When I was nine years old I was diagnosed with diabetes. My granddad had been saying for weeks that I have been losing weight and some nights I would drink up to a litre of coke every night as I was so thirsty. When I had eaten my tea I would ask my mum for something else as I was so hungry, but mum said I can't be hungry as I had just eaten my tea. So at that point my mum decided to take me to my GP. When they took my blood I was so scared I was shaking when they told me that my blood was 32.7 and I had to be rushed to hospital. I Think out of everybody in my family my mum was the worst because she has some knowledge of diabetes and felt that she should have known something was wrong.

When I got to hospital I had to have a canola put in. I had never been in hospital and was really frightened it took four doctors to put my canola in my hand and took three quarters of an hour. I think that was that was the worse part. When the nurse came in and said that she had to inject insulin into my system I started to cry. I was so frightened on what might happen to me. The nurse showed me how to inject and put a needle in her own leg to show me it did not hurt. It got to a point that I had to inject myself and so far I have still not let anyone else inject me. At the beginning it was exciting that I had to inject I invited everyone to the hospital just so I could show them how good it was. I felt special because everyone was there for me. The dietician came and spoke to my mum about what I could eat, I remember it was just before Easter and I had already got some Easter eggs My mum said she would buy them of me for my brothers so I made a bit of money, I ha! d to stay in hospital for a few days until they could see that I was ok with my injections and that my blood sugars were ok then I was allowed home and my diabetic nurse Carol would come and see how I was doing

At home it was a nightmare, My mum wouldn't let me go anywhere because she was so scared of what might happen. And if I would not be able to manage my condition The first time she let me go out a had a hypo that I will never forget. I was riding on my stomach on my skateboard and I started to go all dizzy. Then when I tried to stand up I just collapsed (When I hypo my legs give way). I felt so useless because I couldn't even stand up. It's the worst feeling ever. And felt really frightening. Mum started to worry because I haven't had the condition that long and hypos were new to us, and we didn't feel confident at treating them. It took a further year before my mum would let me go out away from home and that was after a lot of support from Carol (Nurse). Mum and me were told that Diabetes shouldn't rule my life but at the beginning it felt like it did because my mum was so strict with everything.

When I went to school I felt so good I had to make speeches in front of my classmates and everything. I felt like having diabetes was the best thing that has ever happened to me all my friends want to see me inject and it made me feel special that everyone wanted to watch.. Then I moved up a year there were this one kid that consistently called me names like 'diabetic freak ' and druggy . I no longer felt like I was special and I felt like I was an outsider. This made me angry, and I didn't like to be different. I didn't want to test before I had my dinner and I didn't want to carry my meter around with me all the time. I would fight with my mum about food that I wanted but couldn't have , it felt like me and my mum were always arguing.

I regularly attend the hospital for my check ups but sometimes I don't want to go as I feel I am being told off if sugars are not right, I know I sometimes cheat but I am trying my best . It would be nice if sometimes even if my sugars are wrong for some one to say its ok and lets see what we can change for next time.

Then I switch schools and go to High school, new start ,new teachers and my diabetes went BANG. Everyone didn't know that I as diabetic and it felt like I was starting all over again and I hated it. Again I wanted to be like everyone else so I started to miss testing a dinners so my friends wouldn't notice and If I was getting my injection I would say I'm going to the toilet. I didn't want them to find out in case my friends would no longer be my friends . Then it all turned round , There were this girl that I met and she knew I had diabetes and treated me like I should be. From there my friends didn't really bover about what I was doing .

I have had some problems with my teachers as they know I am diabetic but don't know what to do. One of my teachers asked me why I had not finished my work. I told her I had hypo in class and it had taken me about 15mins to treat my self and come to, she said to me that I cant's use my condition as an excuse. My mum went mad when I told her as she felt this was not a help full. There has been other things at School that have not been helpful, but Peter (Diabetes Nurse) has been to sort it out

I know that I have diabetes for the rest of my life and it does still bother me but I am getting on with it, I hope there will be a cure in the future, if not for me then other children that might get it.

I think that the Calvert trust holidays and the diabetic nurses are all brilliant and really understand how I feel. Thank you for being there.