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On April 5th our lives changed forever as our darling daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, aged 5. We had taken her to the doctor because she'd had an unquenchable thirst for a couple of weeks, was losing weight, had become lethargic and had started wetting the bed. Little did we know. After taking a blood glucose reading which was off the chart, we were sent in an Ambulance to the local hospital, where the diagnosis was confirmed and B was started on a course of fluids to rehydrate her, and insulin to start getting the blood glucose down.

 

She was already perking up by the next day, and eating like a horse. They even let her go home the 2nd evening, much chirpier than she'd been for several weeks. We felt like we had our daughter back, and were terribly shocked to find how poorly she'd been.

 

It's been a devastating few weeks. Of course we're kicking ourselves for not picking this up sooner, but there's nothing we did or could have done to prevent this happening. The important thing is that she now has the treatment she needs to live a completely normal life, albeit one where she is dependent on 4 daily injections of insulin, with regular finger prick blood monitoring tests, to make sure she has the right levels of insulin to process the glucose in her system and stay alive. Just like Sir Steve Redgrave and Halle Berry, other Type 1 diabetics. So far, she's coping magnificently and taking it all in her stride.

 

Before this happened, I was planning to ride the Etape du Tour in July - this is when they open up a stage of the Tour de France to 10,000 cyclists. This year it goes over 2 epic Alpine passes before finishing at the top of Alpe de Huez, one of the most iconic of all climbs. It's a massive challenge - I've never done anything like this before, with 2 young kids and a 3 hour daily commute I haven't got a lot of time to do the required training (especially now), I'm handsomely overweight and there's a broom wagon chasing us around to sweep up all the slow coaches!

 

Now I've got an ever better reason for doing it than the "just-turned-40-midlife-crisis", to raise money which will hopefully help to find a cure for this, and making my daughter's generation the first one where Type 1 Diabetes can be cured and not just controlled.

 

Thanks so much for your support!

 

Updated on Jun 1st 2011

Training well underway but need to start doing more miles. 82km last weekend was surprisingly manageable though will have to watch knee. Need to either ride to work (35 mile round trip) or do more in evenings...! This is the weekend run, following the short (50km) version of the aptly named "Hell of the Ashdown"

 

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/35818448/

June 15th update:

 

I completed my first cyclosportive last weekend, 51 miles or 82 km of rolling countryside around Berkshire & Hampshire in the pouring rain, driving wind and low temperatures. It was wet, miserable & strangely enjoyable - cycling's definitely a masochist's game!

 

July 15th update:

 

It's all over! On monday I found myself in the 10th starting pen of 12 at 6.30am, following a terrible night's sleep, brought on no doubt by nerves. We finally got rolling a bit after 8am, and I got over the first col a little after 10am and with the broom wagon right on my tail. I carried on down to Valloire where I decided to call it quits - my back was killing me, and there were 18km of uphill ahead, with the broom right behind. Unfortunatley, I just wasn't fit enough this year, but I gave it a shot, and now know what to expect next time. Thanks to all of you who supported me so generously!

Financial bit:

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