On 23rd April 2023 myself and Matt are going to face our biggest challenge yet in completing the London Marathon. We are running in aid of a charity close to our hearts and one that has supported me for nearly 23 years. On 5th September 2000 I was diagnosed with a life changing condition, Type 1 Diabetes. Over the past 22 years I have seen and personally experienced so much development with diabetes care and this is partly thanks to all the hard work and fundraising that goes on behind the scenes. This fundraising is essential in helping individuals live a better quality life and delay, if not prevent the onset of long term diabetic related complications such as heart disease, kidney disease and amputations to name but a few. Not everybody is aware that I have T1 D as I have always tried to live as much of a normal life as possible. But behind closed doors I have had years of multiple daily injections (4-6) as well as 6-8 daily finger prick blood glucose tests, countless hypo’s and hyperglycaemia. Despite the hurdles I have had to climb I have never let it stop me from chasing my goals. 5 years after being diagnosed I gave up my job as an Executive Officer in the Court Service to pursue a career in Health & Fitness to help myself, my family, my friends and others live a better quality of life. I truly believe that exercise and good nutrition is medicine. I am now a certified Personal Trainer, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Nutrition Advisor, Exercise Referral Specialist for Diabetics, Movement Specialist and I achieved a first class honours degree in BSc Sports Science.  Without that diagnosis back in 2000, I may never have had a purpose to pursue a career change nor the sheer determination to attain those qualifications. Consequently my physical and mental well-being may not be as good as it is today. (There is a positive in every negative situation!). 

About 5 years ago my amazing consultant recognised my efforts and understood that this ‘healthy’ way of living also caused me no end of issues with hypoglycaemia (at times undetected during sleep) and unbalanced glucose levels, due to the exertion of strength training and running. As a result I was referred for a diabetic pump which has been a game changer. Now this is by no means a cure, I still have to count carbs in every meal and input this data into my pump to dispense insulin, I wear the pump on my hip 24/7, I have to personally change my cannula every 2 days, I have to wear a continuous glucose monitoring system on my upper arm 24/7 and I still experience drops in blood sugar levels more so during exercise (therefore running a marathon is going to be no mean feat). But what the pump has allowed me to do is take back control and feel a little more confident that I can achieve any goal I put my mind to. 

Matt who in his own words ‘hates running’ is going to be by my side throughout this crazy journey. This is totally outside of his comfort zone, (in fact every form of activity is outside of his comfort zone :-)  but he is committed to improving both his own health, fitness and mindset whilst supporting me and this well deserving charity. 

I have always believed that there is a cure out there for T1 Diabetes but it is going to take fundraising, research and hard work to realise this dream. I hope that by running the London Marathon and raising our target of £2100.00 that we can play a small part in future developments. 

Thank you for visiting our fundraising page and reading my (LONG) story. 

Every single donation is appreciated more than you will ever know! 

Sonya & Matt