I was diagnosed when I was 13, brother to a twin diabetic who had it for 8 years before me, I thought I had gotten away with a normal life! At least it meant my symptoms were picked up swiftly, I resigned to the fate quickly and got on with it. I had been on 2 injections up until last year, I had made it work for me and didn’t let it restrict my diet or activity. I have taken the multiple injections routine on with little issue and while I always feel that diabetes doesn’t let me be completely care free, keeping it running in the background of daily life isn’t a big deal for me.

Frequently I am a team leader for the diabetic groups held at Hampshire Riding Therapy Centre and as well as it being great to give support to other diabetics and their families, it helps push me to continue maintaining my condition properly too.

Moving into adult life has affected my consistency somewhat, with eating out, work stress and irregular activity. I understand completely how others can struggle with it, and there can be some totally baffling hiccups with treatment but I hope my insight and experience can be of some use.

Diabetes: Type 1
Year of Birth: 1997
Year of Diagnosis: 2000