62 miles (100km). One month. One important cause. 💙

This October, me and my Assistance Dog In Training Oatis (@oatis_the_ad on instagram and tiktok) are taking on a HUGE 62 miles (100km) of walking to raise money for Diabetes UK and help support the 6 million people living with and affected by diabetes every single day. 35,000 of which are under the age of 19, me being one of them.

I'm doing this to help support the millions diagnosed, and the millions yet to be diagnosed, live a better, happier, life alongside T1D. This challenge also crosses over with my birthday and I would love to be able to raise enough money to do some good for Diabetes UK as they really do so so much for the diabetic community that I would like to put something beneficial back in to it.

(this story is a little long and briefly mentions topics such as mental health, neurodivergence, PTSD, and eating disorders, the paragraph in which is marked with "⚠️⚠️" at the beginning and end 🙂)

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) at the age of 14 in April 2023. Mine and my families entire life turned upside down. Before my diagnosis I hadn't had an easy life, we pulled me from mainstream education as I was unsupported, traumatised and at complete breaking point, little did we know I was also battling undiagnosed T1D.

The way I was diagnosed was traumatic, I have always struggled with anything medical. So being rushed to hospital and diagnosed with a lifelong condition that literally effects, and can be effected by, EVERYTHING I do was, and still is, rough. Going from being petrified of ANYTHING medical to having to have 5+ injections a day, multiple finger pricks, medical devices attached to my body 24/7 and a lifetime of unknowns was SCARY. I was extremely lucky in that I got a Constant Glucose Monitor (CGM) on the second day of being diagnosed, some people wait YEARS for access to one of these. But it still didn't take away the fact of we had to learn overnight how to mange a condition, which one wrong decision could be life threatening, wasn't easy. Having to learn how to count carbohydrates, calculate the right amounts of insulin and dose correctly, the constant number checking and monitoring, the treating of both high and low blood sugars, all while seeming like a completely normal, healthy human to the world around me.

Thankfully and luckily, or not so luckily, my mum had some past experience and knowledge of T1D due to her brother being T1, he's sadly no longer with us which, in ways, made my diagnosis a lot harder to process.

After about a year I got moved onto an insulin pump which took A LOT of the stress out of the 24/7 thoughts, they weren't completely gone but the weight had been somewhat lifted off mine and my families shoulders, because that's the part you don't see, the weight on EVERYONE else your mum, dad, siblings, friends, teachers, support workers, grandparents, EVERYONE who is in your life takes part of the weight when your diagnosed. With me also being neurodivergent I struggle to do diabetes on my own and need help managing it 80% of the time, so the weight and pressure gets put more onto my families, and people around me, shoulders despite me being almost 18 (I turn 18 1/2 way through this challenge!).

Even 3 1/2 years down the line we still struggle daily, and unfortunately, that's going to always be there, but that's okay, we are living life and also acting as an organ at the same time, no breaks, no holidays, no time off, and not a lot of room for mistakes.

⚠️⚠️ I truly believe their is a link between unneeded stress, trauma, PTSD, mental health, eating disorders, other medical conditions, neurodivergence and T1D, all of which I live, and struggle, with daily and THAT is why I am taking on this challenge. To raise money for more research to be done, so there are more answers, more support, more life changing medical devices and hopefully one day, a cure. ⚠️⚠️

I’d really appreciate your support. Whether it’s £2, £5, £10, £100, or copying my link and sharing my page around to friends and family. Every donation and every share adds up and can help make a real difference to the people and families who live this life every single day, no breaks.

If you’re able to donate, thank you, your support means a lot to me and everyone effected by diabetes and will make such a difference

Thank you for reading my, very lengthy, story and being part of my journey! 💙

love from

Mylo 💙 & Oatis 🐾