to look after myself and don't particularly think of it as something that has to take over my entire life. Saying that, Diabetes is a big part of my life, without being a burden. It is the scariest thing in the world to find out you have something which you previously knew nothing about. Eventually though, you find the courage to fight against it; to take the reigns and guide yourself through.

So, my next step. This year I am wanting to run the 13 miles that is the Great North Run. I don't know how my blood sugar levels are going to deal with this and I'm going to have to really think about keeping them from dropping low, but I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it with confidence and gumption. Just to prove a point - no matter what life throws at you, you just throw something right back. 

I hope you will all take the time to kindly sponsor me in raising money for Diabetes UK. It's time to kick some ass.

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