We have often read or heard about diabetes, but can we actually comprehend the extent of this life-long condition? We know that diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the sugar level in the blood is too high because the body is not able to use it appropriately. Therefore we have learnt that insulin, which is produced in the pancreas, is vital since it helps glucose to enter cells so that respiration can occur in order for us to obtain energy.

My uncle, who means a lot to me, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of only 14 years old. Type 1 diabetes develops if the body is unable to produce insulin, and this type is often inheritated. My uncle's mother suffered from diabetes and unfortunately died at the age of 40. Type 1 diabetes is less common compared to type 2, since only 10% of all people with diabetes suffer from type 2. Regrettably, statistics show that over 2.5 million people in the UK suffer from diabetes.

My uncle was overwhelmed as well as afraid when he was told that he has diabetes. He hadn't contemplated the fact that he would suffer from such a condition and so he also became quite anxious at the time. In addition, my uncle also became angry because he didn't deserve to be going through this condition at such a young age. My uncle started grieving for lost health but we all tried to make him think positive so that he would remain confident. For my uncle and the rest of us, the most difficult thing to come to terms with was that diabetes is for life and it has to be dealt with in order to try to live a somewhat normal life. In the weeks after my uncle was diagnosed, we tried to push our emotions to one side since we needed to get to grips with the unfamiliar treatments and the changes in life-style that my uncle and all of us needed to undergo. My uncle's diet needed changing and so my mother needed to change her cooking habits in order to take good care of him.

Our healthcare team was there for us all and constantly gave us emotional support and reassurance. They also successfully helped my uncle to build his confidence in coping with diabetes. We additionally got a lot of support and encouragement from other people suffering from diabetes as hearing how others cope in similar situations gave us strength and made us realise that we were not suffering alone.

Although we can't actually experience the life-long condition of diabetes ourselves, we can do things to help. For example, we can read about the subject and ask questions to those experiencing the condition in order to familiarise ourselves with the suffering. Even though we know about the condition and its effects, we need to occasionally contemplate how people with diabetes feel and how they cope with day-to-day life which we often take for granted.