When I first found out about this competition at the hospital I had no idea where to start. Though I suppose I better start by describing myself. My name is Eden, I am 11 years old, I have short brown hair, brown eyes, I love the colour pink, oh and I have diabetes.

Diabetes hasn't really made much difference to my life. I still do all my hobbies such as dancing, figure skating, horse riding and so on. I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 9 so only 2 years ago and this is what happened..

On the 23rd of March 2006 I sat my Grade 3 ballet exam. It went ok but I felt really sick and was having trouble breathing during the exam. Me and the two other girls that did the exam with me decided to go for a celebration lunch at A café just round the corner from the dance centre. At this point I was feeling the most sick I had ever felt. I decided to have a strawberry milkshake (not my best decision) and I drank about half of it. Now I was feeling like I was going to be sick so mum decided to take me home.

When I got home I was sick and the milkshake I had just drank came up with it. Mum thought I just had a tummy bug so I went to bed for an early night as I could not eat my tea. All through the night I kept either being sick or retching. I also was really thirsty and kept needing the toilet.

The next day I still felt awful so mum phoned the doctors and they came round to my house. After they had looked at me they thought I might have had appendicitis. The doctors phoned the hospital and my mum told me that I was going to hospital.

The ambulance didn't arrive for 2 more hours. When they finally arrived I got in the ambulance. When I got to Dr Grays Hospital I was rushed into a small room on a trolley where a nurse greeted me. She then gave me some "magic cream" and they fixed a drip to my arm containing in one bag nutrients and the other insulin. It was pretty scary. Next I was taken up to the children's ward where the nurse told me and my mum that I had diabetes but of course I didn't have a clue what that was at the time. My sister then arrived and stayed the rest of the day.

I don't really remember the rest of my hospital stay. I remember after staying in a tiny room for 3 days being moved into a larger room when I came of my drip, and how I suddenly decided I wanted something to eat one day, after 3 days without anything. I also remember getting lots of presents and people coming to visit me. Plus the most annoying thing about being in hospital at that time, hen I had to miss the pony fun day at my riding stables when I had been practising for weeks. I was allowed to go but I had to watch and I couldn't compete. But that's about it. That's all I remember.

When I got home from the hospital me and my mum had to take it easy for a couple of months. All my friends were still coming round to my house giving me presents. I was aloud to go back to school only 1 day after I got home.

I have to do my blood sugar 4 times and my insulin 2 times a day. If I go hypo I have to take either 3 glucose tablets or a mini Mars Bar and a glass of milk. At school I normally have a Mars Bar before P.E to stop me from going hypo.

I'm very happy to tell my friends what diabetes is and the day I went back to school after being in hospital I made a speech to my class about what it is. I also like being the only person in my school with diabetes as I feel I'm unique. Though that wont be for long because I'm going to high school this year. My family and friends are very supportive to me which is great when the going gets tough.

I like going to the hospital for a check-up every 3 months as everyone there is always happy and smiling and I like to know how I am getting on.

I have made this essay sound like I love everything about diabetes but there are bad points too. Like having to carry a bag around with me everywhere I go and not being able to eat all the sweets my friends do. Plus not being able to eat everything at parties and having to get blood tests.

My advice to anyone who has just got diabetes would be don't worry your life has not just ended. Remember you control the diabetes it doesn't control you. Treat it as a good thing and think of your self as unique. Not eating sweets can sometimes be a good thing as you stay healthy so its not as bad as it sounds. And be open to people if your worried about something with it.

My life with diabetes isn't that bad. I get on with life and don't let it stop me in life. I'm still carrying on with my ambition to be a primary school teacher and to go to university. I still carry on with my hobbies. I went to Florida last year and diabetes didn't stop me at all. I'm going on my first ever school trip abroad this year and diabetes hasn't stopped me in that either. I still enjoy life to the full.

The last thing I'm going to say as I understand that your probably getting bored here is I have diabetes and I'm proud!