Type one diabetes sucks. It is an auto immune condition which renders the pancreas unable to produce insulin, the hormone responsible for promoting the conversion of glucose into energy. Without it, people die.
Managing the condition is difficult. Type one diabetics need to inject insulin and perform finger prick blood tests several times a day to manage their blood sugar level. High blood sugar levels can cause lethargy, irritability, nerve damage, blindness, strokes and organ failure. Low levels can cause confusion, seizures and death.
But with the right support, education and medication, diabetics can live lives as fulfilling and extraordinary as anyone else's. That's why I'm running the Marathon des Sables, a 150-plus mile footrace across the Sahara Desert, on behalf of three diabetes charities in April 2019. If successful, I will be the second type one diabetic to ever complete the MdS. In the build up to the event I will be taking part in a series of endurance runs across Britain and further afield, including the 186-mile Marathon des Cote and the Snowdonia 100 miler.
Please support me by donating to one (or all three) of the charities below. You'll see my fundraising target on the right. Your money will help people living with this condition fulfill their potential and fund research into finding a cure.
JDRF funds research into improving the lives of people living with type one diabetes and eradicating the condition for good. Around the world today, people are dying because they have no access to insulin. T1International is fighting to change that. Diabetes UK campaigns on behalf of people living with types one and two diabetes, raising awareness of the conditions and funding research.
Remember: Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never share them with anyone or send you unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. They'll make sure Gift Aid (an additional 25%) is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer, too. That means more money goes to the charity, faster, with JustGiving.
