As most people reading this will know, I have had type 1 diabetes for over 23 years, diganosed just a few days after my fourteenth birthday. When I was first diagnosed I was put on two daily insulin injections, a mix of short and long acting. I had to take these injections at the same time each day, and I took the same amount each time too. This meant my diet was restricted, my meals needed to be at specific times, and doing anything out of the ordinary (exercise, for example) came with significant challenges in terms of managing my blood sugar. The only way I could check what my sugars were doing was to do a finger prick test (stabbing my fingers with a lancet and putting a small droplet of blood onto a testing strip).

Being that I was a teenager, and dealing with all the fun that that entails, my approach was mostly to try to ignore diabetes. My readings were generally terrible, and I dreaded trips to the diabetes consultant who inevitably made me feel guilty and like I was failing.

This is important context for this fundraising challenge, because things are so, SO much better for newly diagnosed diabetics now. And this is in no small part thanks to organisations like Breakthrough T1D.

My younger brother Joe was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in September 2023, at the age of 33. This was a massive shock for us all, but the fact he was immediately given a CGM (constant glucose monitoring) system, and was put on "MDI" (multiple daily injections) means he already has a huge amount more flexibility and control than I did in the early 2000s. He was also quickly put on the list to participate in DAFNE training, and completed it early last year. This excellent course which teaches participants how to effectively carb count and manage insulin doses is something I did not do myself until I had had diabetes for fifteen years!

Once you have completed DAFNE you are then eligible to be considered for pump therapy. Joe has decided to stick to MDI for now as he is managing well, but I got my first pump in 2017 and it has been transformative. The combination of this an CGM (which I got around the same time) has made my diabetes management so much better, and I don't believe I could have had my children without these huge improvements in technology.

However, even with these changes, and with years of experience under my belt, diabetes is still relentless and exhausting, and I would do anything to be able to take a holiday from it, or to even be cured altogether. I would be absolutely devastated if either of my children were diagnosed.

SO, all of this is a very long-winded way of explaining why this February I'm taking on Breakthrough T1D's Run Challenge, running 100km to support their vital research and community support. I find running really difficult, but I do also feel amazing when I get through a long run. I am training for my third half-marathon at the moment (which I am determined to actually enjoy!!) so in February I will need to run a lot to ready myself. Every kilometer and £ raised through my challenge is 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!