In August 2017, Love Drinks will celebrate its 10th Birthday! To commemorate this we have decided to participate in 10 charity events throughout the year! A few members of the Love Drinks Team and their partners will partake in Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46 to raise money and awareness for Diabetes UK.

Each week thousands of people in the UK suffer heart attacks, strokes, amputations and blindness because of their diabetes. Together we can dramatically improve diabetes care, help everyone to manage their diabetes well and increase spending on diabetes research to one day create a world where diabetes can do no harm.

One member of our team has Type 1 diabetes, this is her story:

I was diagnosed with diabetes (T1) just before my 30^th birthday. This is life changing news that no one wants to receive. I knew that this condition would be with me for the rest of my life and that thought can be very daunting. Having a strong family history of diabetes it was highly likely that I could be diagnosed but I thought I still had a good 20 years before that happened! I now manage my diabetes with roughly 5 injections per day and 5 finger prick blood glucose tests per day. I sometimes feel like I’m a pin cushion!

Not wanting to let my failing pancreas rule my life, I am determined to prove to myself and to others that you can still lead a full and healthy life without restriction.

On a recent holiday in the Caribbean I was on a snorkelling trip – something I had been looking forward to for months – only to be told that I could not snorkel. I was too much of a risk because of my diabetes, even though much less able adults and children were allowed to participate. This kind of attitude comes from a lack of knowledge and understanding of diabetes. I never want to be made to feel so incapable of doing something so simple again and nor do I want to see others experience the same kind of negativity.

Managing blood glucose levels on a daily basis is a challenge in itself, managing it during exercise can be even more tricky. Not wanting to let this put me off, I am pushing through my training for our 46 mile bike ride – the furthest I have ever cycled by far! I could not do this without the help, understanding and support from my team.

I am grateful to my team for fundraising for Diabetes UK because the work that they do is so important for raising awareness and educating people with AND without the condition. The research that they are doing is changing the way that diabetics can manage their condition and lead the life they want to lead.