Hi, I’m Emily, and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was four. My mum is also diabetic, so I’ve always had a lot of support with it growing up, but it has still been difficult to adjust to the different ways I have to live my life because of being diabetic. As someone who was diagnosed so young, I can now reflect on how quickly the medicines and treatment for diabetes have improved, and I feel extremely lucky to have the standard of care which I do. However, I can also remember the fear that I felt when I was first diagnosed, and the anxiety about needles and the pain they might cause. I feel incredibly lucky to have amazing nurses and a supportive family around me to help me become more confident in managing my condition, and make it a lot less frightening.

I'm Nick, and I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 6. This was a massive shock to my whole family as nobody else in our family had previously been known to have the condition. I have had to balance carb counting and numerous injections every day for as long as I can remember, but over time my confidence and independence have only grown as I’ve become more resilient. I’m taking on this running challenge to prove that diabetes doesn’t have to hold anyone back, inspired by athletes like Alexander Zverev, Nacho, and Mark Andrews who continue to perform at the highest level despite the condition. Finally, I hope that the support raised through this fundraiser can help fund research into Type 1 diabetes and bring hope of a cure for future generations.

Nick and I met at a choral scholarship open day, and we sing in National Youth Choir together. We began speaking a lot about our condition, and decided that we wanted to fundraise for Breakthrough by running 50k each across February, in the hope of helping other young people who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. We’d really appreciate any contribution you can make to helping us achieve our target goal, and thank you so much for your donations.