On October 10th, along with nine others, I will be spending nine days trekking the Great Wall of China for Diabetes UK. 

I have lived with type 1 diabetes since I was 15 years old and take pride in the fact that I manage my diabetes to live a life with no restrictions. However, in December, I was hospitalised with DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) and I was struck with the realisation that no matter how hard you work to keep diabetes under control it is a serious condition which can have serious consequences. This prompted me to get involved with www.charitychallenge.com to raise awareness of diabetes and to try to raise a team target of £25,000 for Diabetes UK, a charity which is now closer to my heart than ever before.

The journey along the Great Wall will be challenging with many ups and downs, but it will also be a celebration of the strength, fighting spirit and perseverance needed to live with diabetes as we trek for 9 hours per day over the steep, rugged and most demanding sections of the wall. I have always been a firm believer that diabetes shouldn’t stop you from living your life or from reaching your goals and I am taking on this challenge to prove this point. 

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